Utah’s motto is “Life Elevated” and the Governor’s Office of Energy Development has readily applied this to their STEM outreach.
March 3, 2020
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Utah’s motto is “Life Elevated” and the Governor’s Office of Energy Development has readily applied this to their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funds work, via a formula grant from the State Energy Program, to support the Utah Power and Energy Career Expo and assist teachers with energy literacy and classroom activities.
Read on to learn about some of Utah’s STEM programs for K-12 students, continued learning, teachers, and workforce that are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.
K-12 Inspiration
This month, the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development in partnership with Utah State University and GreenpowerUSA is looking for middle school, high school, and university Greenpower teams from across the nation to join the Mountain West Grand Prix on April 21-22, 2020.
The Greenpower Electric Car Challenge is a STEM competition for educational institutions to design and build a single-seat, electric-powered race car. Through the Department of Energy’s State Energy Program, Utah is responsible for growing the number of participating schools while supporting the more than 20 Greenpower teams in the state through the sponsorship and execution of the annual Mountain West Grand Prix.
Career Focus
This February, approximately 200 students, faculty, and company representatives gathered in Utah to attend the Second Annual Utah Power and Energy Career Expo. The HS, undergrad, and graduate students and teachers got to meet staff from organizations including Idaho National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, and learn about the latest trends in energy security, resiliency, and workforce development from industry experts. Networking was encouraged, connecting the attendees to companies looking for top talent to power the energy sector of the future.
The Expo was organized by the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development in partnership with the Utah Smart Energy Laboratory and the University of Utah’s Career and Professional Development Center.
On the same day as the Expo, the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development in partnership with Chevron, announced the fourth annual Utah Energy Workforce Scholarship. The scholarship funds Utah students pursuing STEM degrees or licensed certificates from Utah universities or technical colleges, aiming to boost the number of students in Utah entering the energy and minerals sector. Students, apply by April 15 to a chance to win a scholarship – winners will be announced at the Governor’s Energy Summit on May 18, 2020.
To date, the program has awarded $65,000 in scholarships to Utah’s talented students. Learn more with this video from 2018 scholarship recipient Jaden Defa.
Teacher Tools
To make a long-term inroads to boost Utah students’ STEM learning, with funding from the Department of Energy, the State of Utah’s Office of Energy Development collaborated with the Utah Science Teachers Association to develop 35 K-12 energy lesson plans that meet new state science standards. Educators can learn about the lesson plans by attending state-wide professional development events run by the Office of Energy Development that walk 50 teachers through 12 featured lesson plans. The educators are provided with lesson plan kits for each featured curricula, to make the content work for their classes.
Additionally, Utah is elevating (there it is again) teachers using the energy curriculum and driving tomorrow’s energy workforce by celebrating teacher success. The new annual Governor’s Energy Educator Award recognizes an educator for excellence in energy education, providing the winners with a $500 cash prize.
Teachers can also dive into Utah’s Office of Energy Development’s energy and mineral video series -- K-12 Hands on Activities.
For more information on the Department of Energy’s STEM programs and resources, visit the STEM Rising website at http://www.energy.gov/STEMand sign up for the monthly STEM Rising newsletter.
AnneMarie Horowitz
AnneMarie Horowitz is the Chief of Staff for the Arctic Energy Office. She joined the Arctic Energy Office in May 2023. AnneMarie has been with the Energy Department since 2010, and was previously on the digital team of the Office of Public Affairs, where she managed digital projects and internal employee communications efforts. AnneMarie was the Digital Communications Manager from March 2023 - September 2023 for the Department of Health and Human Affairs' Public Education Campaign, We Can Do This, to share information about the COVID vaccine.
From 2015 - 2017 she served as the Special Advisor on workforce issues for Deputy Secretary of Energy Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. She has also previously worked in the Under Secretary for Management and Performance and in the Office of Minority Economic Impact.
AnneMarie has a BA in Political Science from the University of Portland and a Masters of Government from Johns Hopkins University.