MORGANTOWN — Sixth graders at Mountaineer Middle School in Morgantown spent Tuesday morning learning how ecology, coding and energy infrastructure intersect, thanks to a hands-on classroom immersion led by the West Virginia STEAM Technical Assistance Center — and joined by West Virginia University President Michael T. Benson and EQT Foundation President Ellen Rossi.

The lesson, called Pipeline Pathfinders, is one of the STEAM TAC’s newest statewide immersions. Developed in partnership with EQT Corporation, the program uses mapping technology, GIS layer data, and Micro:Bit devices to teach students how real-world decisions are made about pipeline routes while weighing environmental impacts.

Rossi, whose foundation sponsored the immersion, said exposing students to STEM skills early is ess

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