The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a nonprofit organization which provides leadership to the chemical engineering profession. One of our goals is to support excellence in education. In the Central Florida Section of AIChE, we firmly believe in teaching children early about the fundamentals, joys, and possibilities in the fields of math and science. We understand there are many challenges that arise in teaching our youth. During the 2008-2009 school year, AIChE will sponsor the Annual High School Chemathon, the Polk County Science Fair, College Scholarships, an Elementary and Middle School Grant program, and the Secondary Math and Science Teachers of the Year awards.

Chemathon, which is co-hosted by the Florida Southern College of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society, is usually held in late April. High school students from Manatee, Polk, and Brevard counties compete for prizes in written exam and quiz bowl competitions. AIChE sponsors this event and provides judges.

The Annual Polk County Science Fair will be held in February at the Lakeland Center. AIChE will be sponsoring awards in the chemistry and engineering categories. Please come out for this annual event and support our future scientists and engineers.

Scholarships, Elementary and Middle School Grants, Teacher of the Year

Those wishing to apply for these awards should submit an application (see menu for the three award categories) by the deadline on the forms. All grant recipients will be recognized at our Tuesday, April 13, 2010, meeting in Lakeland.

Each year the Central Florida Chapter awards three $1500 College Scholarships to chemical engineering students in the Central Florida region. To be eligible for the scholarship students must be enrolled in a chemical engineering program at the University of South Florida, the University of Florida, Florida Institute of Technology, or be a resident of Central Florida and a declared chemical engineering student. At the discretion of the Miasel Family and the AIChE-CF Board, an additional grant may be made in memory of Past Local Chair & Chemical Engineer Bill Miasel.

The Elementary and Middle School Grant Program was designed to provide financial aid for classroom projects which enhance the learning of science and math for students. Grant amounts vary depending on the project scope and estimated expense.

Finally, every year we like to recognize a Teacher of the Year in secondary science and math. Two Central Florida teachers will be chosen and honored at our April 14 2009, meeting. Please help us in our endeavor to honor your extraordinary science and math teachers by submitting a letter of recommendation along with the attached form to be filled out by the outstanding teacher. Each teacher honored will receive a plaque, a check payable to the teacher for $750, and a check for $500 payable to the teacher's school.

We are excited about these programs and look forward to increasing the quality of science and math education in Central Florida. We are available to assist you toward making these programs a success. Any questions, comments, or suggestions as well as completed applications for the school grants, scholarships, and teaching awards should be directed to the address listed on the individual award forms.

scholarship@aiche-cf.org
Central Florida AIChE
4798 South Florida Ave # 253
Lakeland, FL 33813

Last updated: 2010-03-30