South Dakota Ag News Headlines Eight South Dakota Schools Receive EPSCoR Grant Funds South Dakota Ag Connection - 03/09/2010 Eight South Dakota schools will receive a total of $200,000 to enhance, expand and develop new initiatives in secondary career cluster programs. The emphasis of the projects will be on four clusters: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); Information Technology; Health Science; and Agriculture Science. Funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grants is provided through the National Science Foundation, and the chosen schools were selected by the South Dakota Department of Education. Applicants were encouraged to collaborate by combining resources to provide secondary career and technical education opportunities in regional, multi-center or cooperative approaches. Projects range from dual credit opportunities in information technology to cutting-edge courses in pre-engineering and biosciences. Proposal objectives correlated with the goals and objectives of the department's High School 2025 initiative and efforts to encourage students and families to learn more about career opportunities and prepare for postsecondary education. The Department of Education received 19 applications to fund projects during this grant cycle. Copyright © 2010 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.