DAVIDSON, N.C. — Trane, a global provider of indoor comfort solutions and services, collaborated this week with ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and the Coulee Subsection of IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) to encourage La Crosse, Wisconsin, students to consider careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Nearly 250 eighth grade students from 11 local middle schools visited Trane’s La Crosse facility this week, taking part in a competitive activity in which they designed a LEGO® vehicle and provided detailed instructions to human “robots” to recreate it. Volunteers from Dairyland Power Cooperative, Michaels Energy, and HSR Associates acted as the human robots, and provided supplies and planning support for the event.

Students also toured the Trane laboratory and acoustics facility, learning about various career opportunities within the STEM fields, and experienced firsthand the engineering and programming opportunities in the HVAC industry.

“This was a perfect opportunity to share the exciting world of engineering and other STEM fields with young students when they’re old enough to be considering careers, but still young enough to be making choices for their high school coursework,” said Kristin Sullivan, compressor design team leader for Trane. “These students may become the scientists and engineers who solve the climate and sustainability challenges of our future, and it was a great experience to see how enthusiastic these students were to learn more and get involved.”

“I liked learning how taking just one piece out of a sound can make a big difference to how people perceive the sound,” said Brynn Burr, Mount Calvary-Grace Lutheran School student.

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