Published: March 29, 2021
Public Service Company of Oklahoma, a unit of American Electric Power, has awarded a $2,250 grant to the Tri County Tech Foundation’s FIRST FRC robotics team.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multi-national robotics competition that teams professionals and high school students to solve an engineering problem in an intense and competitive way. FIRST competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events demonstrating participants’ success in brainstorming, teamwork, and meeting deadlines.
“AEP-PSO’s donation helps students develop real-world skills in science, engineering, technology, computer programming, and teamwork. This generous gift will allow more students to become empowered to realize their potential. Thank you, AEP/PSO.”
Dr. Tammie Strobel | Deputy Superintendent of Tri County Tech
AEP’s FIRST robotics grant initiative awards $200,000 annually across AEP’s 11-state service territory and is one of several companywide programs to support Pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education with an emphasis on science, math, engineering, and technology (STEM) education and careers.
“AEP (or operating unit) is critically aware of the need for strong STEM education programs. We are proud to help students and leaders of the Tri County Tech robotics team as they pursue firsthand experiences in science and technology and explore career opportunities.”
Michael Gordon | External Affairs Manager at AEP PSO
AEP awarded funding to 152 FIRST robotics teams for the 2021-22 competitive season. More information on all the FIRST robotics programs can be found at www.firstinspires.org. Research shows that students who participate in FIRST are 80 percent more interested in jobs that use STEM and four times more likely to pursue a career in engineering. Almost one-third of girls in FIRST continue on to a major in engineering. For more on careers in energy, visit GetIntoEnergy.com.
“PSO has been a great partner from the beginning of our FIRST Robotics program in 2007. They have always generously given to help support our students in learning and experiencing the design process of building a robot. PSO helps future engineers work with mentors and gets students better prepared for the engineering field of study.”
Kendall Baker | Pre-Engineering Instructor at Tri County Tech
About PSO
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power, is an electric utility company serving more than 562,000 customer accounts in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma. Based in Tulsa, PSO has approximately 3,800 megawatts of generating capacity fueled primarily by natural gas, 22-thousand miles of distribution lines, and 37-hundred miles of transmission lines. PSO also is one of the largest distributors of wind energy in the state. News releases and other information is at
PSOklahoma.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @PSOklahoma.
