EPA-RTP STEM Outreach Program recognized for Excellence in Volunteer Experience and Mobilization

In 2017, EPA-RTP’s Community Engagement and STEM Education Program was awarded two US2020 STEM Mentoring Awards– one for Excellence in Volunteer Experience, and a second for Volunteer Mobilization. Tim Watkins, Acting Director of EPA’s National Exposure Research Laboratory, accepted the awards on October 10 in Washington, D.C. at the 2017 STEM Mentoring Symposium.

US2020’s STEM Mentoring Awards were created to celebrate and encourage exceptional work among STEM mentors on a national scale. The Excellence in Volunteer Experience Award honors STEM programs that provide high-quality, well-supported STEM activities for their volunteers, while the Volunteer Mobilization Award honors organizations that effectively engage their workforce to support youth-serving organizations. Since EPA-RTP’s STEM Outreach Program began in 2004, volunteers have donated over 19,000 hours of their time to provide hands-on STEM programming for local students and community members.

“It is great to receive national recognition for a program that provides an opportunity for EPA staff to see the direct benefit and positive difference they make on the lives of the students they educate and mentor at the local level,” said Watkins. “This award is a testament to the dedication of the EPA staff who support the program and truly demonstrates the passion that they have for their work and EPA's mission.”

Hear Tim Watkins' remarks following the US2020 STEM Mentoring Awards ceremony.