A program that serves area students was recognized recently by the Minnesota Department of Education.

Project E3, a joint program serving students in Austin, Albert Lea, Hayfield, Lyle, and Southland was recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education as a Promising Integration Program. Project E3 is a conservation focused Science Technology Engineering Mathematics, or STEM, enrichment program for students in grades fourth-through-sixth who have shown the potential for high performance for with more enrichment and acceleration through in-depth and complex curriculum and instruction. Ninety students meet on eight Saturdays throughout the school year and 20 days during the summer.

Last year, students tackled topics such as “Who Polluted the Cedar River?,” which involved learning about the environment, mapping local watersheds, researching why the river is polluted and the effects the pollution has on local communities, designing systems to clean and filter water, and developing an action plan for improving water quality.

This year, students will take a look at “Whose Home Is It Anyways?” where they will examine the human impact on our environment and the effects our actions have on animal’s habitats around the world from the Arctic to the Amazon to Austin.