Enrollment opens for annual lignite education seminar

Registration is now open for the Lignite Energy Council’s 35th Annual Lignite Education Seminar: Energy, Economics and Environment. The four-day seminar gives elementary, middle and high school teachers in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana and Iowa a first-hand look at North Dakota’s fifth largest industry – lignite mining and related energy production. The seminar will be held June 8 – 11, 2020, at Bismarck State College’s National Energy Center of Excellence, Bismarck, N.D.

Teachers playing “Lignite Jeopardy” at last year’s Education Seminar.

“School administrators and teachers from all grades and subject levels should apply before April 17, 2020, but the earlier the better as the seminar does fill up fast,” said Kay LaCoe, Lignite Energy Council director of membership marketing. “This year’s seminar will have a greater focus on the future of the industry, including such things as electric vehicles and new markets to add value to the state’s vast lignite reserves.”

LaCoe said the seminar’s popularity with teachers stems from the variety of presenters and tours of the lignite mines and power plants. Also, the Lignite Energy Council pays for two professional development graduate credits if the teachers attend and complete a lesson plan.

Teachers who attend and complete a lesson plan can choose from one of three North Dakota institutions from which to receive their graduate credits: University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University and Minot State University.

The seminar provides instruction on history, geology, land reclamation, environmental protection, and economics of the lignite industry, the need for more workers, energy conservation, and transmission. Besides the classroom instruction and the tours, teachers will take-home handouts, videos, coal samples and activities that can be used in the classroom.

The online application for all teachers is available at http://www.lignite.com/teachers.