Travel Grant: MESA USA National Engineering Competition

使STEM多样化是美国政府投入大量资源的一项国家优先事项。由于这一优先事项，已经建立了许多联盟和联盟，包括主要的基金会、公司、大学和组织，以增加学生在工程学和其他STEM相关领域的机会、参与度和成功。美国数学、工程和科学成就协会(MESA)是一个全国性的联盟，致力于通过为代表不足的中学生提供高质量的工程和科学教育经验，增加STEM职业的多样性。近50年来，该联盟一直被公认为促进STEM包容性和公平性的国家典范。MESA的标志性活动之一是其年度国家工程设计挑战赛。这项拨款提案的主要目标是为美国梅萨创建一项旅行补贴计划，让高中参与者参加2018年和2019年的年度挑战。全国大赛是最终的活动，每年6月举行，许多州代表团参加：一个中学团队(4名学生/1名教师)，一个高中团队(4名学生/1名教师)，州MESA主任和国家工程设计挑战计划委员会的成员。超过50%的MESA美国学生来自弱势群体，第一代或英语作为第二语言背景，那里几乎没有直系亲属或关键成年人来培养、支持和/或传递他们的工程职业观。拟议的旅行补助金将为MESA美国学生提供一个机会，通过参加和参加国家工程设计挑战赛来分享和展示他们对工程的热情，而不是为了参加这样的会议而费力和困难地找到所需的财政资源。

Diversifying STEM is a national priority in which the United States' government has devoted immense resources. Because of this priority, many coalitions and consortia have been developed, involving major foundations, companies, universities, and organizations, to increase student access, engagement, and success in engineering and other STEM-related fields. Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) USA is a national consortium, founded to focus on increasing diversity in STEM careers by providing underrepresented, secondary students with high-quality engineering and science education experiences. For nearly 50 years, this consortium has been recognized as a national model for promoting inclusion and equity in STEM. One of MESA's signature activities is its annual National Engineering Design Challenge. The main objective of this grant proposal is to create a Travel Grant Program for MESA USA, high school participants to attend the annual challenge in 2018 and 2019. The national competition is the culminating event, held annually in June and attended by many state delegations: a middle school team (4 students/1 teacher), a high school team (4 students/1 teacher), state MESA director and members of the national Engineering Design Challenge planning committee.More than 50 percent of MESA USA students come from disadvantaged, first-generation or English as a second language backgrounds, where there are few immediate family members or key adults to foster, support, and/or transmit their engineering career outlook. The proposed travel grant will presents an opportunity for MESA USA students to share and present their passion for engineering by attending and competing in the National Engineering Design challenge and without the struggle and difficulty of finding the needed financial resources to attend such a meeting.