Linking Alaska’s Resources to Alaska’s People 42 2024 Meet Alaska Conference & Trade Show Alaska Resource Education builds on its success “Where does electricity come from,” a father asks his son. “Out of the wall, Dad.” There are endless variations of this, including the one that milk comes from the store. No mention of the cow. It’s anecdotes like these that inspired Alaska’s resource industries to get busy in education in the early 1980s. The aim was to help teachers in classrooms teach about how things work, what they are made of, and where they come from. This culminated in forming of Alaska Resource Education, a nonprofit, in 1982. Today, a small staff of dedicated professionals are working in hundreds of classrooms across the state, providing backup and information materials to teachers who are increasingly hardpressed. “Young minds are Alaska’s greatest resource, and it’s our job to spark an interest and fuel passion through education,” says Ella Ede, ARE’s executive director. During the past five years, classes were taught in 53 communities, reaching 41,925 students Also, 452 teachers received training. “Our curriculum and tactile lessons are continually expanded to incorporate the latest innovations,” Ede said. “From energy that is produced by oil, gas, and coal to the amount of minerals we need to ARE: Sparking passion for the future of energy CONTINUED on PAGE 44
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