LEMONT, Ill., Aug. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline, the Lemont Refinery brought STEM education to area day camps this summer in the towns of Crest Hill, Joliet, Lemont, Lockport and Romeoville.
With the goal of getting campers interested in science, Erin Horan, Lemont High School Physics teacher, partnered with CITGO to develop a practical curriculum that would showcase experiments that utilize everyday items.
Leading an outreach team of college interns, together they were able to reach out to more than 500 students between the ages of four and 14.
"We decided to visit day camps this summer with interactive experiments as a way to highlight just how much fun science can really be," said Horan.
For example, Horan talked about polymers and how slime is a petroleum product, and then had the students conduct experiments with the green slime they made from glue and shaving cream.
The responses from both campers and their counselors were so favorable that Horan is hoping to partner with CITGO again next summer and expand the curriculum.
"Whether we are empowering teachers, encouraging our employees to share their knowledge or reaching out with fun science experiments, as a member of the community CITGO is always looking for new ways to support STEM education," said Dennis Willig, Vice President and General Manager of the CITGO Lemont Refinery.
About the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline
The CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline program partners with educational organizations near the company's operational areas to increase access to educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math. The program promotes the importance of STEM education in the socioeconomic development of our communities and highlights the numerous pathways to rewarding careers, including those in the energy industry.
About the CITGO Lemont Refinery
For more than 90 years, CITGO Lemont Refinery has employed more than 750 Chicago area residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. In addition to producing high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of nearly 5,200 locally-owned CITGO stations across the country, Lemont Refinery employees also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. Operations at the Lemont Refinery began in 1925 with a major expansion, doubling the facility in 1933. Over the years, new units were added to meet the demand for a better quality of gas for automobiles, aviation fuel for WWII, and the production of asphalt. Petróleos de Venezuela, PDVSA, acquired 100% of the refinery in 1997 and began operations as CITGO Lemont Refinery. For more information, visit www.citgorefining.com/Lemont.
About CITGO
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.citgo.com.
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SOURCE CITGO
