A $50,000 donation from Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) will generate matching funds for the ASCENT initiative at Florida State University Panama City, totaling $100,000 toward its mission to develop a high-tech workforce in the Panhandle.

ASCENT (Advancing Science and Career Education in New Technologies) is a 6-year, $23 million project partially funded by Triumph Gulf Coast Inc., designed to contribute to the development of a strong, regional workforce in cybersecurity and new technologies. The Triumph grant, part of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement, pledges $11.5 million in matching funds to money raised by or donated to ASCENT.

"We are honored to support ASCENT and Florida State University, as FPL has a personal stake in improving cybersecurity technology and security,” said J.T. Young, FPL vice president and general manager Northwest region. “At FPL, we believe in investing in STEM education and empowering the next generation of skilled workers. It's a privilege to be part of this educational journey for so many and witness the incredible accomplishments they will achieve. We are grateful for this partnership and the opportunity to make a positive impact on the local community.”

Key goals of ASCENT include increasing the interest and pipeline of students in engineering, computer science, information technology and cybersecurity fields through various K-12 initiatives; expanding FSU PC program offerings to include an undergraduate degree in Information Technology; and delivering non-credit customized training and testing to meet regional needs of community partners. For more information about ASCENT, visit pc.fsu.edu/ascent.

“The FPL donation is tremendously beneficial to us,” said Suzanne Remedies, Ph.D., ASCENT program manager. “FPL partnering with us expands the exposure and opportunities to these students, and it allows us to expand our outreach.” 

FPL will be the named sponsor of the second annual ASCENT Tech Expo, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 2 in the FSU PC Holley Academic Center, 4750 Collegiate Drive, Panama City. The all-ages event will include Minecraft scavenger hunts; rocket builds; an E-sports competition; technology and engineering demonstrations; performances by the FSU Electric Chamber Orchestra (ECHO); a presentation on creativity and ChatGPT; and much more, including food trucks on site. For more on the expo, visit teched.fsu.edu.

“We had more than 400 participants last year, and we anticipate 700 this year,” Remedies said. “It’s an all-day, family event. We want to show that there’s literally something for everyone in the field. It’s so vast, and it touches almost everybody.”