Bloomsburg, PA -- Educators' Workshop

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Kawneer facility in Bloomsburg, PA. Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) hosted a “Solar Energy Inquiry and Engineering” workshop for 6^th – 12^th grade teachers from area school districts. CSIU, alongside numerous others throughout the state, acts as an educational resource provider for schools in this region.  The IU was responsible for reaching out to local districts, having each district nominate a few teachers that they would like to send to the training.  Solar 4R Schools also facilitated this using a remote meeting delivered to the district science leaders in January 2017 to present an outline of the workshop content.  In total, 14 teachers came to the workshop from 9 different districts, with the expected reach of 1,975 students.  Solar 4R Schools conducted this workshop in partnership with ASSET STEM Education. ASSET STEM Education is a national education improvement nonprofit founded in 1994 by the Bayer Corporation and a coalition of community partners.

Teachers spent the day at CSIU’s Conference and Learning Center.  Throughout the day, teachers explored energy-related content areas using hands-on investigations with tools such as solar circuits, solar cars, and solar ovens.  These educators engaged in productive struggle to determine where this content would be most useful in the content they deliver in order to build STEM literacy amongst their students.

Arconic Foundation is proud to support Solar 4R Schools and bring this innovative program to Arconic communities nationwide. Arconic Foundation’s mission is to support non-profit partners who advance STEM Education, Workforce Development and Environmental Sustainability in Arconic communities. We view support for K-12 STEM programs as critical to shaping the workforce of the future – the economic future of our communities and the advanced manufacturing industry depends on it. By investing early in impactful STEM curricula, we can spark the imagination of our youth and set them on a path that encourages creativity and innovation – the very skills that make Arconic and other advanced manufacturers successful. Solar 4R Schools is a proven and innovative model that we believe can bring to life the issues and solutions around energy management. Energy is a critical component of what we do in industry and in all of our personal lives – it is a topic that we want our youth educated about so that they can solve the problems of tomorrow.