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Community Corner

Vulcan Materials Company prepares educators for lessons of tomorrow

Bolingbrook, Ill.—Last week, area-teachers visited and toured the Vulcan Materials Company Bolingbrook Quarry for hands-on training in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects. The program is part of a professional development graduate course that partners Vulcan with the Three Rivers Education Partnership (TREP).

“We’re honored to share the work we do with local teachers,” said Bolingbrook plant manager Jon Carmack. “There are STEM jobs these teachers can be preparing their students for, and we hope that it’s helpful for them to see, first hand, what careers their lessons might someday lead to.”

This is the fifth year that TREP and Vulcan have partnered to help teachers learn new ways of enhancing their students’ classroom experience. And it’s a tradition that TREP program manager Laura Price says is proven to get results.

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“We’ve always had great feedback from our teachers after our summer workshops,” said Price.  “We know that effective lessons must be local, relevant and personal. Our outing to the Bolingbrook Quarry is all of those things.”

As part of their visit to the Bolingbrook Quarry, the teachers got to tour the underground quarry and see many STEM applications at work.

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“My biggest educational take away from this visit was the importance of Earth Science in a career that is both exciting and well-paying,” said Christopher Cunnings, a physics teacher at Wilmington High School. “Students often wonder why rocks are taught in science classes, but, if they are exposed to the applicable career opportunities awaiting them, they might better appreciate the study of Earth’s interior, rocks, minerals, etc.”

 STEM skills have taken the national spotlight recently as debates on skills-gaps and education opportunities abound. Carmack, however, confirms that the demand for STEM training, particularly in the aggregate business, has always been high.

“Having a foundation in STEM basics is critical for working at a place like Vulcan Materials,” said Carmack. “But we’re certainly not alone. The number of industries and opportunities that require STEM skills grow every day.”

Members of the Bolingbrook Quarry team use STEM to calculate things like water flow rates, to measure water quality, air emissions, materials loads, even transportation costs to move their construction materials which are produced and moved by the tons.

Locally, Vulcan facilities have provided the aggregate building materials for many of the major construction projects throughout Chicagoland including the I-355 expansion, the I-55 lane expansion, the Chicagoland Speedway, New Silver Cross Hospital, Cherry Hill Business Park, and the Butterfield Road lane widening.

“Our primary objective is providing high-quality construction materials,” said Carmack. “But just as important is being involved with programs like the STEM tour that help enrich and enliven the foundation of our community’s future workforce.”

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