• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

ComEd to Mentor High School Teams in Innovative Energy Education Effort

Posted on: Monday, 2 March 2009, 14:14 CST

CHICAGO, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Addressing topical challenges regarding energy and the environment, ComEd is providing technical energy efficiency expertise to seven northern Illinois high schools in a pilot initiative designed to promote innovation-centered education and to increase student achievement in math, science and engineering.

Through a public-private partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois Innovation Talent pilot program has been expanded to include an Energy Reduction Challenge. Teams of students have partnered with a governing body (e.g. local school board or city council) to design an energy reduction strategy for a public facility in their community. Energy reduction plans can involve infrastructure improvements that may be eligible for incentives. Students will present a formal plan this spring for possible implementation.

"This distinctive pilot program is tapping into the creativity and enthusiasm of these students to tackle real energy-related challenges in their communities," said Val R. Jensen, vice president, Marketing and Environmental Programs, ComEd. "We are excited by the chance to work with these students as they create innovative strategies for boosting energy efficiency, saving communities money and reducing community impact on the environment."

This pilot will serve as a critical demonstration for how energy-related projects can be brought to scale across Illinois. ComEd has partnered in this effort to provide technical education and expertise related to energy efficiency, such as facilitating energy audits of the public facilities with the students.

"Innovation Talent promotes the next generation of talent in Illinois. The Energy Reduction Challenge partners students with industry and government leaders to tackle the very real issue of energy efficiency," DCEO Director of Operations Warren Ribley said. "We are thankful for ComEd's partnership and vision for the next generation. Students will graduate from this program with the skills they need to compete in today's global economy."

The Energy Reduction Challenge kicked off last month with an energy workshop conducted by ComEd representatives with teaching staff from the participating schools at the Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy in Aurora. The participating schools include: William Fremd High School (Palatine), Genoa-Kingston High School (Genoa), Reavis High School (Burbank), Manteno High School (Manteno), Thornton Township High School (Harvey), Waubonsie Valley High School (Aurora), and After School Matters (Chicago).

"Anytime we can engage students in real world applications and show them that what they're learning has meaning in everyday life, we're expanding the classroom and making it a part of their lives," said Christopher Koch, superintendent, ISBE. "We hope that providing a practical lab experience that impacts a building that they see everyday will translate into a sense of ownership, not just in today's project, but in using their minds to improve the world around them in the future."

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category