Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer today announced a $3.25 million philanthropic gift to Columbia Basin College (CBC) to establish the Community STEM Learning Center on the college’s campus in Pasco, Washington. This marks the largest donation Battelle has made in the Tri-Cities area throughout its 60-year history managing Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy.

“This gift aligns closely with Battelle’s mission to leverage science and technology for the betterment of society,” said Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle. “The partnerships established through this Community STEM Learning Center will build on CBC’s whole-family engagement model to meet the community’s needs and encourage students to pursue the essential STEM careers of tomorrow.”

Since 1965, Battelle has operated PNNL with a focus on delivering impactful scientific and technological outcomes coupled with its foundational commitment to advance STEM education and support local arts, health and human services, and civic programs through philanthropic giving and volunteerism.

The new center will be designed to engage students, families, educators, and the broader community in hands-on STEM experiences. Funds will be used in part to refurbish an existing, underutilized building on CBC’s campus to house the center and create new programs and immersive experiences.

“At CBC, we believe in educational access to everyone,” said Rebekah Woods, president of Columbia Basin College. “We know that hands-on STEM experiences are vital to students, our community, and educators to build the skills and experiences to prepare them to take on future scientific challenges. We are honored to partner alongside Battelle to create the STEM Community Learning Center at CBC.”

During its tenure managing PNNL, Battelle has donated $33.7 million in philanthropic investments to support community organizations in addition to 267,000 hours of volunteer hours from staff at PNNL over the last decade.

“It’s terrific to see Battelle invest in the Tri-Cities—the community where so many of our staff members live and work,” said Steven Ashby, Battelle senior vice president and director of PNNL. “This gift shows a commitment to the community and to inspiring the innovators of the future.”

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities, and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.

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