Community University Focuses on Renewable Energy

Mr. Gerry Palano (husband of Cheryl Palano) presented to our 6th graders today on the concept of renewable energy. Mr. Palano works for the MA State Department of Agricultural Resources, charged with helping local farms convert to alternative energy by providing grants and technical assistance.

Mr. Palano is one of several professionals in our community willing to give their time to share their expertise with our students and enrich their learning. These presentations provide an opportunity for students to connect classroom knowledge and skills to STEM applications in the real world. The speakers also model the engineering design process when explaining current and past projects at their workplace, which can inspire students to consider STEM-related college and career options.

Historically, we've referred to this speaker series as "Parent University" because most of the speakers to date have been parents. We're changing the name to "Community University" to include a broader group of local experts.

Mr. Palano teaching about renewable energy.