Rust Belt to the Smart Belt: Innovation summit comes to Franklin

​“Real quick story,” Tim Heffernan said to the crowd gathered at the Innovations Institute for Tomorrow late last month.

​It was the final night of a series of community conversations the program held as a lead-up to their PA Rural STEM Innovation Summit on June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a workshop for teachers, guidance counselors and administration from IU5 & IU6 and June 13 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a STEM Design Studio for local business and community leaders.

While Heffernan can fill a whole night with “quick stories” related to STEM education, the best is how far the group has come so fast. 

​Started in 2018, Heffernan assembled a board with the same vision for the area—change the Rust Belt to the Smart Belt by teaching children how to use cutting-edge technology in a way that pairs fun with learning. ​​

Early efforts focus on the Pennsylvania Rural Robotics Initiative and VEX competitions as well as a drone program.

“It’s really turned into an amazing opportunity for our kids,” Heffernan said.

He credits a lot of that success to the partnerships the Institute has created during its brief existence. 

“We got the most amazing partnerships you could ever imagine,” he said.

​Among the partners is the Immediate Unit 6, Carnegie Mellon University, the Venango County Commissioners, and the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce.

In 2022, the institute was looking for a place where it could put down permanent roots and grow. About that same time, the chamber was informed the Masons would be moving out of their upstairs space. It did not take long to match the two needs. 

Since moving it, the institute was transformed the second floor into a training space for students and teachers and continues to add to its repertoire.

They painted a specialty computer room, updated the first flight of steps, created a virtual reality learning area, and put in new electric and computer network capabilities. 
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This has allowed them to create a space for 10 E-sport computers. Soon kids and teachers will be able to use the space to play games while learning about the industry as well as coding. 

Most recently they started an overhaul of a room on the third floor that will eventually become a media lab for recording training videos and other topics related to the Institute’s purpose of making STEM education available for all kids.

“I want to create a YMCA for geeks,” Heffernan said. That means offering kids a way to get technology training from several perspectives and through an ever-growing list of cooperative efforts. “It’s all about the relationships, and we’ve built the relationships,” he said. The goal of the upcoming summit is to build those relationships even stronger. And to do that, Heffernan and his team needed to hear directly from their audience of parents, educators, non-profits and area industry leaders.

He asked attendees to think about a series of questions and give feedback as they went around the room. “Collectively as a group, what can happen and what needs to happen?”
That information will help shape the topics covered during the summit, which   is co-sponsored by Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute Summer Scholars. 
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Just as the institute has grown its free school cooperatives to more than 65 across the region, they are ready to grow their industry relationships toward the ultimate goal of supporting Franklin and Venango County—attracting businesses, employers and residents, and giving youth the ability to have careers in technology in their hometown.
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“It’s really turned into an amazing opportunity for our kids,” Heffernan said.
To learn out more about the summit contact Heffernan at 814-673-5072 or [email protected].

Editor's note: This story was originally published in the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce newsletter and written by Jill Harry.