Annette Urso Rickel Foundation

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The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation seeks to enrich STEAM education in Florida schools and organizations by supporting inspired students and cultivating talented teachers through scholarships and grants.

07/24/2026

New in STEAM, courteys of Florida Today: Families from across Brevard County came together for Full STEAM Ahead: Launching a Year of Discovery, where children explored hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and math through interactive exhibits, creative activities, and inspiring demonstrations.

Events like these help spark a lifelong love of learning and remind us that every child deserves the chance to explore what's possible.

The Rickel Foundation is proud to support opportunities that encourage young minds to ask questions, solve problems, and dream big.

📸 Photos and story by Tim Shortt

07/03/2026

Have a Florida Fourth! We're so proud to support the arts and sciences and serve as a conduit for helping support more great projects!

Footage: Surf Skate Science, MarineLab, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Palm Beach Symphony, Oboe Mobile Foundation

06/19/2026

The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation is proud to support the Wakulla LEGO Robotics program and its mission of bringing robotics, engineering, and programming opportunities to youth ages 9–14.

By partnering with programs that work alongside FIRST, students gain hands-on experience with the tools, technologies, and problem-solving skills that are shaping tomorrow’s workforce. Beyond learning how to build and program robots, participants develop teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, and confidence.

Supporting initiatives like Wakulla LEGO Robotics reflects the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to advancing STEAM education, research, and teacher development across Florida. By bringing science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics directly into classrooms and communities, these programs help inspire the next generation of innovators, engineers, and leaders.

We’re honored to help create opportunities that spark curiosity today and open doors for the future.

06/12/2026

This is what STEAM learning looks like!

“I like that you can learn, make mistakes, and learn a lot of stuff and have fun,” said student Lorenzo Masella as East Hill Elementary embeds STEAM, using hands-on projects and a makerspace to build real-world skills. Adriana Gentile reports.

Video courtesy of City News

06/05/2026

This year, Rickel Foundation funding helped FIRST Partners launch 10 new FIRST LEGO League teams across South Florida, giving students hands-on experience with robotics, engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving.

Through their partnership with the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, new teams were established at schools and community organizations including Coral Springs Charter School, Palm Beach Maritime Academy, Hidden Oaks Middle School, Forest Hill Elementary, Palm Springs Elementary, and more.

The program saw 14% growth this season, with students across all divisions building, programming, and collaborating as they explored STEM in exciting new ways.

These photos capture students at Forest Hill Elementary coming together as a team for the very first time. Their excitement, creativity, and curiosity are exactly why we support programs like FIRST LEGO League.

We’re proud to help create opportunities that inspire the next generation of innovators, engineers, and problem-solvers.

05/22/2026

A $150 million expansion and a new CEO are reshaping the museum into a star attraction.

The centerpiece of the new entry at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium will be the David H. Koch Memorial Fountain. “Its double-helix design accentuates the importance of the arts in STEAM education,” Julia Koch said. The David H. Koch Foundation made a $5 million gift toward the museum expansion. (Rendering: Cox Science Center)

The Cox Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach is welcoming a new director amid a $150 million expansion to transform itself into a world-class attraction more than 65 years after its inauspicious 1959 creation by women from the Junior League of the Palm Beaches.

In March, Kurt Allen, 60, arrived to lead the expansion designed to make the center attract a broader audience. That month, the city also approved the huge expansion.

They’ll keep the doors open for most of the makeover, Allen said, offering events like a huge Lego exhibit by artist Sean Kenney coming in May and summer camp.

The work started on the outside in May 2024. The center’s footprint in the 115-acre Dreher Park will increase from about 6.5 acres to 11 acres, with a good portion for more parking. When completed, the park grounds, its tree-lined walkways and benches, will be open to guests without a ticket.

Inside, the center will balloon from 35,000 to more than 100,000 square feet. And that’s just the beginning.

More than $134 million of the $150 million has been raised. The center hopes to hold a grand opening around Christmas 2027.

Read the full article: https://stetnews.org/2026/04/18/at-the-cox-science-center-a-transformation/

05/15/2026

That last critter is a sea urchin!

Recently, The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation awarded $30,000 to MarineLab Environmental Education Center to help expand access to hands-on marine science education programs in the Florida Keys.

This support connects closely with our STEAM initiative and our belief that some of the most meaningful learning happens outside the traditional classroom. MarineLab gives students the chance to engage directly with marine ecosystems, environmental science, conservation, and field research in a fully immersive setting.

Programs like these help students build curiosity, confidence, and real-world connections across science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics — while also encouraging environmental stewardship and exploration.

We’re proud to support opportunities that allow more students to experience marine science in a way that is active, memorable, and inspiring, and we’re excited to see the impact this funding will have in the years ahead.

All footage courtesy of MarineLab

04/24/2026

Mary Jackson started her career in the 1950s at what would become NASA, working at the Langley Research Center. She was part of a group of highly skilled women mathematicians known as “human computers,” doing complex calculations for aircraft and space research.

You might recognize her from the film Hidden Figures, which highlights her story of becoming the first black woman at NASA.

Jackson worked on aerodynamics, studying how air flows around aircraft. A lot of her work focused on wind tunnel experiments, where she analyzed data to improve aircraft design, especially at high speeds.

To become an engineer, she had to take graduate-level classes. But because of segregation, she had to petition a court just to attend classes at a whites-only school. She won, completed the courses, and earned her engineering title.

Later in her career, she shifted roles to focus on equal opportunity and diversity at NASA, helping other women and minorities advance in technical careers.

04/03/2026

Stories & STEM Coordinator Toni Bassett recently presented at the FAU Brainwaves Symposium, sharing research on how sound bowl frequencies can help create calmer, more focused learning environments for young students. A creative, thoughtful approach to supporting literacy and well-being.

We’re always inspired by the momentum behind this work, and excited to see what’s ahead with the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. Their impact continues to grow across every corner of their programs. From expanding tutoring into middle school, to strengthening AmeriCorps mentorship across the county.

03/27/2026

Is there anything more "STEAM" than the exploration of outer space?

Today, the astronauts set to become the first lunar visitors in more than half a century arrived at their launch site, joining the towering rocket that stands poised to blast off next week and send them around the moon.

The Orion capsule atop the rocket will carry the four on NASA’s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. The 10-day flight will end with a Pacific splashdown.

This is the kind of inspiration the next generation of Florida students benefit from.

Photo by John Raoux courtesy of NASA

Address

1875 Wood Glen Circle
West Palm Beach, FL
33411

Website

https://rickelfoundation.org/

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