VSVS offers a STEM outreach program to rural counties for grades 6-8 sponsored by the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE). VSVS has developed middle-school lessons in accordance with the Tennessee Academic Standards for Science which have been used in Davidson County since 1994. Each hands-on science lesson includes background materials, a prepared presentation for teachers\/students, all materials for the hands-on activity, and student worksheets that can be copied and modified. Participating teachers in each grade will be able to select up to 3 lessons for the fall and up to 3 lessons for the spring to teach in their classrooms. Teachers are required to attend a one-day training session at Vanderbilt in the fall to train on each of the lessons selected for their classroom. Since 2012, we have worked with 108 teachers in 7 counties (Bedford, Giles, Dickson, Lawrence, Macon, Robertson, and Rutherford) and have distributed supplies that have reached over 21,000 rural middle school students.<\/p>\n
Teachers: if you are interested in participating, you can find the sign up form here.<\/a> Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are closed. Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year will be open June 1, 2026 – June 7, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n