Day 2 - Tuesday May 19th

Day two of the 2026 STEMNetX Fellowship Boot Camp featured two parallel STEM experiences before the cohort came back together for the evening. One group of fellows visited the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), where they explored advanced energy research, cutting-edge technologies, and real-world applications shaping the future of the energy sector.

A second group traveled to Pittsburgh for a behind-the-scenes tour of a major bridge construction project near Frick Park with HDR engineer Eric Liebmann. Fellows learned about infrastructure design and construction and had the unique opportunity to view the replacement bridge up close. Following the tour, the group visited Innovation Works for an entrepreneurship workshop with Startable and toured the Robotics Factory with Jenny Sharpe of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, gaining insight into startup development, technology commercialization, and the region's growing robotics ecosystem.

The cohort reconvened in the evening for a quantum computing workshop led by Dr. Cory Christenson, Associate Professor and Chair of Physics at Washington & Jefferson College. Using IBM Quantum Composer, fellows explored the fundamentals of quantum computing, including qubits, quantum gates, and basic quantum circuits.