Opt4STEM Summer Students Explore Energy and Power at Illinois Tech

Von Steuben Students Participate in Energy Camp

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By Marcia Faye;Olivia Dimmer
Opt4STEM Summer Students Explore Energy and Power at Illinois Tech

A group of high school students from Chicago’s Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center had an eight-day opportunity this summer to explore power in various forms through the Opt4STEM Energy Academy. Opt4STEM (The STEM Partnership for College Success Program) is a year-round programming partnership between Von Steuben, Exelon, and Illinois Tech that provides Von Steuben students with a foundation to pursue degrees in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.                     

In the Energy Academy, held July 11–20, the students participated in tours, lectures, and hands-on activities at Exelon, the ComEd Training Center, and Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus, among other sites. They visited solar and natural gas plants and a nuclear power station, conducted an energy audit, and participated in a solar power car derby.

Check out this slideshow of students working on another activity: constructing energy-efficient model houses at Illinois Tech.