Carnegie Science’s Chevron Center for STEM gets $1 million boost

Chevron and six regional companies have given the Carnegie Science Center $1 million to fund a center for STEM learning that will provide inspiration and teaching in the areas of math, science and technology.

Motivating young people to pursue a STEM education is what The Chevron Center for STEM Education and Career Development is all about, says Ron Baillie, one of the Henry J. Buhl Jr. co-directors of the Science Center.

A center without walls, The Chevron Center will provide opportunities throughout the region for teaching and learning as they pertain to STEM education. One of the goals will be to break the cultural barrier that assumes that math and science are only for “smart kids.”

“Some of the new work will be targeted at parents, who are key influencers in guiding their children in their future careers,” he says. “We want teachers to understand the great opportunities out there in the STEM fields. If we can inspire young people about the opportunities, they’ll stay the course and pursue further study in these fields.”

The Chevron STEM Center will unite all of the Science Center’s existing award-winning STEM education efforts, including the Regional SciTech Initiative and the Girls, Math and Science Partnership programs.  The new organizational structure will also facilitate the development and delivery of informal science education programs and to serve as a valuable clearinghouse of resources.

New initiatives will be developed, including partnerships with school districts, colleges and universities, technical schools, businesses and government leaders.

“For our nation, and our region, to remain economically and environmentally strong and sustainable, we must recruit from among an informed citizenry the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians who will solve the complex problems of our times,” says Baillie.

In addition to Chevron, founding partners include California University of Pennsylvania, Duquesne Light, Eaton Corporation, LANXESS Corp., NOVA Chemicals and PPG Industries Foundation.

Writer: Deb Smit

Source: Ron Baillie, Carnegie Science Center

Pictured from the left: Ron Baillie, Henry J. Buhl, Jr., co-director (Carnegie Science Center)

Ann Metzger, Henry J. Buhl, Jr., co-director (Carnegie Science Center)

Bruce Niemeyer, Vice President, Appalachian/Michigan Business Unit (Chevron)

Courtesy of the Carnegie Science Center