KCP&L, UMKC and KC STEM Alliance team up to offer Get Into Energy camp
Kansas City, MO, – Kansas City middle school students will spend their summer breaks building motors, creating electricity and setting up wind turbines – all in the name of science. With any luck, those lessons will stick. After all, the annual Get Into Energy camp is designed to get local students interested in science and engineering careers.
Driven by a need for more job-ready candidates in power and energy fields, KCP&L, the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Computing and Engineering, and the KC STEM Alliance have teamed up to offer the three-day camp. The camp will run June 25-27 at UMKC.
“Utility industry jobs, like the ones KCP&L has to offer, are not on the radar screens of most middle school students,” Sarah Whitman, KCP&L manager, Technical Training at KCP&L, said. “This summer camp is a fun, interactive place where these students can learn about the basics of electrical energy, as well as get a first-hand look at how that energy is delivered to their homes, schools and communities safely.”
Faculty and engineering students from the UMKC’s SCE will engage the 25 participants as they rotate through hands-on experiments that demonstrate the magic of magnetism, physics and electricity. KCP&L employees will conduct field trips to a power plant and other facilities to show science at work in the real-world, describe their utility careers and explain how they use math and science in their everyday work.
Ultimately, the camp sponsors hope to inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, and in turn build a robust workforce for the region.
“Businesses like KCP&L are very concerned about the growing shortage of STEM professionals. They understand the importance of investing resources into future leaders, and that’s exactly what the Get Into Energy camp is all about,” Laura Loyacono, director of the KC STEM Alliance, said.
The camp is accepting applicants who have just completed 7th or 8th grade in the Kansas City, Mo school district. For more information, contact Valeri Reynolds, director of admissions for UMKC’s SCE, at reynoldsvd@umkc.edu.
About Kansas City Power & Light
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Great Plains Energy Incorporated is the holding company of Kansas City Power & Light Company and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company, two of the leading regulated providers of electricity in the Midwest. Kansas City Power & Light Company and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company use KCP&L as a brand name.
About the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering
Located in one of the nation’s largest engineering communities, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Computing and Engineering is Kansas City’s only university with ABET-accredited engineering, computer science and information technology degree programs. SCE’s internationally recognized faculty prepare students for today’s competitive job market by providing a curriculum that includes the latest technology and business trends, as well as a comprehensive education in each field’s theory and fundamental practice.
About the KC STEM Alliance
The KC STEM Alliance is a collaborative network of educators, business partners and organizations that inspires interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers to generate a robust force of related professionals for our community. The Alliance supports area STEM programs, including Project Lead the Way and FIRST, coordinates related research and program evaluation as well as facilitating school and industry partnerships. The Alliance supports efforts that provide a solid foundation of STEM education for all students, regardless of race, gender or economic status; thereby increasing the quality, quantity and diversity of job-ready candidates for local STEM employers and advancing economic development and progress in our community.