DENVER, CO – Sept. 25, 2021 – K-12 students, teachers and families joined Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the Consumer Energy Education Foundation (CEEF), and over 40 organizations from across Colorado gathered to watch the first outdoor robotic competition as well as participate in interactive displays showcasing STEM and the various forms of energy at Denver’s annual free Energy Day Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25.
Attendees also included over 45 middle and high school teams competing in the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Tournament which hosted the 2021 Infinite Recharge robotics game where each team designed a robot that shot baskets and navigated through other sports challenges. This was the first time that many of these teams had performed in-person competitions since early 2020. At the end of the competition the Ridgebotics received the Judge’s Choice Award and the Highlanders received the Community Service Award.
Exhibitors ranging from education and research to renewables and utilities, as well as oil and gas – included Dinosaur Ridge, Colorado Association of Professional Black Engineers and Scientists, My Sun Share Solar Project, Xcel Energy and Occidental Petroleum. “Besides the robots, I really liked seeing the sun from the gigantic telescope lens,” said Mateo Rodriquez, a student at Morey Middle School .
Today’s energy industry is seeking to engage students in discovering the many different careers in energy that require a myriad set of skills. According to the Center for Energy Workforce Development the industry is seeking natural problem-solvers and critical thinkers looking for careers that will both charge and change their futures, and those interested in protecting our nation’s resources, while serving their communities.
Following the festival, CEA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Browning said: “Energy Day Colorado 2021 was a huge success and showed students and their families alike the creativity that engineers use daily in STEM fields to solve world problems. The exhibits highlighted how today’s technologies have helped move these industries forward. We had families that have come every year since 2018 and said they couldn’t wait to come next year. This has become a signature event for the Denver community.”
To view photos from this year’s Energy Day Colorado or to receive more information about how to participate in next year’s Energy Day, please visit www.energydayfestival.org.
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