MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS: Building a robot, above, coding in The Hangar, below, at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS). PHOTOS COURTESY OF MODS

Fort Lauderdale – The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) has received a Community Anchor Award from the NASA Office of STEM Engagement.

The funding will both bolster the museum’s impact on underserved youth in Broward County and transform it into a regional NASA STEM informal education community resource.

The MODS award is part of NASA’s $3.7 million grant funding to 17 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions as part of their TEAM II initiative to ignite STEM excitement.

It is one of 13 institutions across the country to share $510,000 in NASA Community Anchor Award funds.

MODS’ Community Anchor Award programming will impact 500 learners by providing two STEMobile outreach programs with a NASA-driven curriculum and one mobile GeoDome planetarium program.

Fifty additional students will participate in a Kennedy Space Center field trip to explore the facility and engage with NASA.

MODS will partner with Title I schools in low-income zip codes to deliver programs to youth most in need including girls, minorities and low-income youth.

Outreach programs will be delivered by trained MODS STEM educators via the MODS STEMobile, which delivers project based learning experiences to 75,000 learners annually across Broward County – 90% of which are delivered at no cost to low-income and underserved youth.

All programs follow the Authentic STEM Experience (ASE) framework, actively engaging youth in collaborative, developmentally appropriate experiences that generate real-world understanding.

“We are over the moon to have been awarded this prestigious NASA grant,” said Joseph P. Cox, president and CEO of MODS. “This funding will allow us to increase Museum access and offer inquiry based learning experiences for underrepresented youth via MODS STEM outreach efforts at no cost.

“By enhancing our local impact and strengthening sustainable connections between the Broward community and NASA, we seek to ignite, instill and further a passion for space science and STEM in the next generation of explorers.”

The museum celebrates diversity and welcomes visitors from all walks of life. Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

MODS is located downtown at 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale. Visit mods.org or call 954-467-MODS (6637).