Thursday, 17 February 2011 | Henrico, VA—With a little help from Dominion, a science class at J.R. Tucker High School in Richmond, Va., recently shined brighter than the rest.
While the rest of the school was in the dark during a brief service interruption, students in Mr. Richard Castanet’s physics class used solar panels, bought with the help of a $3,500 grant from the Dominion Foundation, to power their classroom. They showed off their accomplishment by setting up an FM transmitter, powered with the panels, and handing out small battery radios so other classes could hear the broadcast.
“The students were so impressed,” said Castanet. “Their interest in learning how electricity is generated, distributed, and used has been heightened by actually using the equipment.”
In the coming months, students will be performing lab experiments using the wind turbine generator, solar panels, and other electrical equipment purchased with the grant.
The school received the funds through the company’s Educational Partnership, http://www.dom.com/about/education/grants/index.jsp, which helps schools strengthen the mathematics and science skills of students in grades K–12. The grants will be available again for the 2011–12 school year, and applications will be available mid-February.
