Pasadena Memorial High School’s “Switched-On Physics” project is switching on the interest of business leaders as the project recently received one of Toyota’s $10,000 TAPESTRY grants.

“This is the greatest honor an educator can receive,” said Memorial’s AP physics instructor and project director Scott Graham. “Toyota projects are instrumental in making educational opportunities available to students. The Tapestry program is magnificent and is the ‘brass ring’ of educational grants.”

Toyota TAPESTRY recognizes outstanding educators who are making a difference by demonstrating excellence and creativity in science teaching. This year, 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each and 20-32 mini-grants of up to $2,500 were awarded to K-12 science teachers in the United States. The categories include Physical Science, Environmental Education, and Integrating Literacy and Science.

“It’s extremely rewarding to support educators who bring quality science to our children,” said Michael Rouse, corporate manager, philanthropy and community affairs at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “TAPESTRY was designed to directly impact the children and improve science learning opportunities and over the past 18 years, we’ve truly had the opportunity to do just that.”

The National Science Teachers Association partners with Toyota in the program and the association’s assistant director of corporate partnerships Eric Crossley said the judges thought the “Switched-On Physics” project was a unique one worthy of the $10,000 grant.

“The purpose of this grant is to help fund innovative, community-based science projects in K-12 schools nationwide and to provide teachers with the opportunity to implement projects that would otherwise not take place,” said Crossley. “I think this is an unusual and exciting community-based project, and we hope to see more about it soon.”

The digital pipe organ project is a dynamic, multifaceted combination of physics, music, engineering, ecological science, performing arts and mathematics and is designed to generate the participation of students of all interests. Graham also works with Dobie High School science instructor Mary Obenauf and Memorial AP Physics instructor David White on the project, and one mobile digital pipe organ has already been created from previous grants.

Graham said the TAPESTRY grant will assist in purchasing more organ components, computer hardware and sound equipment to help the students further the organ project.

“We plan to focus on the alternative energy aspects of the organ systems,” Graham said. “We plan to take the organ to district elementary, middle and high schools to involve students in science and to let them see what types of technology and science projects they can participate in if they enter Pre-AP and AP physics courses in high school.”

Graham also said an immobile organ that will be housed in Memorial’s dining hall is planned to be built with the funds. The project also allows students to study wave phenomena, alternative energy, related wave topics such as tsunamis and electromagnetic radiation, and wave propagation.

“We hope to encourage an interest in engineering by allowing students to design and build the fully functional organ powered exclusively by alternative energy so the students will conceive, design, build, test and operate the organ,” Graham said.

Each year, the engineering and physics students will design and build a new mechanical rank of organ pipes from different materials such as recycled Coke bottles and PVC pipes.

Graham said the continued success of this project would not be possible without the support of grants such as this one, and he and his team and students are grateful for the support of the community.

“Toyota and other contributors who rely on us to provide their future workforce pool understand that by involving students in science, they will ultimately benefit by having a trained and adequate number of candidates for their positions,” Graham said. “Increasing participation in the academics and careers of science, technology and engineering has too many benefits to list, and the benefits of the projects they invest in will pay huge dividends in the future.”