Purdue University Northwest has launched a collaboration with two Northwest Indiana high schools aimed at bringing impactful clean energy lessons into classrooms.
The Clean Energy and Smart Grids program, supported by a grant from the NiSource Charitable Foundation and NIPSCO, will educate students and teachers at East Chicago Central High School and Hammond Central High School through on-campus learning sessions and site visits to energy facilities. The field observations and discussions will promote opportunities for learners to think critically about the impact of clean energy in their communities and how to pursue sustainable solutions.
“This program empowers high school students and teachers to engage directly with the clean energy transition through site visits and lab-based learning,” said Arash Asrari, PNW associate professor of electrical engineering, in a press release. “By working side by side with Purdue Northwest undergraduate and graduate students on practical clean energy projects, high school participants gain valuable hands-on experience while we collectively build a strong pipeline of skilled talent to support our region’s clean energy future.”
The program is made possible through a $100,000 grant from the NiSource Charitable Foundation and NIPSCO.
“We hope that through our support of this program a generation of students today will emerge as our leaders of tomorrow, focused on utilizing innovation and new technology to advance our energy needs in responsible ways,” Reginald Fields, NiSource Charitable Foundation executive director, said.
The Foundation and NIPSCO launched the Bridging Our Energy grant in 2024. Two grant recipients were selected based on proposed initiatives that advance local communities across NIPSCO’s service area that promote greater economic inclusion.
The Clean Energy and Smart Grids program will provide participants an opportunity to learn at several Indiana energy generation facilities. These include the St. Joseph Solar Farm based at the University of Notre Dame, the Meadow Lake Wind Farm spanning Benton and White counties and the NIPSCO Michigan City Generation Station. The site visits provide students real-world insights into the challenges of maintaining reliable power generation.
Following the site visits, high school students and teachers will join Asrari and student researchers at PNW in the Smart Grid Design Lab. While there, Asrari and students will complete hands-on activities with small-scale electric modules that simulate renewable energy systems in real-world scenarios and challenges. The modules will imitate a smart grid, which is a digital communications network that monitors and distributes electricity flows to sources in a local network.
“We chose to develop the Bridging Our Energy Grant as a reflection of our commitment to our communities,” Vince Parisi, NIPSCO president and chief operating officer, said. “By investing in these vital initiatives, we’re empowering organizations to create lasting change and promoting greater economic inclusion for all.”
