PIKETON, Ohio — More than 1,500 students from 34 schools across five counties turned out at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant this month for the largest crowd in the 15-year history of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Alliance STEM event, according to the department’s Office of Environmental Management.
The event introduced high school students to science, technology, engineering and math careers and the education paths that lead to them, the department said.
Christy Brown, acting Portsmouth Site lead and federal project director, said in a statement that it is “always inspiring to see the students come here and enjoy themselves and interact with all the presenters.”
Activities included a fire safety demonstration with a fire simulator, historical exhibits on the Portsmouth Site, a trivia contest called “Smack Down Science,” and a chance for students to control a robotic arm in a session run by Shawnee State University. Ohio University staff also brought native aquatic creatures for students to observe, the department said.
The Portsmouth Site, once a Cold War-era uranium enrichment plant, has increasingly used events like this to connect area students with the reindustrialization work now underway there as the property is redeveloped into a large-scale energy and computing hub.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
