PASCAGOULA, Miss., Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII's (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division awarded $95,700 in STEM grants to 22 schools and educational organizations across south Mississippi and Alabama during a ceremony at the shipyard Friday. These grants will fund hands-on projects, classroom technology upgrades and STEM-based curricula, encouraging local students to explore careers in fields related to STEM, including shipbuilding and engineering.
"Our nation's future depends on a skilled workforce and STEM education plays a critical role in developing the problem-solvers and innovators essential to industries like shipbuilding," Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. "By investing in local STEM programs, Ingalls is empowering student personal success while building a stronger talent pipeline of future shipbuilders and engineers for our region."
Now in its 16th year, the annual Ingalls STEM grant program reinforces the company's commitment to supporting education and workforce development. The program provides up to $5,000 for educators to implement science, technology, engineering and math-based initiatives to spark creativity and equip students with skills critical for future careers.
Photos accompanying this release are available at: http://hii.com/news/hiis-ingalls-shipbuilding-awards-95700-in-stem-grants/.
One of this year's grant recipients, expressed her gratitude for the award. "We are incredibly thankful to Ingalls Shipbuilding for our STEM award, which will fund the purchase of robotic cars for our students in grades second through sixth," Creekbend Elementary and Middle School Gifted Teacher Stephanie Stanley said. "This grant will help our students explore coding, engineering and problem-solving through hands-on learning opportunities, preparing them for the future challenges of tomorrow."
This year's STEM grants are supporting projects that will help students develop essential skills for shipbuilding and related industries, such as robotics, welding and engineering. The following organizations were awarded STEM grants by Ingalls Shipbuilding for the 2025-2026 school year:
Baldwin County High School (Ala.): BCHS Cyber Tigers (Robotics with a Purpose) – This project engages high school students (grades 9-12) in using robotics to solve complex, real-world problems while building skills in problem-solving, collaboration, communication and programming.
Baldwin Preparatory Academy (Ala.): Depths of Innovation: Engineering remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for Discovery – The project provides 11th and 12th-grade marine science students will design, build, and operate underwater robots, applying the full engineering design process.
Bayou View Middle School (Miss.): Wired for Success: Navigating Circuit Board Programming – This project introduces 6th-8th graders to STEM careers and skills through building and programming circuit boards with Piper Make kits, providing hands-on experience in coding and wiring.
Biloxi Junior High School (Miss.): Cyber Zone Innovation Lab – This makerspace lab encourages over 300 middle school students annually to create, design and innovate using STEM-focused projects aligned with the Cyber Foundations curriculum, preparing students for future STEM careers.
Creekbend Elementary and Middle School (Miss.): Cruise Control: Creekbend Drift – A set of programmable Sphero RVR+ robotic cars will teach students in grades 2-6 coding, engineering and problem-solving aligned with real-world challenges like autonomous navigation.
Fairhope High School (Ala.): Enhancing Biology Instruction Through 3D Printing – This funding will purchase a 3D printer to help biology students engage with challenging concepts such as genetics, anatomy and ecology through tangible, hands-on learning models.
Gulfport High School (Miss.): Career Camp at Gaston Point & Gulfport High School – This program provides 7th-10th graders with hands-on STEM learning experiences, emphasizing math literacy, employability skills and career pathways in STEM.
Jackson-George Regional Library (Miss.): STEM at Sea: Exploring Innovation Through Imagination – This program transforms the Pascagoula Public Library into a hands-on, shipbuilding-themed STEM environment that inspires curiosity and problem-solving in K-6 students.
Lott Middle School (Ala.): STEM ChompSaws & Makedo Kits for Invention & Innovation Lab – Students will create prototypes of inventions and innovations as part of the "We Build It Better" STEM program, fostering creativity and problem-solving.
Mary G. Montgomery High School (Ala.): Physics in Action – An honors physics class will gain hands scientific equipment to explore and visualize physics principles through real-world experimentation.
Mississippi Gulf Coast YMCA (Miss.): STEM on Wheels: Igniting Young Minds – Four mobile STEM carts will bring hands-on learning in building, coding and experimentation to after-school programs, sparking innovation and curiosity among K-6 students.
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Miss.): From Hatch to Habitat: Building Sustainable Futures – High school students engage in aquaculture and greenhouse aquaponics, learning STEM principles in biology, chemistry and engineering while gaining career-ready sustainability skills.
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Miss.): Greenhouse Grow-Frame: Welding for Sustainability – This hands-on project blends welding and environmental science, enabling students to design and construct a steel-framed greenhouse to support school aquaculture systems.
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Miss.): Health in Motion: Exploring Medical Innovations – This project combines health science and industrial tools to teach students skills in injury assessment, first aid, safety protocols and health technologies.
Ocean Springs Middle School (Miss.): Girls ARE & Boys CAN: Designing for a Stronger Shoreline – Middle and high school students address coastal erosion and wetland protection by designing and testing erosion barrier prototypes to enhance resilience against climate change impacts.
Pascagoula-Gautier School District (Miss.): Visualizing Chromosomes: Karyotype Models – Students will use chromosome models to explore genetic material transfer in meiosis and diagnose hypothetical genetic disorders, gaining hands-on biology experience.
Pascagoula-Gautier School District CCTI (Miss.): The Groundwater Contamination Project –10th-12th graders will investigate groundwater contamination and shortages by using scientific tools and programs to identify pollutants and their environmental effects.
Pass Christian High School (Miss.): Coastal Pollution and Wetland Restoration Project - Students will use 3D models to explore the impact of pollutants and engineer solutions for restoring wetlands and managing floodplains.
Picayune Memorial High School Career and Technical Center (Miss.): Wired for the Future – High school engineering students will explore basic electrical systems through soldering, circuit design, and testing, building real-world skills in STEM and engineering careers.
Singing River Academy (Miss.): Integrating AI for a Smarter Classroom – This project incorporates AI-powered learning platforms to enhance understanding, engagement, and critical thinking skills through personalized educational experiences.
St. Patrick Catholic High School (Miss.): Introducing AI to Automation Design – High school engineering students will integrate artificial intelligence into CAD (computer-aided design) to enhance machine component creation, teaching them design, coding, mathematical relationships and innovative problem-solving.
Trent Lott Academy (Miss.): EcoFlow Explorers: Discovering How Water Shapes Our World – Fifth-grade students will use an Enviroscape model to understand watershed dynamics, pollution effects and the importance of environmental conservation.
About HII
HII is America's largest shipbuilder, delivering the world's most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
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Contact:
Kimberly Aguillard
Kimberly.K.Aguillard@HII-co.com
(228) 355-5663
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f28dc545-31c9-4305-852a-5d29ec1c7eda
