While students spend countless hours learning to code, AI systems already write better code faster than humans. Mike Rowe argues we need "STEMS"—adding skill to science, technology, engineering, and math—because skilled trades are being automated out of education just as infrastructure demands explode.

Consider this: 7.6 million jobs are available nationwide, most requiring no college degree, while college graduate unemployment hits all-time highs. Meanwhile, Beaver County's $3.2 billion Bruce Mansfield plant transformation into a natural gas facility will create 15,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent positions—exactly the high-tech skilled work defining America's future.

From precision HVAC systems maintaining data center temperatures within fractions of degrees to 3D printing steel bridges for crumbling infrastructure, tomorrow's economy demands workers who can integrate physics with pipefitting, chemistry with materials science, and mathematics with manufacturing.

America's first STEM students weren't in classrooms—they were farm kids like the Parker family, who've applied science and engineering to solve real-world problems for over 100 years. Companies like Nucor Steel recognized that farmers possessed the work ethic, mechanical aptitude, and systems thinking needed for industrial innovation.

The question isn't whether this infrastructure revolution will arrive—it's whether our students will be prepared to lead it.

What happens when a company that's been innovating since 1880 meets the AI revolution? You get Richards Wilcox, our presenting sponsor for the Halftime Robotics Demonstration at Jen + Tonic!

President Bob McMurtry carries forward a remarkable legacy—his uncle, Duncan C. McCune, was a pioneer in statistical process control in the steel industry decades before the region was ready to embrace such innovation. Duncan even attended the College of Wooster alongside our memorial fund's namesake, Jenifer R. Powers Fruit, creating a beautiful connection between past visionaries and today's mission.

Discover how the Steel Valley region's industrial heritage positions it perfectly for an AI revolution. Learn why our nuclear power, water resources, and skilled trades workforce make our region ideal for data centers and tech innovation, and how STEM education is the key to this economic renaissance.

The title combines powerful keywords (Steel Valley, Data Valley, AI, STEM) while clearly communicating the transformation theme. The description highlights the region's competitive advantages for AI infrastructure and connects STEM education to economic development, using keywords that would appeal to both local community members and those interested in regional economic development through technology.

Growing up in East Palestine with my sisters Jenifer and Juliette, problem-solving was woven into the fabric of our childhood. Our parents instilled in us a simple but powerful principle: never miss an opportunity to learn, no matter how tragic the situation. When a devastating train derailment struck my hometown in February 2023, I witnessed how that same principle of finding learning opportunities amidst tragedy was being carried forward by a remarkable young man 1,500 miles away in La Joya, Texas. Fourteen-year-old Gary Allen Montelongo turned this disaster into award-winning research that could help prevent future derailments.

2024 Jen+Tonic Polo Event Raises $20,000 for STEM Education | Honoring Jenifer Powers-Fruit

East Palestine Robotics: Coaching the ‘Long-Game’

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Columbiana Robotics representing the Steel Valley in the Lone Star State