Nuclear Waste Partnership employees Nichole Lundgard and Khushroo Ghadiali set up lab equipment for the grand opening of a Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation STEM center at the Carlsbad Public Library in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Nuclear Waste Partnership employees Nichole Lundgard and Khushroo Ghadiali set up lab equipment for the grand opening of a Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation STEM center at the Carlsbad Public Library in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

CARLSBAD, N.M. – EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) management and operations contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP) is playing an important part in helping southeastern New Mexico students develop a lifelong interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

In May, NWP and six energy companies funded and provided volunteers for the installation of Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation STEM centers in all five of Carlsbad’s elementary schools, the Carlsbad Early Childhood Education Center and Carlsbad Public Library. Community leaders celebrated the occasion with a ribbon-cutting and demonstration of the high-tech tools at Desert Willow Elementary School. Students and teachers alike lit up while interacting with the state-of-the-art equipment.

Each STEM center includes innovative classroom kits full of materials designed for hands-on learning. For example, students can learn how to build a circuit to motor fans, power lights or even charge phones. Another kit allows them to try their hand at a beginner’s coding project by creating hand-drawn or computer-printed color diagrams to direct the movement of an electronic circuit robot about the size of a coffee pod. All of the kits allow students to explore activities that build intersecting skills in science, technology, engineering, math, and even art. The centers also come equipped with a 3D printer and printer supplies.

“At NWP, we are proud to assist in the education of our community and to contribute to all the new opportunities these STEM labs will afford our youth,” said Sean Dunagan, NWP president and project manager. “We know the students of Carlsbad worked diligently this year and are extremely deserving of these incredible Cal Ripken, Sr. STEM centers.”

Representatives of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, Nuclear Waste Partnership and energy companies cut the ribbon and pop confetti in the gymnasium at Desert Willow Elementary School in Carlsbad, New Mexico, for a STEM Center grand opening.
Representatives of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, Nuclear Waste Partnership and energy companies cut the ribbon and pop confetti in the gymnasium at Desert Willow Elementary School in Carlsbad, New Mexico, for a STEM Center grand opening.

On top of providing the STEM centers and access to the materials required to replenish the kits, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation also provides two days’ worth of hands-on training for educators to learn firsthand how to use the products.

“This is an important day for Carlsbad families,” said Lavern Shan, deputy superintendent of Carlsbad Municipal Schools. “Thanks to the generosity of these local companies, our students will get to challenge their critical thinking skills and become inspired to follow their dreams. Who knows? The next generation of STEM leaders could be right here in southeastern New Mexico.”

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation has opened more than 170 STEM centers nationwide, helping strengthen America’s most underserved and distressed communities by supporting and advocating for children.

Foundation President and CEO Steve Salem said the initiative is helping kids learn important skills to set them up for a lifetime of success.

“STEM education allows children to hone their scientific thinking and tinker with new technologies,” he said. “Exposure to STEM will serve them well in the future, no matter the career path they follow. We look forward to watching Carlsbad students reach for the stars and fulfill their full potential.”