Adaptation Exploration Summer Academy
Funding Amount
Not stated
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Deadline history & next window
- Cycle
- Annual
- Tracked since
- April 2026
Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.
Overview
Program Partner: Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Program Description:
A free annual summer professional development academy for K-12 educators that focuses on outdoor and nature-based STEM education. The program teaches teachers how to incorporate outdoor learning environments and natural settings into their STEM curriculum.
For Educators
Target Audience:
- K-12 teachers
- Classroom educators seeking professional development
- Teachers interested in outdoor and environmental education
Program Features:
- Cost: Free to attend
- Focus: Outdoor and nature-based STEM education
- Emphasis: Teaching STEM standards through outdoor/schoolyard learning
- Duration: Summer academy format
Learning Outcomes:
- How to plan lessons outside the classroom in natural environments
- Strategies for incorporating the schoolyard into STEM instruction
- Ways to adapt teaching standards and classroom lessons to outdoor settings
- New and exciting approaches to STEM education
- Methods for increasing student engagement through outdoor learning
Program Content
- Outdoor STEM education methodologies
- Schoolyard exploration techniques
- Adaptation of teaching standards to natural environments
- Hands-on outdoor instruction strategies
- Environmental STEM connections
Location
- Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
- Natural/outdoor settings
Contact Information
Communications Team:
- Pam Bonee, Director of Communications: (865) 603-5142, Pam.Bonee@orau.org
- Wendy West, Manager of Communications: (865) 207-7953, Wendy.West@orau.org
Background
The program addresses the need for educators to find new ways to keep students engaged with classroom lessons. By leveraging outdoor and natural environments, teachers can create compelling learning experiences that connect STEM concepts to real-world ecological and environmental contexts.
What Oak Ridge Associated Universities Inc actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2024 — the most recent filing with itemized grants
- Grants in 2024
- 2
- Total given
- $16K
- Median grant
- $8,000
- By dollars: Louisiana 50%, Tennessee 50%. Top recipient cities: Baton Rouge, LA; Knoxville, TN.
Example grants
Louisiana State University · Baton Rouge, LA
Library support program
$8,000
University of Tennessee · Knoxville, TN
Library support program
$8,000
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Teacher development
- Environmental education
- STEM education
Categories
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