The West Virginia Science Bowl tested students’ knowledge of math and science with round-robin and double-elimination competition rounds. Middle school teams competed Friday, followed by high school students on Saturday. This year’s West Virginia competition included welcoming remarks from Congressman David McKinley, as well as representatives from NETL and WVU. Participants also explored hands-on engineering activities and an academic information fair from institutions around the state.

As NETL’s new STEM education and outreach specialist, dedicated to boosting the Lab’s community impact and improve educational outcomes in West Virginia, Kinsey Walker aims to expand student participation in this vitally important subset across the state through unity among program providers.

NETL’s K-12 STEM Education & Outreach team provided support services during three West Virginia Regional Science Bowl (WVSB) Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) qualifying competitions in December. The competitions determined which middle and high school teams will compete in the main WVSB event, to be held Feb. 8-9 at West Virginia University in Morgantown. The winning teams from the WVSB will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the annual National Science Bowl in April.

NETL’s K-12 STEM Education & Outreach team engaged students during several day-long visits at area elementary schools, conducted an educational energy workshop for teachers, assisted in a cybersecurity competition and aided two preliminary West Virginia Science Bowl (WVSB) regional qualifying events in November.

NETL’s K-12 STEM Education & Outreach team members facilitated active learning experiences at several elementary schools throughout September and October, fostering the next generation of energy experts through engaging activities involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects. Additionally, ambassadors from the Lab’s STEM Ambassador program provided information about careers in energy to spread the Lab’s mission to secure and enhance the nation’s energy foundation while protecting the environment.

NETL K-12 STEM Education & Outreach program lead Ken Mechling served as a co-presenter at the Energy “Train the Trainer” Teacher Workshop in the Ridgway School District in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, Aug. 15. During the workshop, educators and administrators learned more about topics surrounding energy and ways to incorporate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning into the classroom.

Throughout the school year, NETL’s K-12 STEM Education & Outreach team encourages positive attitudes surrounding science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by bringing engaging hands-on, minds-on activities to children. During the summer when classrooms are empty, the team continues to provide STEM instruction at day camps, summer programs and other educational events located near the Lab’s research sites in Pittsburgh; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Albany, Oregon.

Six college students and two professors, who participated in a mentored training program at NETL sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and designed to encourage pursuit of careers in energy industries, presented the results of their summer research projects during a technical forum held this week in Morgantown, West Virginia.

More than 1,000 K-12 students and their parents learned about NETL’s work to develop innovative technology solutions through hands-on educational exhibits at a recent international First LEGO League competition in Fairmont, West Virginia.

NETL welcomes the children of employees this week for Bring Your Kids to Work Day festivities, which reflect the Lab’s strong commitment to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education outreach. All three NETL sites will celebrate Bring Your Kids to Work Day. Festivities will begin in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Tuesday; continue in Albany, Oregon, on Wednesday; and wrap up in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Approximately 200 children are expected to participate across all locations.