High School STEM Students Tour Corning Plants | Community | People | Sustainability | Corning

August 2018

Forty pairs of lab shoe covers and safety glasses lay on a table in the front of a room in a Corning plant as students from the Greater Southern Tier STEM Academy filed in and waited attentively.

The students, who attend the school beginning in ninth grade and earn their high school diploma from the Academy and associates degree from Corning Community College, spent a day at two nearby Corning Incorporated plants to learn about possible career opportunities and Corning’s innovations.

“These experiences give students the connection between what they’re learning and why they need to know it,” said Christine Sharkey, vice president and director of Community Development for Corning Enterprises. “By seeing two different-sized plants with different products and processes, it gives students a picture of the kind of problem-solving skills that are needed in a factory setting.”

After an introduction at each plant from the plant managers, the students toured the manufacturing floors, learning about manufacturing processes from Corning guides. Following the tours, students completed a group challenge, putting their newly learned skills to the test.

Corning Incorporated served as the driving force behind the development of the Greater Southern Tier STEM Academy, a regional six-year program designed to prepare the next generation for careers in advanced technical manufacturing, clean energy, information technology and health care. Today, Corning serves as one of many business partners for the school. Read more about the relationship between Corning Incorporated and the school.