HAMMOND – The Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana has received a grant from ArcelorMittal to help fund programs for teachers and students in East Chicago, Gary and Whiting, as well as support the center’s general fundraising efforts.
The Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana is a space science education center and field trip destination located on the campus of Purdue University Calumet. The Center endeavors to provide teachers with a resource to meet science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum goals and gives students a chance to put these skills to work during simulated space missions. Since its inception in February 1999, the Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana has been able to provide an unequaled educational hands-on experience for over 194,000 children in northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois.
The Center’s Director, Rebecca Manis, said, “Support from community partners like ArcelorMittal is not just about the funding, but about their belief that our program is making a difference for the teachers and students who participate. Programs that have been shown to engage student interest in the STEM fields and inspire career paths that will build a scientifically literate and technologically advanced future for all of us.”
Jim Lang, Process Coordinator in the Operating Technology division of ArcelorMittal, is a support of the partnership with the Challenger Learning Center. “I have been involved with the partnership between ArcelorMittal and the Challenger Learning Center for over three years. During that time, I have witnessed numerous missions sponsored by ArcelorMittal. You can see that the children are engaged in the process and apply STEM skills to conquer the challenges presented during these simulated missions.”
