A group of young people gathered in a large room above the Franklin Chamber of Commerce back in May to fly a few drones around obstacle courses mostly made up of blow-up dinosaurs. The youngsters were having fun but also learning. A small bit about coding and uses for robotics and drones in the future was the goal of this Remake Learning night.
The space they were in once housed the Franklin Masons, a fraternal organization that recently moved out when they merged with the Oil City chapter.
The space they were in once housed the Franklin Masons, a fraternal organization that recently moved out when they merged with the Oil City chapter.
 This story first appeared in the Titusville Herald, published this morning. Great community partnerships are the future of local journalism. |  |  |
That night turned out to be a testing ground to see if the space could be used for the Innovation Institute For Tomorrow, a project of the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative.
In 2021 the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative thought it found its new home in a historic building with good bones that just needed some TLC. The Franklin, an old hotel and event venue, had sat vacant for a few years but had just found a new owner looking for saving the building and an investment into the future.
Tim Heffernan's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative seemed like just the right kind of future the historic building needed, at least to its new owner and Heffernan.
Well, not all dreams come true.
After some extensive roofing repairs, the project kept evolving and at one point, as Heffernan stood in a trout fishing stream, he got a phone call that the building had been put back on the market.
What may have seemed like a devastating roadblock to his endeavor may have been a blessing in disguise. Around this same time a few blocks away the Franklin Masonic Lodge that occupied the upper floors above the Franklin Chamber of Commerce was moving out as they consolidated with the Oil City lodge.
Tim Heffernan's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative seemed like just the right kind of future the historic building needed, at least to its new owner and Heffernan.
Well, not all dreams come true.
After some extensive roofing repairs, the project kept evolving and at one point, as Heffernan stood in a trout fishing stream, he got a phone call that the building had been put back on the market.
What may have seemed like a devastating roadblock to his endeavor may have been a blessing in disguise. Around this same time a few blocks away the Franklin Masonic Lodge that occupied the upper floors above the Franklin Chamber of Commerce was moving out as they consolidated with the Oil City lodge.
Jodi Baker Lewis, the chamber’s director, is a long-time supporter of the robotics initiative. The Franklin Chamber owns the building and they needed a new tenant. The institute had its plans change suddenly and they needed a new home.
Coincidence? Fate?
Heffernan and his board began looking at these two floors that once held the secret society of Freemasons rituals as the possible future for their initiative. It has large ballroom-sized rooms, storage, kitchens and bathrooms - just about everything it needs to get up and running.
“I think it might even have more space than The Franklin,” Heffernan said. Certainly better overall space to suit the institute's eventual needs.
Coincidence? Fate?
Heffernan and his board began looking at these two floors that once held the secret society of Freemasons rituals as the possible future for their initiative. It has large ballroom-sized rooms, storage, kitchens and bathrooms - just about everything it needs to get up and running.
“I think it might even have more space than The Franklin,” Heffernan said. Certainly better overall space to suit the institute's eventual needs.
What Heffernan, a former Franklin High school history and STEM teacher, is trying to establish is a space where kids interested in robotics, drones, information technology and coding can come after school and during the summer to work on advancing their skills while learning valuable information that will help them gain a career in the future. He knows that this location can be utilized by local schools especially those within driving distance, including all of Venango County, much of Clarion and Forest counties and Titusville area kids.
“If we can eliminate the barriers preventing kids from learning, we can really do some great things,” he said. Barriers in rural areas such as Venango and eastern Crawford County are access to the equipment and technology needed for bright kids to learn at a higher level.
“If we can eliminate the barriers preventing kids from learning, we can really do some great things,” he said. Barriers in rural areas such as Venango and eastern Crawford County are access to the equipment and technology needed for bright kids to learn at a higher level.
STEM is offered in many schools and the PA Rural Robotics Initiative has been working with eight counties and over 25 school districts to get the schools supplies and education for both students and educators. Pennsylvania Robotics has already obtained several PAsmart grants that have brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to these schools.
This new home for the Institute will help advance these programs and enable Heffernan to utilize even more resources including strong relationships with big technology heavy-hitters like Carnegie Mellon University and the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, who are taking a strong interest in what Heffernan is doing.
This new home for the Institute will help advance these programs and enable Heffernan to utilize even more resources including strong relationships with big technology heavy-hitters like Carnegie Mellon University and the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, who are taking a strong interest in what Heffernan is doing.
There will be enough space for many workshops and conferences. Hefferenan said that they are looking into all the improvements the space will need down the road but says other than some fresh paint, a rug or two and figuring the level of wi-fi and connectivity they will need, he sees the space being active by the end of the summer and growing throughout the year with further improvements.
One major improvement has already been implemented, the hiring of a full-time program manager. Steve Cutchall, who has been actively helping out, will handle a lot of the programming needs allowing Heffernan to spend more time developing relationships and bringing other opportunities to the local students.
The initiative reaches thousands of kids through the schools, but Heffernan and Cutchall are hoping they can reach more and really focus this help on the students that need it the most and who don’t always have the resources or ability to get to the resources they need. This won't change what they are doing in the schools but add another layer to what the institute and the rural robotics initiative offer
They are planning a regional STEM summit to bring further resources to the area starting in the fall if all goes well. They want to have directed workshops and after-school activities for kids. Heffernan is hoping that having the institute open and available from 4 to 8 p.m. during the school year will really benefit these technology-oriented kids. And they have many summer program plans as well for the future.
They are planning a regional STEM summit to bring further resources to the area starting in the fall if all goes well. They want to have directed workshops and after-school activities for kids. Heffernan is hoping that having the institute open and available from 4 to 8 p.m. during the school year will really benefit these technology-oriented kids. And they have many summer program plans as well for the future.
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