Area Students Explore Possible Futures at Science Alliance

Article Presented By Hometown-Motors, Inc.

(Piketon) – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Science Alliance is a one-of-a-kind science fair focused on getting high school students to explore STEM-related careers and meet with college representatives and local companies at the Portsmouth Site. This year nearly 1,500 students from 31 different schools from Pike, Scioto, Ross, Jackson, Adams and Greenup counties attended.

“The morning starts with students excited to be here and that excitement grows throughout the day,” said Acting Portsmouth Site Lead Jud Lilly. “It’s great to see high school students so engaged and genuinely enjoying this unique opportunity to discover new career possibilities, meet with potential employers and college recruiters, as well as learn about the site history and plans for reindustrialization.”

The event is set up in stations, with students rotating through various hands-on demonstrations, competitive learning activities, and informational booths where they can have one-on-one conversations with college and workforce recruiters. 

“I’m really interested in going to Ohio University and a career in engineering, so it was great to be able to talk to a representative from OU about the school,” said Caleb Bartin, a student at Wheelersburg High School. “It was very helpful to have that conversation and learn more about what I need to do to prepare.”

More than a dozen universities and local employers also participated, including Ohio University, The Ohio State University, Shawnee State University, Southern State Community College, Marshall University, University of Rio Grande, Morehead State University and Ohio Christian University, The Electrical Training Academy, Pike Solid Waste Authority, The GRIT program, Kenworth, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Centrus, The RecW, United Steel Workers and Austin Powder.

“My favorite part of the day was seeing how passionate everyone is about their jobs,” said Jaelynn Glispie, a student at Wellston High School. “So, it was cool to see job opportunities that I didn’t really know existed so close to home.”

This year’s presenters included DOE, General Electric, Southern Ohio Cleanup Company, Ohio University, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Adena Health System, North Wind Dynamics and Mission Conversion Services Alliance.

Science Alliance takes place over three days with more than a dozen high schools attending each day. The annual event started in 2011.