Amazon Awards $15,000 to SC Science Academy Laboratory

Amazon recently awarded the SC Science Academy $15,000 in grant funding to purchase additional university style laboratory equipment for its advanced science lab. The grant was awarded last summer and the school purchased an array of laboratory equipment ranging from microscopes to glassware. Officials from Amazon Inc. flew into Columbia recently to see SC Science Academy scholars using the newly purchased equipment in their biology and chemistry classes. Amazon executives were treated to a 1 hour lab, as they were partnered with student teams to conduct scientific experiments. They conducted a comparative study on hydrogen ion concentrations between ph indicators and ph probes. Dr. George Matsui, Biology/Chemistry Teacher at SCSA explained, “To have this equipment is a dream come true. Having previously worked in the University of South Carolina’s labs, I can tell you that SC Science Academy rivals any high school and many undergraduate labs. We are now the premier science lab for middle and secondary education in South Carolina. I am so honored and thankful to Amazon to work in this lab with these kids.” SCSA's Executive Director believes, “This new equipment will energize our students and introduce countless future scholars into the marvels of STEM education. Amazon is now a partner in the education of SCSA scholars and I thank Amazon for all it does for public education across our country.”

During the ceremony, SCSA's Executive Director also unveiled the renaming of its science lab as the “Nathan Yon Science Laboratory”. Mr. Yon was the school’s original founder that was tragically killed on May 15, 2013 in a car accident. The Director explained, “It is a privilege to be able to name this unprecedented middle/high school laboratory after a man whose vision for academic excellence in the sciences was so powerful. Mr. Yon’s dream of giving every child access to a state of the art STEM education is becoming a reality and his vision is now symbolized in this new facility, a facility that will help countless children.”

SCSA is a middle/high charter school focused on a STEM-centered educational model and sponsored by the South Carolina Public Charter School District. The school is free to any SC resident between grades 6-12. For more information visit www.scscienceacademy.org.