MidAmerica Teacher Camp
08/15/2024
MidAmerica Industrial Park, in partnership with Northeast Tech and the Oklahoma State Department of Career Tech, recently hosted the 2024 Oklahoma Education and Industry Partnership (OEIP) program. This marks the 17th year the program has been offered to area educators, providing them with insights into career opportunities at MidAmerica and a variety of professional development activities.
The two-day event, first introduced in 2008, aims to raise awareness and understanding of careers in the manufacturing industry and to foster alliances between the education and business communities. Over the years, the program has expanded to include sectors such as construction, energy and data storage.
This year, participants toured Berry Global, RAE Corporation and the Grand River Dam Authority’s GREC and Kerr facilities. These tours featured discussions on various career options critical to business success. The experiences equip teachers with the knowledge to relay this information to their students. Additionally, representatives from Fortis Construction and Batchelor and Kimball gave presentations on construction trades and their role in data center construction.
Beyond the industry-focused tours, participants enjoyed a STEM professional development session presented by the Science Museum of Oklahoma, funded by EPSCoR. Northeast Tech staff also led a session on AI in the classroom, providing guidance on leveraging AI to enhance learning while avoiding potential pitfalls.
Each participant received a $125 stipend for their participation, funded by MidAmerica Industrial Park, a STEM Kit from the Science Museum of Oklahoma and a backpack filled with classroom supplies provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.