STEM

CITGO Petroleum Corporation recently announced the winners of this year’s fifth annual Fueling Education Sweepstakes. Through the CITGO Fueling Education program, 93 elementary and middle school teachers received awards that will help them to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the classroom.

This school year, underrepresented high school students in eight cities nationwide are learning principles of design thinking, and how to apply them to emerging technology and mobile devices to serve as creative solutions for local small businesses and non-profits.

In a few weeks, people around the world will celebrate Computer Science Education Week. Millions of kids and others will participate in an Hour of Code, a global call to action to spend an hour learning the basics of coding. Today, it’s my privilege to announce that Microsoft has released a new Minecraft tutorial for Hour of Code, called Hero’s Journey, that will be used in classrooms, at after-school programs, community centers and homes everywhere.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Discovery Education have announced the continuation of their Ignite My Future in School program in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Teachers will receive professional development, educational resources and year-round support to integrate computational thinking into core subjects such as math, sciences, arts, and social studies. In turn, students will be exposed to foundational skills for 21st century careers – across industries – through this transdisciplinary approach.

CITGO Lake Charles along with community partners, the Calcasieu Parish School Board and SOWELA Technical Community College, celebrated National STEM Day with local students and teachers on Nov. 8 at the West-Cal Events Center. During the event, fifth-grade students participating in the Calcasieu Parish Engineering is Elementary engaged in an exciting engineering design challenge created by the McNeese State University’s College of Engineering.

In September, 8 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) employee volunteers traveled to Pune, India, as part of the HPE Leadership Through Service program. Their mission: to enhance a digital platform that will improve provide educational opportunities to 6 million underprivileged children.

Arrow Electronics today flash funded CogniToys, the innovators behind the STEMosaur Indiegogo campaign. The funding, announced on National STEM-STEAM Day, provides the technology startup with critical seed money to help them turn their entrepreneurial dream into a reality.

STEMosaur is a smart, educational toy that engages children in interactive play while building their coding and engineering skills. Children are encouraged to assemble the toy, which comes equipped with an easy-to-use coding panel that teaches coding basics.

The push for young minds to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers is more prevalent now than ever before. While more and more educators and organizations are acknowledging this need, it is just as important to address the existing gender gap in STEM. According to the National Science Foundation, women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce.

As one of Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund recipients, the Greenville YMCA is working to improve access to the Reedy River with outdoor classrooms and science stations. Together, we’re creating better recreational and educational facilities for local families.

As one of Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund recipients, Watershed Ecology Center developed the Adopt-a-Stream program for Spartanburg County, and is working with local volunteers and students who have become certified water quality monitors. Thanks to their efforts, Spartanburg County can now monitor and address water quality issues more quickly.