Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA Grant Powers Energy Learning Project
September 24, 2010
TUPELO, Miss. – Science and history classes at Tupelo High School students this fall will include visits to the nation’s cradle of liberty and a Department of Energy national laboratory under a new program supported by a $1,000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The new educational initiative, titled “Revolutionary Roads to Modern Science,” will explore energy applications from Benjamin Franklin’s electrical experiments through modern-day developments such as nuclear power. The program also will focus on the future of energy conservation and green energy development.
Sherry Davis, Tupelo High School teacher and program coordinator, said the course will explore the future of energy from a historical perspective.
“This project will help some of the brightest minds on campus comprehend the scope of electricity’s potential and hopefully inspire them to pursue careers in science and engineering,” Davis said. “It’s something I’m excited to be a part of and something that should bring the students a great reward. We are thankful to TVA for supporting our students’ educational goals.”
Davis said the course is open to students through the high school’s science and technology clubs. Participants will study the course topics, hear guest lectures and travel to sites such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pa., and to Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn., for tours of some of the nation’s most important historical and scientific landmarks.
Members of TVA’s Valley Relations staff met with Tupelo school leaders and public officials to arrange the grant, class lectures and educational field trips.
“Today’s youths are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Amy Tate, TVA Valley Relations district manager for Mississippi. “Students inspired by this course may help address the energy challenges of the future, and TVA is committed to supporting that effort.”
The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia – an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities and supplies up to 33,700 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA’s service territory are below the national average.
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