PECO and PA STEM sponsor event for three Philly area schools
6/18/2009
As the only sibling of 10 to graduate with a post-secondary degree, Sue Ivey had a number of reasons why she was motivated to do well in high school and college.
“I wanted to be independent, I wanted to make a good salary and I wanted to make my own decisions,” said Ivey, who is Vice-President, Operations, PECO Energy.
Ivey’s comments were part of a presentation to about 60 ninth-grade students from three Philadelphia area high schools who participated in an open house/tour of PECO Energy to learn about opportunities in STEM-based careers.
Sponsored by Team Pennsylvania Foundation’s PA STEM Initiative, PECO Energy, Philadelphia Education Fund and the Philadelphia Math and Science Coalition, the event included a number of testimonials from PECO staff to show the students that career opportunities are virtually limitless in the sciences, engineering, technology and mathematical (STEM) fields.
Ivey told the students she is an example of how a solid background in STEM subjects can lead to a great career.
As a graduate of the Philadelphia school system, Ivey participated in a high school engineering program at PECO prior to obtaining a bachelor’s degree at Boston University. She returned home to Pennsylvania and landed a job at PECO and since has earned her master’s degree from Drexel University during her 30-year career.
“If you work hard and stick with it, doors will open for you,” Ivey said. “If you stay with the basics in math and the sciences, you can always decide where you want to be later.”
Craig Adams, Chief Operating Officer, PECO, said his love of mathematics began at an early age with a fascination of cars and how they work. He parlayed the knowledge he obtained while in school with his love for math into several careers as a chemist and an engineer.
“Don’t be limited, don’t be shy,” Adams told the students. “If you have a question, ask it. Challenge the limits of your mind.”
Lowell Thomas, Senior Policy Manager, Office of the Governor, told the students they must compete with their counterparts from around the world for high-paying jobs in a global economy.
“The jobs you are going to be competing for are the same jobs that kids from India, Europe and Asia will be competing for,” Thomas said. “To be able to have families and the kind of life you want to live require you to enter these (STEM) kinds of fields.”
Eric Helt, Vice President, Electric Operations/Construction & Maintenance, PECO, said he graduated from high school in nearby Delaware County and attended Syracuse University, where he majored in electrical engineering and minored in mathematics.
“Take as much math and science in high school as you can,” Helt advised the students. “It provides the framework for whatever you do in life.”
Helt also shared with the students what motivated him in high school.
“We’ve been talking about motivation today and let me tell you I was motivated by money,” Helt said. “When I graduated from college at the age of 22, the starting salary for an electrical engineer was $34,000. Today, the starting salary for an electrical engineer is over $50,000.”
In addition to the remarks from PECO staff, the students took a tour of PECO’s control room, training simulator facility and green roof in addition to visiting displays that demonstrated how a hydrogen fuel cell operates, an automated phase identification system that tests energy phases out in the field and the energy savings from CFL bulbs versus conventional ones.
The youths also had an opportunity to visit with representatives from Drexel’s School of Engineering, Penn State University and Temple University to discuss programs the schools offer to college students.
Will Felinski, a student at Science Leadership Academy, was glad he participated in the tour, and especially enjoyed the chance to see the control room and the green roof.
“I think it is really interesting how they (PECO) are interested in seeking innovation and not just interested in making a profit,” said Felinski, who plans to pursue an engineering degree in biology after high school to obtain a career in the medical field. “They really did a fantastic job because I didn’t know that much about electrical engineering, but now I do. It was really great that I got to see the control room and green roof because that is something that I have always been interested in seeing.”
Raising STEM awareness with students was one of the outcomes of a strategic planning meeting last summer by the governor’s office and southest STEM network. The tour was one way the region plans to expose high school students to the many career opportunities in the STEM disciplines.
Click here to view a photo gallery of the PECO event.
