Doe Run Supports STEM Education in Southeast Missouri

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Nearly 20 percent of all current U.S. jobs require science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills or training, and that will only increase over time. The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) continues to support essential STEM curriculum throughout southeast Missouri schools to prepare current students for the future.

This summer, Doe Run has pledged more than $15,000 to local schools that have implemented STEM programs within elementary and middle schools. The funding will help enhance curriculum, as well as assist in buying new equipment for hands-on learning.

"Today's mining and metal working jobs use a lot of technology – from drones, digital data collection and sensor technologies to complex data analysis and reporting systems. We believe by investing in our local students, we can inspire the future leaders of our company and our industry to embrace the STEM technologies needed for our growth," said Sharon Gietl, vice president – information technology and human resources at Doe Run. "We also see this as an investment in our local community, where many of our employees live and where their children attend school. High quality education programs will help keep southeast Missouri a desirable place to live, work and raise a family."

This marks the third year Doe Run has supported Project Lead The Way (PLTW) at Valley R-VI High School in Caledonia. Doe Run pledged $7,000 this year, bringing the total donation to $23,000. PLTW provides STEM curriculum focused on project-based learning to prepare students for STEM careers and to solve real world problems in a collaborative environment. Over a three-year period, 242 students in grades 7-12 participated in PLTW at Valley R-VI.

"This curriculum is making a difference in our students' lives and helping them learn about career opportunities that they had not considered before," said Trina Pritchett, Valley R-VI high school science teacher and PLTW gateway instructor. "Many of these students have graduated and chosen to study a profession that they learned about through PLTW."

Doe Run also pledged $8,000 to Bunker Elementary to buy new equipment for students and faculty, including lab materials, teacher training, robotics, and more. At North Wood R-VI in Salem, Doe Run also helped fund STEM kits to be used in the middle school program. The kits enable students in grades 5-8 to plan and carry out scientific investigations, analyze and interpret data, and use mathematics and computational thinking.

STEM skills are the foundation for many career opportunities in science, engineering and mining across the region. There will be an estimated 3.5 million jobs in STEM-related fields by 2025. Fostering an early interest in STEM learning is critical to filling these roles for the next generation.

About The Doe Run Company
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, The Doe Run Company is a privately held natural resources company and a global provider of lead, copper and zinc concentrates. Dedicated to environmentally responsible mineral and metal production, Doe Run operates one of the world's largest, single-site lead recycling centers, located in Boss, Missouri, and mines from one of the world's largest lead mining districts, also in Missouri. The Doe Run Company and its subsidiaries deliver products and services necessary to provide power, protection and convenience. Doe Run has operations in Missouri, Washington and Arizona. For more information, visit http://www.doerun.com.

SOURCE Doe Run