The inaugural class of Vineyard Wind Scholarship recipients graduated from the summertime Advanced Studies & Leadership Program (ASLP) Science/Technology/Engineering/Math Course (STEM Course).
The scholarships sponsored full tuition and related expenses for a dozen students at the three-week resident summer camp at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The program is designed to encourage minority and female students to pursue STEM professions and career opportunities.
Vineyard Wind Scholarships are funded by the company with the goal of recruiting, mentoring, and training local residents for high-skills careers in America’s renewable industries such as wind power.
Vineyard Wind Scholarships offer residents from the Cape, Islands, and South Coast an opportunity to gain access to educational opportunities with the goal of encouraging access to the burgeoning American offshore wind industry while young inspiring them to pursue full-time careers in the wind energy sector or in related fields.
Based on academic achievement and financial need, Vineyard Wind Scholarships were awarded to 7th grade scholars from Barnstable (2), Dartmouth (2), Falmouth (2), Martha’s Vineyard (1), New Bedford (2) and Wareham (3).
Vineyard Wind’s activities are part of broader efforts to attract billions of dollars of private investment with the goal of diversifying and growing the region’s ocean economy through modernization of local ports, new services such as transport vessels, ongoing research offshore, and skilled workforce training needed to build and operate wind farm facilities.
With the availability of Vineyard Wind’s scholarships, the Cape Cod Collaborative and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy were able to expand ASLP recruitment to include school districts in the South Coast region. More than 200 middle school students from Cape Cod, the Islands, and the South Coast participated in ASLP this year based on MCAS scores, teacher recommendations, and academic achievements.
Students participated a series of classroom and hands-on study activities that featured demonstrations and interactive work with world class technology and state-of-the-art science labs.
Course offerings included “Power Engineering and Renewable Energy,” “Navigation and Shiphandling,” “Use of Remotely Operated Vehicles in Oceanography,” “Marine Science of Cape Cod,” and “Emergency Management.”
As the first-in-the-nation commercial scale offshore wind farm, Vineyard Wind has made a strong commitment to support offshore wind technical training and career development programs, including a separate $2 million Wind Workforce initiative undertaken in partnership with vocational schools, community colleges, and other local organizations.
Filed Under: News, Offshore wind
