Northrop Grumman, the fifth largest defense contractor in the world, has donated $40,000 to the National Youth Science Foundation (NYSF). The gift will be used to support the academic program of the 2016 National Youth Science Camp (NYSC).
The NYSC is a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment honors program, challenging the top two math and science students from every state in the United States and others from around the world for a month in the summer in the mountains of West Virginia. The NYSC was initiated by the State of West Virginia in 1963 and has honored more than 5,000 delegates during its existence. The NYSC is now operated as a public/private partnership between the NYSF and the State of West Virginia.
Scientists supported by the Northrop Grumman grant will speak on a wide variety of STEM subjects that go well beyond those found in a traditional high school curriculum; the academic program includes lectures, seminars, and hands-on directed studies.
“The National Youth Science Foundation greatly appreciates Northrop Grumman’s support of the National Youth Science Camp’s innovative academic program,” Dr. Andrew Blackwood, executive director of the NYSF, said. “Partnerships with leading companies like Northrop Grumman insure that the NYSC remains relevant in today’s fast-changing world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems products in unmanned systems, cyber security, logistics, and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Northrop Grumman’s President and CEO, Wesley Bush, was a 1979 delegate to the NYSC from West Virginia. Mr. Bush grew up in Morgantown, WV, and will be the keynote speaker at the 2016 Charleston Area Alliance Annual Celebration on Tuesday, April 19.