AT&T Gives $8,000 to OBU for High School STEM Initiative

February 17, 2017

AT&T presented a check for $8,000 to Oklahoma Baptist University in a ceremony held Friday, Feb. 17, on the OBU campus in Shawnee. The contribution was made to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education initiatives for Oklahoma high school students, specifically supporting OBU’s Vex Robotics Competition held on campus in December.

OBU is actively involved in supporting multiple STEM education initiatives in the state of Oklahoma and advancing STEM awareness. The VEX Robotics Competition supported by AT&T’s donation required students to engage in discovery-based learning in the areas of math, physics, electrical engineering, computer science and design. These activities gave students real-world experience in designing and building projects that introduce them to the world of STEM and STEM careers, allowing them to explore different areas of interest.

The top teams from OBU’s VEX competition qualified to attend the VEX Oklahoma State Championship, which were held on Feb. 11 in Lawton. VEX is the world's fastest growing competitive robotics program for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. More than 16,000 teams from 40 countries have participated in 1,350 VEX Robotics events worldwide.

“Education has been a priority for AT&T for more than a century, and we believe that when we invest in education, we are making our communities stronger, safer and more economically sustainable,” said Steve Hahn, president, AT&T Oklahoma. “We are proud to support OBU’s STEM education efforts, which helps foster more interest in STEM majors and hopefully encourages more Oklahoma students to pursue STEM careers.”