LaPorte, IN--Educators' Workshop

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators that teach students in districts surrounding their facilities in LaPorte, IN. LaPorte Community School Corporation and Michigan City Area Schools worked together to host a renewable energy teacher workshop at Boston High School in spring 2017.

Teachers chose to conduct this day of professional development for their first day of summer and enjoyed talking through the obstacles of what it would take to store solar energy as thermal energy. At lunchtime, representatives from the local utility NIPSCO spoke about the need for STEM education to fill jobs, emphasizing the availability of good paying jobs for students without the need for attending college. Additionally, teachers appreciated the discussion of what the solar and wind landscape in Indiana looks like today. NIPSCO explained in simple words the difference between their various programs, including net metering and a feed-in tariff.

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.