This program has been providing valuable STEM related education to 5th graders from throughout the River Region at it's Maxwell AFB facility for many years. Hundreds of students have annually graduated with a greater appreciation for subjects related to science, technology, engineering and Mathematics. Graduates from this five day course enjoy substantially higher test scores than those students who do not attend the course. When the course was defunded by the Department of Defense, the AU Foundation stepped up and pledged to raise the necessary funding to sustain the program. The Foundation was able to acquire a $250,000 commitment from the Governor of Alabama, through the Alabama Department of Education, to sustain operations for FY2014. The Foundation subsequently transferred the funds and the responsibility to conduct day-to-day operations to the Montgomery Education Foundation.