PHOTO PROVIDED A team from Centre County 4-H Robotics holds aloft a trophy after competing in a LEGO League.

STATE COLLEGE — A new Centre County-based nonprofit, CentreSTEM, Inc., has been established to support the rapid growth of youth robotics and STEM education programs across the region, building on more than a decade of success by the Centre County 4-H Robotics Club.

The Centre County 4-H Robotics Club (CC4H Robotics) is a county-wide STEM program operated through Penn State Extension 4-H and competes in elementary, middle school and high school divisions of FIRST Robotics. Over the past 10 years, the program has expanded from just one team to 14 teams, now serving more than 130 students from over 25 schools across the county.

That growth, however, has begun to outpace available space, equipment and volunteer resources.

The new nonprofit is designed to provide the infrastructure, facilities and expanded programming needed to support the next phase of growth for youth robotics and STEM education in Centre County.

CentreSTEM, Inc. was founded by three lead mentors from the CC4H Robotics program to help meet this increasing demand and to ensure that more students have access to hands-on, high-quality STEM learning opportunities.

“We’ve seen firsthand how robotics and hands-on STEM education can transform students’ confidence, problem-solving skills and career aspirations,” said Bill Jester, of CentreSTEM. “CentreSTEM was created to give these programs room to grow and to open the door for even more students across Centre County and beyond.”

Looking ahead, CentreSTEM envisions developing a larger, dedicated facility equipped with updated technology that would serve as a permanent home base for FIRST Robotics teams, while also functioning as a regional hub for official robotics competitions. In addition, CentreSTEM plans to offer expanded K-12 STEM education programs in areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity.

CentreSTEM, Inc. is currently in the early stages of development and is engaging with community partners, educators and supporters to help shape its next steps. Once established, the organization aims to become a pivotal extracurricular STEM education resource for Centre County, supporting students from elementary through high school and helping position the region as a leader in youth technology education.

To showcase the important STEM education opportunities available for Centre County youth in robotics and STEM through CentreSTEM, the nonprofit is hosting a CBICC Business-After-Hours event on Feb. 26.

From 5-5:30 p.m. at CC4-H, 2820 E. College Ave., guests can watch grades 4-12 students design and program competition robots while signing in and picking up drink tickets for Happy Valley Live.

From 6-7 p.m. at Happy Valley Live, 1031 E. College Ave., attendees can connect with fellow business leaders over drinks and refreshments and learn more about how companies can support local STEM initiatives and workforce development.

The CBICC event requires pre-registration at cbicc.org.

CentreSTEM is located at 1437 Park Lane, State College.

You can learn more about the organization at www.centrestem.org/ or www.cc4hrobotics.org/.