Ignition laboratory image courtesy of Black & Veatch
The solar installation of the new Ignition Lab at Operation Breakthrough on Troost Avenue is expected to power the students’ STEM space-by a Kansas City corporate leadership team dedicated to clean energy and supporting the complex supported by Travis Kelce.
The project, installed on the central canopy on site, will provide on-site zero-carbon solar power generation for Ignition Lab, aiming to allow students to gain work experience, internships, customer-related projects, university credits and industry recognition certificates.
Click here to explore more information about the Youth Joint Laboratory.
Ignition laboratory image courtesy of Black & Veatch
Ignition laboratory image courtesy of Black & Veatch
The Black & Veatch Foundation-the charitable donation of a global infrastructure company headquartered in Kansas City-is one of the funders of the project, and Black & Veatch also serves as the solar project design leader and videographer. Other members of the consortium team behind the solar canopy include Sun Partners International, JE Dunn, MRIGlobal and RisingSun Solar.
Keith Small, vice president of Black & Veatch, said: "It is an honor to work with Operation Breakthrough and other organizations to develop, fund and complete this exciting new solar project at Ignition Lab, which will have a positive impact on our community for many years." The new Ignition Lab provides students with a comprehensive living laboratory environment, promotes STEM education, and creates opportunities to reduce the opportunity gap."
Click here to learn more about Kansas City Chiefs’ close-end Travis Kelce's move to gain space for Ignition Lab through his foundation "Eighty Seven and Running."
Ignition laboratory image courtesy of Black & Veatch
For more than 50 years, Operation Breakthrough's non-profit Children and Family Development Center has provided educational programs, health care, parent programs, and emergency services to the children and families they serve. More than 87% of them live below the federal poverty line. Every working day, the center takes care of more than 700 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 18 years.
"Our vision is to provide them with a safe haven where they can continue to look for role models, discover interests and develop skills after they graduate from the OB's after-school program," Kells said before. "Together with the employees and supporters of OB, we will create a co-working space that will give young people support, resources and opportunities to explore STEM careers, start their own entrepreneurial businesses, and gain real-world experience."
Consistent with Kansas City’s real-world learning program, Ignition Lab expanded Operation Breakthrough’s services to high school students, providing 14 to 18-year-old teenagers with opportunities to explore various STEM subjects, including energy auditing, site selection, engineering, and unmanned Machine, graphic design, 3D printing and laser cutting, cyber security/IT, manufacturing and construction, coding, etc.
"Ignition Lab not only provides technical training for students and opens new doors to STEM jobs that have historically been higher paying after graduating from high school, but it also provides these students with the opportunity to determine which way they want to go in college," Operation Breakthrough Said Mary Esselman, CEO of.
Watch the video below about the Operation Breakthrough Ignition Lab created by Black & Veatch.