Alabama Power engineers spark STEM interest
Oxford’s CREATE STEM Learning Network recently hosted a lively group of around 35 middle school students for SparkSTEM Discovery Day at the Randolph-Roanoke Career Tech Center in Wedowee. The daylong event featured hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities.
The SparkSTEM Discovery Day aims to connect classroom education with real-world workforce and industry needs.
Students were divided into six groups and rotated through various stations to watch demonstrations, participate in activities and ask STEM-related questions.
Breanna Walker, an Alabama Power community development specialist, was one of the meeting organizers who managed the setup and coordinated the engineer volunteers for the event.
“This event started last year, but this is the first time it was held at the Randolph-Roanoke Career Tech Center,” Walker said. “When CREATE reached out to us and asked for our participation, we were thrilled because engineering is the backbone of our company.”
Alabama Power representatives led interactive group sessions. The team included Kristen Love (Power Delivery, Pell City), Justin Minter (Power Delivery, Talladega) and Cody Prickett (Division Sales, Anniston) working alongside representatives from several other organizations from the area.
Facilitators share career opportunities with students and parents. (Robin Cottle)
As each group approached the Alabama Power exploration area, students and engineers exchanged introductions, while they shared company facts and engaged the students with hands-on demonstrations and discussion questions.
Some of the engineering demonstrations included:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
- Pole hardware.
- Electromagnetic induction.
One demonstration the students enjoyed was the PPE Ready for Duty Race, which included a rain suit, hard hat, work gloves, safety glasses and di-electrical rubber boots. Justin Minter and Kristen Love teamed up for the race.
“It was a fun exercise to see who could get their PPE on the fastest,” Love said. Minter agreed, adding, “We wanted the students to know what you might have to face if you receive a call after hours during a mass power outage.”
Neither Kristen Love nor Justin Minter could outpace the other, resulting in a tie for the fastest PPE gear-up race. (Cody Prickett)
Students were also curious about the different types of pole hardware.
“We brought in props so that the students could get a closer look at what you may see along the road,” Love said. “The team introduced the students to pieces of pole hardware that make up a switch assembly. A switch operates similarly to a light switch in your home. When the switch is open, no power flows through it, and when the switch is closed, power can flow through it. A switch essentially is a piece of protective equipment for our electrical system.”
Many of the students were intrigued by electromagnetic induction.
“What if I told you we could make something light up without plugging it into an electrical outlet,” asked Cody Prickett. “During this demonstration, a light bulb is set up on a coil of wire that is not plugged into anything. Then, there is another set of wire coils plugged into an electrical outlet. When the two coils of wire are close enough together, the magnetic field that was induced from the coil that was plugged in would induce a voltage and the current sent to that light bulb will make it light up without plugging it in.”
“The kids were amazed, and once we had their attention, we shared that this principle of induced magnetic fields is one of the fundamental laws that make large-scale electric power systems possible,” Prickett added. “And we at Alabama Power get to work with it.”
Two students get a bulb to burn through electromagnetic induction. The bulb is on. (Robin Cottle)
From first questions to future careers, Alabama Power is helping students across Alabama explore the world of energy through hands-on learning, STEM experiences, safety education and workforce development opportunities. The programs are designed to meet students where they are at every stage of learning, sparking curiosity, building confidence and preparing the next generation of problem-solvers, innovators and industry leaders. Investing in students today helps power Alabama’s future tomorrow.
To learn more about Alabama Power’s educational STEM community projects and programs, visit the website.