NETL collaborated with education leaders in West Virginia and at the Columbus, Ohio-based Center of Science and Industry (COSI) to create and distribute “Learning Lunchboxes,” which include materials and a guide to complete five engaging hands-on STEM-related activities.

“When students begin to learn about STEM subjects, it’s important for them to participate in active learning experiences. The energy kits in these lunchboxes build strong interest in STEM subjects by providing materials to complete exciting projects. This sets the stage for ongoing success in these areas and generates early interest in STEM-related careers,” said NETL’s Ken Mechling, coordinator, STEM Education & Outreach Program.

An initial set of energy-themed Learning Lunchboxes was distributed in December at the Mountaineer Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia. The distribution was part of a celebration to open the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Technical Assistance Center (TAC). 

STEAM TAC will focus primarily on West Virginia middle-school students in grades 6-8 throughout 2022 while providing professional learning opportunities for teachers to refine their skills in these subject areas. Officials hope to expand the program to all middle and high school students in the Mountain State after the first year.

The initiative has been advanced by a partnership that also includes West Virginia University, the West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative.

Each lunchbox energy kit contains instructions, supplies and tools needed to complete five activities that explore how energy is transformed from one form to another. The activities are:

• Elastic potential energy — Using rubber bands, a paperclip and a few other simple supplies, students make a helicopter cutout fly, demonstrating the concept of transforming potential energy into kinetic energy.
• Chemical energy — Students use a bottle, oil, water and a seltzer tablet to create a lava lamp and observe chemical energy in action.
• Wind energy — Taking a cardboard rectangle, Styrofoam balls, construction paper and a few other items from the box, students build a wind-powered vehicle and blow air into the sail to see wind power in action.
• Dark energy — Take two bottles from the box. Fill one with water. Compare how objects behind the water-filled bottle and the empty bottle appear different. These and other exercises prepare students for the second part of this activity — using the power of observation to determine the contents in a mystery box.
• Solar energy — This final activity is reserved for a sunny day. Students use their empty box, aluminum foil, black construction paper and remaining supplies to make a solar oven and melt chocolate. Marshmallows not included.

All activities are designed to be completed in the classroom or at home. Internet access is not required. “That’s important because many underserved communities in rural areas lack reliable broadband internet access,” Mechling said.

COSI’s Allie Greiwe, director of External Affairs, thanked NETL for providing the expertise to review the Energy Box Activity Book included in the lunchboxes, ensuring the accuracy of the content. In December, roughly 2,000 kits were distributed to West Virginia middle-school teachers and students, as well as West Virginia University Extension agents, superintendents, education leaders, and families and youth in need, Greiwe said.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.