students investigate plankton microscopic creatures

NORWALK - Thousands of students who delve into marine sciences at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk will do so in the Praxair STEM Lab

a classroom equipped for STEM education following a grant by the Danbury-based corporation. Praxair and Aquarium officials celebrated the company’s educational support in a ceremony on Nov. 4 at the popular South Norwalk attraction.

The classroom is one of the primary spaces used when school groups visit the Aquarium and participate in one of 37 available educational programs, ranging from 45-minute animal “touch” programs for preschoolers to 90-minute shark dissections for high-school students. All of the programs help teachers achieve academic goals for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) defined by Common Core and Next Generation Science standards.

Participants in the Aquarium’s summer camps also will now base their explorations and discoveries from the Praxair STEM Lab. In addition, the Praxair grant will help to subsidize visits to The Maritime Aquarium by Danbury Public Schools. By Chase Wright