Battelle Impacts More Than 1 Million Children with STEM Education Outreach

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Nov. 17, 2022)—Today, Battelle, the world’s largest independent applied science and technology nonprofit organization, announced it has achieved the goal of impacting 1 million students annually through science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.  

 In 2022, Battelle reached 1.4 million students—many in underserved communities—through its own philanthropy, management of STEM networks, support of education efforts at Battelle-managed laboratories, and growth of Metro Early College High School in Columbus, Ohio.

 When Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer joined the organization in 2017, he set a goal to impact 1 million children annually with high-quality STEM education programming by 2025. This fiscal year, that goal was realized three years early. “STEM is paramount to our organization and its work. I couldn’t be prouder of the effort our team has given to reach this goal and inspire the next generation of STEM innovators,” said Von Thaer.

By The Numbers:

• Donated $43M in STEM education and grants over the last three years.
• Impacted 3,500+ teachers and 3,000+ schools over the last three years.
• Invested $4.8 million to Central Ohio students through Battelle‘s STEM Grant Program over the last nine years.
• Impacted 239 schools and 96,333 students through the Ohio STEM Learning Network.
• Impacted 906 schools and 593,458 students through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network.
• Supported statewide STEM organizations in more than 20 states through its STEMx network.

 Today in the United States, more than 10 million people work in STEM fields and by 2030 that number is expected to grow by 11%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Battelle believes more needs to be done to educate students to succeed in STEM careers.

“Businesses have not only the opportunity but the obligation to support their local communities, especially young people, to ensure they have the education and skills required to effectively enter the workforce,” said Von Thaer. “We encourage every major business to seek out at least one STEM education program to support in the next calendar year.”

In order to create a robust talent pool in the future, Battelle continues to make key investments in high-impact areas and increased its direct support for education. Over the last 20 years Battelle has:

Co-founded Metro Early College High School with The Ohio State University in 2006, an independent, open-enrollment, tuition-free STEM school.

Launched and continued to manage the Ohio STEM Learning Network as a public-private partnership with the Ohio Department of Education, the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network as a public-private partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, and the national STEMx network.

Led a consortium of nine organizations that manages the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program to reach students and teachers opportunities for real-world STEM experiences.

Became a founding sponsor of the COSI Science Festival, Ohio’s largest STEM event

Supported the new Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland STEM Leadership Center and Maker Space at Camp Ken-Jockety with the goal of putting 2.5 million girls in the STEM pipeline by 2025.

Invested millions of dollars in support of the KIPP Columbus campus and STEM programming to give underserved communities more access to experience the opportunities of a science career.

With support from Battelle, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, The Ohio State University and a group of community funders, more than $30 million was raised to conduct renovations on the historic Indianola Middle School in Columbus, Ohio. These renovations will allow 1,200 Metro students to move to the updated building next year.

To continue educational engagement for students across the country, Battelle recently announced the Battelle Climate Challenge. Through the free challenge, students can share their ideas on solving real-world climate problems with Battelle scientists and earn a STEM grant for their nonprofit school, library or educational organization. The challenge closes January 13, 2023.

Read Lou Von Thaer's thoughts on reaching this milestone here. 

Learn more about Battelle’s STEM education initiatives by visiting https://www.battelle.org/stem-education/ and see how Battelle is leveraging science and education to serve humanity by visiting https://www.battelle.org/philanthropy.

About Battelle
Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.