Students from Pine Bluff High School and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff toured the Calpine Energy power plant at Jefferson County recently.
The tour, hosted by Calpine Plant Manager Richard Gillingham, is part of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Workforce Initiative directed by UAPB, the Ivy Center for Education and the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County.
The STEM Workforce Initiative connects students with Jefferson County businesses and industry utilizing technology in the workplace.
The students saw firsthand how Calpine uses the technology of turbines, heat exchangers, cooling towers, transformers and generators to produce the energy used in homes and businesses every day. They encountered engineering, chemistry and physics concepts in practice at the power generation facility.
The STEM initiative is designed to expose students to STEM careers that provide enhanced employment and earning potential.