Roxboro Community School

Roxboro Community School’s (RCS) chemistry teacher, Jennifer McCormick, recently won the Promoting Innovation in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) Grant through the Burroughs Wellcome Fund's 2026 PRISM Awards. Her project title was “Enhancing High School Chemistry through Real-Time Sensor Technology.” This award provides up to $3,000 for one year to cover the cost of equipment, materials, and supplies.

According to the Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s website, the PRISM award is to support bold, creative educational experiences that spark curiosity and open pathways into science and mathematics for students and communities. Each award provides opportunities for new ideas and learning experiences that deepen knowledge in science and math. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund supports teaching professionals in their efforts to provide quality hands-on activities for their students. The PRISM awards enhance the excitement for STEM in the classroom by providing funds for materials, equipment, and supplies related to the implementation of high-quality curriculum and activities in the classroom.

McCormick applied for the grant in September 2025 and was awarded it in the early spring of 2026. She applied because most chemistry classes have to use outdated equipment, which isn’t up to date with what is necessary for the chemistry class environment anymore. The tools that schools are provided with can be useful, but they can also be unsafe or difficult to utilize, making it hard to properly understand the needed information. McCormick said that students today thrive better in the classroom if they are able to do more hands-on activities using technology-filled environments that give real-life scientific methods for experimenting.

McCormick specifically applied for the grant to purchase her own sensor probes that offer a safe, reliable, and interactive method for experimentation for her students. Sensor probes are devices used to measure a substance's temperature, pH and pressure by making direct contact with the substance. “It would be helpful in that it’s live data, and they can see graphs forming, the pH, and movement of gas particles,” McCormick said.

The PRISM grant is giving McCormick a great opportunity to improve her students' involvement in the classroom. “It was great to receive the grant, to get the equipment, and I look forward to using the equipment next school year.”