STEM Day Inspires the Next Generation of Engineers

*On June 1, 2023 Emerson’s Climate Technologies business became a new standalone company – Copeland. Though our name has changed, we are building on more than a century of HVACR innovation and industry leadership, and Copeland continues to offer the same products, industry stewardship, and learning opportunities you’ve grown to trust. Information found on this webpage posted before June 1, 2023 may contain our old name or branding, but you can be at ease knowing it was created with the knowledge and expertise of Copeland. 

Every year on November 8, Emerson joins the rest of the country to celebrate National STEM Day and focus on the importance of educating our youth about science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEM/STEAM). Although our commitment to STEM is supported by year-round initiatives, this year we were happy to host an in-person We Love STEM event at our Sidney, Ohio, campus.

At Emerson, STEM is simply part of our DNA. It’s what helps us drive continuous innovation and pioneer the next generation of environmentally friendly HVACR solutions. We understand that inspiring a passion and love for STEM disciplines should start an early age and, above all, the pursuit of STEM should be fun! That was the goal of our 2022 We Love STEM event, which took place at the end of summer and was attended by more than 220 local K–12 students.

Staffed by more than 100 enthusiastic Emerson volunteers — some of which were parents or grandparents to the kids in attendance — the event also built upon the 100-year anniversary of Copeland innovation. Students and staffers wore commemorative T-shirts as they participated in a day full of STEM-related indoor/outdoor activities at Emerson’s first in-person STEM event since 2019.

The event’s STEM experiments were geared toward four specific education levels — from K–2, 3–6, 6–8 and 9–12 — and included a diverse range of new, engaging and sometimes messy individual and team activities:

• Balloon-powered car
• Straw rockets
• Catapult for distance
• Lava lamp
• Bottle silvering
• The egg-drop experiment
• Hydraulic arm
• Real-life Rube Goldberg

A variety of STEM-related games and attractions were also featured at the We Love STEM event, including participation by local fire and police departments. Students could take a hands-on tour of a fire truck, test their firehose skills and check out an armored vehicle. Outdoor games included Jenga, corn-hole, a giant connect four set and a stationary bike with a power meter.

In sum, our We Love STEM event provided multiple opportunities to for students to interact with their peers and experience a wide variety of STEM-related activities. But, most importantly, the kids had fun, and hopefully were inspired to continue their educational and career paths in STEM-related disciplines.

Women in STEM for the WIN

As Emerson celebrates STEM Day and reflects on our commitment to promoting STEM in education curricula, it’s important for us to remember the growing contributions of the professional women in our industry and within our organization. Emerson created its global Women’s Impact Network (WIN) to attract, develop and retain the top women candidates in STEM-related roles. This program is designed to support generations of women at various stage of their career development — from the young girls who participated in the We Love STEM event to our management leaders and senior executives.

Whether we’re inspiring the next generation of engineers or supporting the increased inclusion of women within our industry, Emerson’s STEM initiatives are helping to build a brighter future and leave the world better than when we found it. To learn more about STEM, please visit our webpage. To see highlights of our recent We Love Stem event, please view this video.