CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and help address the underrepresentation of Latinos in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, ComEd hosted a STEM Labs event in which Latino high school students built their own robots, worked alongside ComEd engineers and explored STEM careers.
“ComEd is committed to diversifying the STEM workforce by providing opportunities for students to build their experience and confidence in this space,” said Lewis “Louie” Binswanger, Senior Vice President of Governmental and Regulatory Affairs at ComEd. “ComEd STEM Labs gives Latino students the opportunity to learn about, and be inspired by, the many career possibilities in STEM.”
Fifty Latino high school students from across northern Illinois participated in the STEM Labs program on Saturday at ComEd’s Chicago North facility. They worked in teams with ComEd mentors to build, code and test drive small robots under the guidance of special guest, Dr. Kate Biberdorf, a renowned author, chemist and science educator. In addition to networking with ComEd mentors and executives throughout the day, each student received a $250 scholarship upon completing the program.
Latino Americans make up 17% of the U.S. workforce, but only 8% of the STEM workers. Studies show that despite being as interested in STEM as other ethnic groups, Latino students are less likely to take STEM courses in high school, which decreases the likelihood they will pursue opportunities that lead to careers in STEM, according to the Student Research Foundation.
The ComEd STEM Labs program, an evolution of the ComEd Solar Spotlight program, established in 2016, is one of the many programs ComEd sponsors to encourage more students of color and women to pursue STEM careers. Other ComEd programs include the ComEd EV Rally for Chicagoland girls and the Stay in School Initiative.
The ComEd EV Rally, an evolution of the ComEd Icebox Derby program, educates and empowers young women to explore careers in STEM and become the innovative workforce of the future. The program provides girls the opportunity to learn about electric vehicles (EVs) and STEM, connect with female STEM mentors and build electric go-karts.
Students, parents and educators interested in being notified about upcoming ComEd STEM youth programs and when to apply can submit their email address at: STEMsignUp.com/ComEd.
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.