The PPG Foundation recently donated a combined $10,600 to the Oak Creek Franklin Joint School District in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to support a robotics competition team and the purchase of 3D printing equipment. The two grants were made on behalf of PPG’s local industrial coatings facility.

“We thank the PPG Foundation for helping our students experience engineering firsthand in a fun and engaging manner,” said Leo Alvarez, a teacher in the Oak Creek Franklin Joint School District. “For many, this is an opportunity to work alongside engineers and programmers.”

A PPG Foundation grant for $8,500 is supporting a new FIRST Robotics Competition team at the high school. The students are building and programing an industrial-sized robot and will compete against other high school students from around the region March 24 to 26 in Milwaukee.

The second grant for $2,100 helped fund the purchase of a 3D printer and scanner for sixth- through eighth-grade students. The equipment enables students to use the designs they create as part of the district’s Project Lead the Way pre-engineering curriculum to make actual parts.

“We believe it is important to expose students to real-world science and technology applications, and these two projects do so in a very engaging, hands-on manner,” said Jack Marshall, PPG plant manager at the Oak Creek facility. “PPG is very proud to support both.”