JACKSON TWP — A Seneca Valley High School teacher has received a $3,000 grant for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics classes at the high school.

Patti Griest, a Seneca Valley gifted science teacher, will be able to use the money to purchase equipment, such as electrophoresis packages and polyacrylamide gels, for her classroom.

The Society for Science & the Public announced Thursday it would give $120,000 in grants to 35 science research teachers across the country to help them secure much-needed equipment and amenities for their classrooms, including $3,000 to Griest.

Griest and her colleagues have created a microbiology “maker space,” where students complete research projects to enter the science fair.

A few key pieces of equipment were missing among the items that have been donated or purchased refurbished, Griest wrote on her application, and the grant would allow Seneca Valley's classroom to have electrophoresis supplies, shakers, vortexes and power supplies to continue molecular genetic research.

Griest's older students pitch in at the lab as managers, and the administration is considering options for daytime access to the research space.

“Our students know that their research matters and can make a difference in the world,” she said. “They know that they are using cutting-edge tools of the trade and learning applications for their research far beyond the classroom, and it motivates and excites them — and their teachers.”

The amount Griest received is need-based, said Caitlin Sullivan, society director for outreach and equity programs.

“She said in her proposal that she is really interested in leading the students in molecular genetic research, which is pretty cool for ninth and 10th grade students to work on,” Sullivan said. “She said exposing the students to this research will show them how it affects society, which we think is great.”

To date, the society has granted $340,000 to STEM teachers. The STEM Research Grants are funded by Regeneron, a biotech company in New York.