Greg Wilkett, Fluor-BWXT President and CEO
PIKE COUNTY, Ohio -- May 15, 2023 -- Kids of all ages recently turned out for STEM night at the library in Waverly, hungry for knowledge and eager for adventure. Whether they played banana drums, drew with a robot or recreated designs with rubber bands and peg boards, they experienced an evening of learning filled with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to supercharge and light the fires of imagination.
Library worker Heather Bethel demonstrates one of the Makey Makey™ kits being used with a laptop.
Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth donated $3,000 to the library for the cause.
“We are pleased to be able to support STEM initiatives,” Fluor-BWXT President and CEO Greg Wilkett said. “From an educational perspective, nothing compares to interactive learning. Kids who participate in these workshops will have an opportunity to program robots, explore music, and learn about career opportunities available in STEM fields.”
Jennifer Wright, Garnet A. Wilson Public Library extension services coordinator, said they were able to buy 14 different types of STEM equipment.
“We appreciate all the support Fluor-BWXT has given to us for this project and many others,” Wright said.
Some of the stations that were set up for the event used Makey Makey™ invention kits which turn ordinary items into game controllers or musical instruments with a laptop. Other displays incorporated snap circuits for assembling electronic circuits on a base grid, and Magna Tiles which allowed children to build structures with magnetic shapes.
In addition to library staff launching their first STEM event, two Pike County Career Technology Center E-Tech students, Ayden Keeton and Joey Medina, ran two of the interactive stations.
“We thought it was fun,” said Keeton, who demonstrated static electricity. “The kids really liked the hands-on stuff, the wheels, watching the lights, and messing with the switches.”
The free event was held at the Garnet Wilson Library on North Market Street in Waverly on May 4. Library personnel are planning to host more STEM opportunities this summer.
For information about Fluor-BWXT, please visit www.fbportsmouth.com.
Library Director Natosha Massie and a student work with Artie the robot to draw designs.
A first grade student shows off his geoboard design.
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About Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC
Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) and BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) (NYSE: BWXT), two world-class companies with significant Ohio experience, formed Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC (FBP) to address the decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) needs at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Portsmouth Site in Pike County, Ohio. Jacobs Engineering, another global leader in industrial and environmental projects, provides support. Fluor-BWXT employs 1,800 workers who bring unparalleled experience, insights, and lessons learned from across the DOE complex. The Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth mandate is to clean up the Portsmouth Site safely and compliantly, provide strong uranium stewardship and partner with local communities to achieve a sustainable economic future. For more information, visit www.fbportsmouth.com.
