Greene County becomes model for scientific programs
WAYNESBURG – A Pittsburgh-based scientific analysis, consulting, and development firm announced Wednesday that they will soon be bringing their education platform – which has experienced success in two Greene County schools – to a national level through a partnership with a university in Northwest Missouri. Representatives from Northwest Missouri State University (NMSU) and the Northwest Missouri Regional Economic Development Office visited Greene County Wednesday to gain additional information about several education-based initiatives that RJ Lee Group (RJLG) had previously implemented in the West Greene School District and at Waynesburg University.
The delegates also met with the company and various local and state dignitaries to learn more about RJ Lee Group’s success in developing business and education partnerships through these local programs.
“The initiatives [that are running] through Waynesburg University and the West Greene School District have provided exceptional educational and business opportunities to their students,” said Glenn Harmon, a vice president of RJLG. “Our goal was to successfully cultivate relationships with government officials and the Waynesburg University community to achieve student development goals not attainable by the individual entities alone.”
RJLG’s education platform focuses on improved curriculum, hands-on microscopy and web-based learning for students on both the high school and collegiate levels who want to pursue degrees and careers in the areas of science and technology, Harmon added.
RJLG has provided financial and technical support for a microscopy center at West Greene High School as well as for a criminal forensics center at Waynesburg University.
In 1999, RJLG received a grant from Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to expand an initiative called the Schoolhouse Project in the West Greene School District.
Initially, the company was able to use funding to procure a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for the high school, which eventually helped to establish a science and microscopy center in the district’s middle and high schools. Over the years, RJLG also provided additional laboratory equipment – such as an optical microscope, a sample preparation area and a series of computers – as well as training and new curricula based on microscope simulation.
RJLG continues its ongoing partnership with the school district by maintaining equipment and assisting teachers in the potential development of new classes, according to RJLG project manager Brad Henderson.
The successful partnership with West Greene School District opened the doors for RJLG to forge a working relationship with Waynesburg University. The initial interaction with RJLG began with the university’s WebSEM project, which trained science and education instructors in the use of a scanning electron microscope at remote locations via the Internet.
As a result of the successful partnership in this initiative, a state-of-the-art criminal forensic laboratory was introduced at the university’s newly constructed Center for Research and Economic Development. The laboratory is available both for instruction in the curricular program and for commercial applications as well.
RJLG works with the university to supervise and maintain the instrumentation in the lab. The lab is utilized by a large number of different classes and majors and features many types of hi-tech forensics equipment, including a SEM, a polarized light microscope, a stereoscope and a Raman spectroscopy microscope.
After touring the forensics lab at Waynesburg University, representatives from the Northwest Missouri university said they were impressed with the center and with RJLG’s partnership ventures in Greene County.
“Northwest Missouri State University is constructing a Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on our campus, and as part of that effort we are looking at models where other universities have partnered with private businesses for their mutual benefit,” said Joe Cornelison, General Counsel and Chief of Staff to the President at NMSU. “Having visited [Waynesburg University’s center], we are impressed with the partnerships it has created and the opportunities it presents for economic development. We are looking forward to reviewing the best practices we have observed here and seeing how we can apply them to our own initiative.”
RJLG’s education platform was rolled out once before to the Center for Laboratory Science (CLS) in Pasco, Washington, at Columbia Basin College. CLS offers education to employment opportunities for students of CBC who are interested in pursing careers in medical, technology and science fields. Students are trained in a hands-on environment normally not available until graduate school.
“With RJLG’s track record in Pasco and Waynesburg, we believe it’s time to expand this venture,” said RJLG President Dr. Richard Lee in a press release. “Our program not only fosters innovation and interest in science, it also encourages local students to utilize their skills to generate business and revenue for their communities.”
First established in 1980, RJLG now has operations in various areas around the United States, including a 20,000-square-foot facility at EverGreene Technology Park in Franklin Township.
RJLG is an environmental and materials characterization company that specializes in various services, including software development, material analysis, and technical and environmental consultation.