ComEd Black History Month Campaign Helps Teens Explore ‘Unexpected’ STEM Careers
‘Solar Spotlight’ Education Program Introduces High School Students
to STEM via The Arts
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For the fourth year, ComEd’s annual Black History Month campaign
provides stimulating seminars to expose African American high school
students to non-traditional and ‘unexpected’ STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math) careers. For 2017, Solar Spotlight will explore STEM
via The Arts as students learn about solar energy, African-American
trailblazers, and the earliest forms of STEM via African history. The
program will culminate with a 7-foot solar-powered art Installation,
designed with help from the students, which will be on permanent display
in the Bronzeville neighborhood.
ComEd enlisted the support of community partners, youth organizations
and schools in Chicago and Rockford to select nearly 60 students to
participate in the Solar Spotlight seminars on Saturday, February 4 and
Saturday, February 11, at the ComEd Training Center in Chicago. ComEd
engineers will be on hand to serve as mentors and students also will
have an opportunity to tour the facility and learn about careers in
energy.
Gallery Guichard, Bronzeville’s premier gallery of art, has signed on as
a partner to construct the installation. ComEd will unveil the solar art
at a special ceremony for the students, their family, friends and the
community in early Spring 2017.
“ComEd is proud to celebrate Black History Month by engaging with local
high school students’ to explore STEM through the emerging worlds of
science and art,” said Anne Pramaggiore, President and CEO of ComEd. “As
an innovation and technology company, we are committed to offering
youth-based STEM programs throughout the year to empower the workforce
of the future. All of these programs include aspects to nurture
diversity and promote community involvement.”
The ‘Solar Spotlight’ campaign also will highlight activities and
student participation in series of billboard, print, and digital
advertisements throughout the month of February. ComEd will award each
participating student with a plaque highlighting the completion of the
education seminars and a financial scholarship.
The seminar curriculum introduces renewable energy concepts, features
the multiple uses of solar energy while also providing students with the
opportunity to work with directly with experts in solar and STEM fields,
including ComEd mentors. There will be a presentation about the earliest
dated pyramid, the 200 feet high step pyramid designed by the royal
architect Imhotep, to illustrate engineering and astronomical
significance and prep students for an hands-on activity to design
hieroglyphic panels for the pyramid art Installation.
Members of Exelon African American Resource Alliance (EAARA), who are
also ComEd employees, will serve as student mentors for both education
seminars. A member of EAARA will present a Black History themed profile
about the women featured in the #1 movie “Hidden Figures” to
highlight African Americans who have excelled in the STEM industry.
ComEd invites the general public to visit ComEd.com/SolarSpotlight to
learn more about Solar Spotlight and watch the 2016 student video. The
public may also track the students’ Solar Spotlight journey on social
media by searching #comedsolarspotlight and #bhm2017.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides
service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois,
or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit
ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Contacts
ComEd Media Relations
312-394-3500
