On today’s episode of The Confluence:
Shell’s ethane cracker plant in Beaver County begins operations
(0:00 - 6:05)
Shell’s ethane cracker plant in Beaver County is now in operation after a decade of planning including five years of construction.
The $6 billion plant will produce plastics by taking ethane, a component of natural gas, from fracking operations across the region. The main product will be pellets of polyethylene.
Reid Frazier, an energy reporter with the Allegheny Front, says the plant will produce 3.5 billion pounds of the tiny plastic pellets.
“At peak construction, there were 8,500 workers, according to Shell, many of them unionized union labor,” says Frazier of the economic impact. “But, you know, there have been sort of counter studies by a progressive group called the Ohio River Valley Institute that showed that while the county's economic output and wages grew, the county still lost population.”
Frazier says that Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection will require the plant to perform periodic air monitoring and report emergencies and malfunctions, and he expects the plant to be in full operation in the next 12 months.
Lead designer of expanding the Tree of Life synagogue is speaking today in Pittsburgh
(6:14 - 15:23)
Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind is an international figure in architecture and urban design. Known for memorializing historical trauma, his first building opened in Germany 1998, and since then, he’s designed buildings around the globe.
Pittsburgh will soon be home to his latest project as he serves as the lead designer for the renewed Tree of Life synagogue.
Libeskind says as a Jew and immigrant himself, he was deeply drawn to the project.
“When you approach a site, you have to connect to the deep memory of a particular site. In this case in Pittsburgh, we have to really get in touch with the community, with, you know, the neighborhood in which the Tree of Life is standing,” says Libeskind. “One has to really get deeper into what it really means to rebuild, renovate, transform this space in an inspiring way for the programs of tomorrow.”
Libeskind is giving a talk at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture this evening. A recording of the event will be released at a later date.
Keystone Oaks high school teacher receives Horace Mann Award
(15:26 - 22:30)
The Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence, presented by the NEA Foundation, recognizes educators who go above and beyond within and outside the classroom. Kevin Gallagher, a math and computer science teacher at Keystone Oaks High School, was recently named as one of the five educators across the country to receive this award.
For the past 26 years, Gallagher has been working to improve the district’s curriculum while also working to bring more diversity and inclusion in computer science courses. One thing he’s done is remove prerequisite classes from computer science classes, which barred some students from participating.
“One of the things I've done is work with my administration to try to remove those barriers [to courses],” says Gallagher. “You know, in some schools… They need those prerequisites in place. But in our school, you know, I saw an opportunity for us to remove those prerequisites… And now every student in the school has an opportunity to take computer science.”
Gallagher says one thing he’s most enjoyed about teaching is the immediate gratification from seeing students understand and master concepts and get results.
Gallagher, along with the other honorees, will receive $10,000 and will be featured in a short documentary video that will premiere at the NEA Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education Gala next May.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
