ComEd Challenges Girls to Think Outside the “Icebox”: Second Annual Icebox Derby Race Empowers Young Women in STEM
August 19 2015 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Icebox Derby competition culminates in a
multi-heat race with academic challenges and prizes designed to
further participants’ education
Celebrity host Amandla Stenberg joins ComEd
to advocate for gender equality and close the STEM skills gap in
the U.S.
ComEd is proud to announce the success of its second annual
Icebox Derby Race Day, a unique program focused on promoting women
in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Thirty young
women took part in this competition earlier today at The Chicago
Field Museum, and one team – Flaming Zing – emerged the victors,
followed by the runners-up Ice Bolts. Over the course of
four-weeks, thirty industrious young women worked in teams to build
electric race cars from recycled refrigerators, sourced from
ComEd’s Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program. Today, the
project came to an exciting finish, as they raced their vehicles
against one another and competed in a series of STEM challenges
which tested their skills, teamwork and mental fortitude.
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ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, COO Terence
Donnelly, celebrity host Amandla Stenberg and the winning team --
Flaming Zing -- at the Field Museum in Chicago for the electric
company's Icebox Derby Race Day, encouraging young women to pursue
careers in STEM. (Photo: Business Wire)
ComEd launched the Icebox Derby in 2014 as a creative, hands-on
educational experience to inspire young women to pursue careers in
STEM. With the support of community partners the Chicago Urban
League, Girls4Science, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest
Indiana and Operation PUSH, this local effort provides an
opportunity for girls ages 13-18 to work closely with mentors –
ComEd technical experts and graduate students from six local
universities – and learn about practical applications of STEM in
the world and in the workforce.
“As Illinois’ largest utility, ComEd is dedicated to delivering
safe and reliable electric service to our millions of customers.
But we are also focused on powering progress and the people in our
communities. The Icebox Derby is one of our most important efforts
to engage girls at a young age in a STEM experience and to
encourage girls to develop themselves to become part of our
workforce of the future,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO
of ComEd. “We are so proud of these girls and the great things
they’ve accomplished in a few short weeks. I am personally inspired
by the level of intelligence and enthusiasm they have brought to
this competition, and thankful to their family and friends whose
support has empowered them to be here with us today.”
Each ComEd Icebox Derby participant – and the local graduate
student mentors involved with the program – received a $1,000
scholarship. The members of winning team Flaming Zing each received
a Macbook Air, along with all-expenses-paid admission to a
week-long technology camp. At the onset of the program, ComEd
pledged to contribute additional funding for the Icebox Derby
participants, fueled by public support. By sharing one of the
Icebox Derby videos using #IceboxDerby and the video link, the
public helped raise up to $70,000 in the ComEd “Spark Fund”.
Amandla Stenberg, Hollywood actress best known for her
portrayals of Rue in The Hunger Games and young Cataleya in
Colombiana, co-hosted the event. Attendees of Icebox Derby Race Day
included ComEd executives and Icebox Derby team mentors,
representatives from community partners and sponsors, local
business and community leaders, STEM-focused graduate students at
local universities, as well as participants’ family and friends and
the general public.
You can relive the excitement of this year’s Icebox Derby and
find out more about the program itself by visiting
www.theiceboxderby.com. Followers can also track their journey on
social media by searching #IceboxDerby.
About the Icebox Derby
The Icebox Derby is a four-week challenge designed to empower
young women to explore opportunities in STEM (science, technology,
engineering and math) through a challenging, hands-on competition,
where contestants work in teams to engineer race cars from old
refrigerators. By leveraging ComEd’s Refrigerator and Freezer
Recycling Rewards program aimed at driving energy efficiency, the
Icebox Derby supports the company’s commitment to creating
sustainable and innovative solutions for the region. The public can
track each team’s progress while learning about important STEM
resources and opportunities online at www.theiceboxderby.com.
About ComEd
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive
energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd
provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across
northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For
more information visit ComEd.com, and
connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150819005617/en/
ComEd Media RelationsElizabeth Keating, (312)
394-3500www.comed.com/news
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