{"id":116038,"date":"2026-02-17T13:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T13:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/116038\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T13:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T13:37:07","slug":"powering-a-brighter-stem-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/116038\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering a Brighter STEM Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

On February 7, 2026, the University of Pittsburgh\u2019s Brandon Grainger<\/a> spent his Saturday at Baldwin High School, seeing amazing STEM projects and presenting awards to standout middle and high school students at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science<\/a> (PJAS) annual award event.<\/p>\n

Pitt\u2019s Center for Energy<\/a> sponsors two awards that recognize a high school and a middle school student. Grainger himself sponsors a third, the Thomas Lake Pittsburgh Excellence in High School Physics Award, in honor of the high school science teacher who inspired his own love of STEM.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been attending and delivering these awards almost yearly for a decade,\u201d said Grainger, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering<\/a> and Eaton Faculty Fellow at the Swanson School of Engineering. \u201cIt makes a difference to celebrate these students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grainger presented awards to two high school students: one for a project that explored biomedical sensors for monitoring the heartbeats of newborn babies, the other that investigated the optimal resistive loads in solar panel arrays. He also recognized a middle school student whose project examined the temperature performance of batteries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are always so many amazing projects,\u201d said Grainger, who also directs the\u00a0Electric Power Technologies Lab<\/a>\u00a0and co-directs the\u00a0Energy GRID Institute<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Pitt AMPED<\/a>. \u201cThis year, there was a student using finite element analysis to analyze structures. That\u2019s very, very advanced for a high school student.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond getting to see some of the region\u2019s strongest STEM projects up close, Grainger says that his motivation for supporting these students is practical and personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were over 400 students there, and I\u2019d say only about five percent might continue pursuing an engineering degree because of the available competition with various career options,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to get middle and high school students thinking about engineering education and career pathways much earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

While companies and organizations like Bechtel Plant Machinery, the Society of Women Engineers, and Carnegie Mellon University also provide awards, Grainger sees the potential for more industry and university support. \u201cThe awards validate the work these students do and inspire them to continue exploring STEM-related pathways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grainger added, \u201cI\u2019m a product of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and it\u2019s important that former students like me find someone who sees their potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

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