Powering Chicago Hosts Annual STEM Competition for High School Students

Powering Chicago recently hosted about 200 area high school students at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute (IN-Tech) for a competition that emphasized the importance of STEM in the classroom, the workplace and in life.

“We have 50 teams from all across the Cook County and Chicagoland area, teams of four individuals, developing a solar carport in alignment with the national infrastructure bill,” said Gene Kent, IN-Tech Director.

The fourth annual event allowed students the opportunity to demonstrate their STEM, critical thinking and project management skills while also learning the dynamic nature of the electrical construction industry.

“I love the fact that we’re here around STEM, but more importantly, it’s just to show that the electrical industry isn’t just putting things together but it’s actually using your mind,” said Powering Chicago Executive Director Elbert Walters III.

In the course of the competition, teams built two solar arrays and got a first-hand look at what it’s like to be an electrician and to explore other careers in the union electrical industry.