SAE International, along with Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, honored kindergarten Teacher Ginger Pate of the Harris County School District with the Lloyd Reuss Award for teaching Excellence on Thursday, May 18, at New Mountain Hill Elementary School in Fortson, Ga.

Established in 1998, this award recognizes elementary school teachers that further develop the understanding and experiences in math and science in elementary students. To be eligible for this award, nominees (individuals or teams) must be elementary teachers (K-6) from public, parochial or private schools, and must have demonstrated exemplary use of the AWIM program curriculum. The award consists of a framed certificate and a $2,000 honorarium that will be divided equally between the teacher and the elementary school where the program was implemented.

“We are extremely grateful for all of the support that Kia has provided for the AWIM curriculum,” said Chris Ciuca, director of pre-professional education at SAE International. “Kia’s commitment to local education makes a profound impact on the students and teachers. Their support provides for systemic improvement in STEM education across the region.”

Through generous support from Kia, over the past few years, students in kindergarten through eighth grade in the Harris County School District have taken on the role of an engineer by using SAE International’s A World in Motion program. Specifically, Pate used the “Rolling Things” and “Engineering Inspired by Nature” programs.

In “Rolling Things,” students explore how changing the ramp height and vehicle weight affect the momentum of toy cars. Concepts covered include gravity, potential and kinetic energy, friction, momentum, mass, velocity and acceleration. In “Engineering Inspired by Nature,” students investigate seeds that are dispersed by the wind. They apply what they have learned to make paper helicopters and parachutes. They test different variables (lengths, width, weight, etc.) to see how these factors affect performance.