On July 24, more than 60 eager middle and high school students visited the Gardenia Innovation & Operations Center to participate in the 14th annual Youth Energy Academy (YEA).
Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), YEA provides students from across Central Florida the opportunity to learn about varying careers in the utility industry. The two-day summer field trip is made possible through a partnership of OUC, Black Architects in the Making (BAM), Duke Energy and Siemens Energy.
“Just as Youth Energy Academy is a fun event for me, it is also fun for the OUC team members who come out and really make this event a success,” Queen Massaline, Sr. Community Engagement Coordinator, said. “We have individuals from water, internal audit, residential customer service, marketing, community engagement and more; it’s a joint effort to make this event happen.”
To kick off the day, Jaison Busby, Vice President of Digital and Technology, shared his story of growing up in Detroit and learning to love computers, ultimately finding his way to OUC.
Jaison Busby, Vice President of Digital and Technology, addresses the crowd of students before the day kicks off.
Then, it was time for the activities to begin.
Students rotated through sessions with different hands-on experiences, from crafting the tallest – and most structurally sound – tower out of construction paper to learning about water quality and seeing a drone soar above the floating solar array.
At the tower station, students grouped off and built towers out of construction paper and packing tape with real-world goals in mind: To craft a structure strong enough to withstand weight and high winds, like in a hurricane. Malcom Jones, Chair of BAM Orlando, led the session and counted down from 10 seconds as the students held a fan to their towers to simulate winds and placed weights on top to demonstrate their strength.
On the second floor, students met Christine Misner, Sr. Chemist in OUC’s Water Quality Laboratory, who explained the journey water takes from the aquifer to the drinking tap. A video presentation showed students how water treatment facilities process millions of gallons of water every day. At the end of the session, students opened bottles marked “Before” and got a whiff of the rotten-egg smell of aquifer water before it goes through the ozone process.
A student makes a sour face after smelling untreated aquifer water.
Outside, Paul Brooker, Interim Manager, Emerging Technologies & Renewables, showed students Gardenia’s floating solar array. Then, students saw an exciting drone demonstration from Maguire Mulligan, Research Engineer.
“We start planning this event at the beginning of the year, just to ensure it is a success,” Queen said. “I am proud to be a part of the reliable team that brings these events to our community.”
The drone rests on the road before the demonstration begins.
