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• LEC Teachers Seminar

LEC Teachers Seminar

The Lignite Energy Councill is conducting a teacher seminar on June 18-21, 2012 for 130 elementary and secondary teachers from Minnesota,  Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota.  This seminar will take place inside the National Energy Center of Excellence on the campus of Bismarck State College, Bismarck, ND, 

The seminar is designed to provide teachers with a broader understanding of the lignite coal industry.  This seminar will provide teachers with the information and educational materials they need to teach their students about how lignite is mined and used to produce electricity for homes, farms and businesses in the Upper Midwest. In addition, the seminar covers lignite's economic impact on the region, as well as environmental issues affecting the lignite industry.  It also includes a tour of a lignite mine, a lignite-based power plant, the Great Plains Synfuels Plant.

Jeremy Woeste, Basin Electric employee, urges teachers in the region to attend this valuable seminar. “The cost of the seminar and associated travel expenses will be paid by Basin Electric Power Cooperative for teachers from South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana,” he says.  The Lignite Energy Council is providing sponsorships for North Dakota teachers who want to attend the seminar.

Started in 1986, and now in its 27th year, Woeste says more than 2,800 teachers have attended the Lignite Energy Council’s teacher education seminar.  The seminar was totally revamped in 2009 and made into a two-credit class which spans four days.  You can also receive credit from the University of North Dakota (economics), North Dakota State University (education), or Minot State University (science). This means that teachers who took the class when it was a one-credit course can take it again if they need a refresher as a lot of new information has been added.

Teachers who are selected to attend the seminar will be required to send in a $60.00 deposit to hold their place.  The deposit will be returned to the participant upon checking-in on the first day of the seminar.

Registration Information:   

Registration information for teachers from South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana is available in the “Register online” section of Basin Electric’s Web site on the Teacher Registration page. Teachers can find more information on the Lignite Energy Council’s website, http://www.lignite.com/?id=38. Teachers selected to attend the seminar will be required to send in a $60 deposit to hold their place, which will be returned to them when checking in on the first day of the seminar.

For further information or to register contact Jeremy Woeste at 1717 E. Interstate Ave., Bismarck, ND 58503. You may also call him at 1-800-242-2372 or e-mail him at JWoeste@bepc.com.

AGENDA: Click here to download agenda.

Sponsors:

The teacher education seminar is sponsored by the Lignite Energy Council, in cooperation with Bismarck State College, The Center for Economic Education at the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University and Minot State University.

Speakers & Tours:

During the seminar, teachers hear presentations by educators, researchers and lignite industry representatives. One day is devoted to touring mining operations, reclamation sites and coal conversion facilities.  Participants will tour a lignite mine, a power plant fueled by lignite, and the Great Plains Synfuels Plant. The Synfuels Plant converts coal into synthetic natural gas and other valuable byproducts.  Question and answer sessions in the classroom and on the tour give teachers the opportunity to find out what they need to know for their individual classroom needs.

Graduate Credit:

Two graduate credits are available through the Center for Economic Education at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND or Minot State University, Minot, ND. To receive the credits, teachers must attend all portions of the seminar and prepare lesson plans demonstrating how they will use the seminar information and materials in their classrooms.

Materials Available:

Teachers attending the seminar will receive lecture outlines on each presentation, examples of lesson plans, classroom exercises, coal and ash samples, audiovisual materials, and information on the facilities they tour. In addition, they also receive resource guides listing publications and audiovisual materials available for energy education.

Lodging, Meals & Transportation:

Free lodging is provided in a Bismarck State College dormitory (two people per room). Meals will be provided. Also, transportation will be provided by the Lignite Energy Council for the tour of a mine, power plant and the Great Plains Synfuels Plant.