Four Bosch Community Fund (BCF) grants from Robert Bosch LLC and Bosch Rexroth Corporation, totaling $100,000, were awarded to three central Pennsylvania educational institutions: Lehigh University, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute and The Pennsylvania State University.
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, was awarded a $20,000 grant to support its CHOICES (Charting Horizons and Opportunities in Careers in Engineering and Science) Summer Camp. CHOICES is an outreach program designed to introduce young women in middle school to the benefits of engineering careers. The grant will specifically allow for increased and sustained capacity of the CHOICES camp and provide scholarships for girls from Broughal Middle School.
The second grant, totaling $35,000, was presented to Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, Schnecksville, to support a five-tiered approach to increasing success for high school and middle school students in STEM education, training and career paths. Funding will be applied to summer camp for seventh- and eighth-grade students, professional development for counselors and math/science teachers, as well as STEM Career Awareness night (open to all Lehigh County students) and Girls in Engineering Awareness Day for 120 young women in the ninth and tenth grades.
The third grant, totaling $45,000, was given to The Pennsylvania State University and will be split between the Lehigh Valley and University Park Campuses. The first program, the Women in Engineering Program Orientation (WEPO), provides orientation for first-year students entering Penn State and features year-round mentoring and leadership programming. It also pairs program participants with upperclassmen to support and increase retention of undergraduate women in the engineering program. The second program receiving funding is the Lehigh Valley Emerging Engineers program, which supports low-income students in their preparations to qualify for Penn State. The Emerging Engineers program offers a one-year, dual-enrollment opportunity for high school seniors in engineering and math with an emphasis on problem-solving and hands-on job shadowing with companies in the region.
The grant process involved management at Bosch Rexroth in Bethlehem reaching out to different charitable and educational institutions in the Lehigh Valley, informing them of support Bosch Rexroth could make available through the BCF. Several institutions submitted proposals outlining utilization plans. After careful consideration, these four programs were selected.
“Bethlehem senior management is very excited with the programs selected at these schools. We will be looking for ways to engage Bosch Rexroth associates to help implement these programs,” said Andreas Torell, vice president and commercial plant manager, Bosch Rexroth.
