This past September, the National Grid has made a huge $225,000 contribution to support WCS science-focused educational programs aimed to encourage young people to study science, technology, engineering, and math.
“We are grateful to National Grid for this opportunity to inspire young people in ways that will help secure a better future for the next generation,” said Bertina Ceccarelli, Executive Vice President for Global Resources in a press release. “Through this support, we can encourage student participants to make conservation an important part of their daily lives and to consider careers in the sciences.”
National Grid’s multi-year commitment will support the docent program at WCS’s New York Aquarium, a program that helps New York City youth learn important natural science and ecological principles while developing positive attitudes toward wildlife and promoting awareness of the environment among aquarium visitors.
Docents work with a team of animal experts while supporting WCS’s mission to save wildlife and wild places around the globe. The program has the potential to provide valuable public speaking skills and hands-on learning opportunities to nearly 100 docents and reaches around 40,000 visitors.
The commitment will also support Conservation Math presented by National Grid at WCS’s New York Aquarium, Queens Zoo, and Prospect Park Zoo, a suite of education programming at all three facilities. The program will involve investigating animal adaptation in the wild to observing species and analyzing survey data in the classroom and includes a range of math and science-focused education programs that serve various school groups throughout the metropolitan area.
