News Release
Jan. 25, 2005
PNM Awards $50,000 to Teachers Statewide
Albuquerque: PNM has awarded $50,000 in grants to
provide teachers throughout New Mexico with tools to implement
projects that explore energy, its many uses and sources. Each
PNM Earth Study Grant is $1,000.
PNM asked teachers to engage their students in conversations
about energy. Teachers responded with projects including harnessing
the sun’s energy, understanding geothermal energy sources
in New Mexico, studying how hydrogen fuel cells produce energy
and conserving energy for the future.
"PNM Earth Study Grants were awarded to teachers, but
the real winners are the students who will benefit from studying
energy in its many forms," said Diane Harrison Ogawa,
director of PNM Community Relations. "These grants will
allow students in every class – in all disciplines,
including fine arts, physical education, language arts, social
studies, creative writing, literature, science and mathematics
– to gain a better understanding of the environment."
Nearly 150 teachers across the state applied. Fifty grants
were announced in December, giving teachers the holiday break
to prepare their programs for second semester.
Among the ideas funded are:
- Alternative Energy Resources proposed
by Barb McCann of Rio Rancho High School. Students will
study solar power, nuclear power, wind power and hydroelectric
power through the roles of city manager, engineer, financial
planner and environmentalist. With videos, the class will
learn about biomass and geothermal energies.
- Renewable Energy Resources in New Mexico
proposed by Dr. Deanna Cornejo-Patterson of Manzano Day
School in Albuquerque. Kindergarteners will create a permanent
tiled mural to illustrate renewable energy sources New Mexicans
use. Along with the study of sunlight, water, wind and energy,
students will learn the words in Spanish.
- Energy Use and Conservation Throughout Our School
proposed by Joelyn Pafford of Kearny Elementary School in
Raton. Students will study the various types of energy,
including renewable and nonrenewable, to conduct experiments
that show the importance of conserving energy. Students
will help make changes to the school to save energy, such
as sealing leaky windows, turning of lights not in use and
changing light bulbs to incandescent.
- Solar Pentathlon proposed by Joel Pate
of Penasco Elementary School in Hope. Students will design
and build a solar-powered vehicle to compete against obstacles,
curves, inclines and declines. The teams of students also
will write a marketing plan, including a TV commercial,
billboard and flyer, to sell their vehicles.
- Hybrid Electrical Bicycles: Electricity and Muscle
proposed by David Heber of El Dorado Elementary School in
Santa Fe. Students in the electricity science workshop will
convert a used conventional bicycle into an electrical hybrid
bicycle using a commercially available conversion kit. Students
will analyze the energy transfer that occurs when using
a conventional and an electrical bicycle. Once constructed,
one or more teachers will use the hybrid bicycle to commute
to work.
- Edible Energy proposed by Erin Archuleta
at McKinley Elementary School in Farmington. Students will
learn what energy is, how we use it and what energy sources
are. They will integrate their studies into fun activities
such as energy chants and solar racing cars. They will celebrate
with a solar cookout at the end of the year.
PNM is the principal subsidiary of PNM Resources,
an energy holding company based in Albuquerque. PNM provides
electric utility service to 387,000 customers and natural
gas service to 450,000 customers in New Mexico. The company
also sells power on the wholesale market in the Western U.S.
PNM Resources stock is traded primarily on the NYSE under
the symbol PNM. For more information, see the company's Web
site at PNM.com.
Contact PNM |
About PNM |
PNM News
