On October 8th, the STEM Academy juniors visited the PSEG Energy and Environmental Research Center in Salem County. The trip was part of the Academy’s curriculum and aimed to provide students with exposure to different opportunities and career paths in STEM fields.

There, the students learned about the the company’s efforts to make energy cleaner and the impacts of our energy consumption on the environment. Students also got to speak to employees of the company, from which they gained valuable insight on college and career opportunities in STEM.

PSEG allowed the Academy to visit the power plant on site, a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Pictured is an exact model of the reactor control room which is used to train future operators. Students were able to get a behind the scenes look at all the intricacies behind operating the power plant and even got to experience a simulator situation. STEM Academy junior Jacob Blair said of the experience: “Being able to enter the reactor room was a unique experience because the very same room is used to train people for the operation of actual nuclear reactors. It gave us a look at what it is actually like to work in a field like this.”

Additionally, the students got to see the plant’s enormous cooling tower in action and learned about its key role in allowing the plant to run and provide energy to the region.

STEM Academy junior Bhavana Chamarthi said “The PSEG trip was really impactful because it exposed me to different parts of engineering that I did not really understand before. Overall, it was a great experience!”