Abbott Power Plant generates steam, electricity, and for some local girl scouts, memories from their tour of the one-of-a-kind facility.

Associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in the Grainger College of Engineering, Ashlynn Stillwell welcomed dozens to Abbott on a Saturday morning, and introduced the basic science behind the functions of Abbott, and the importance of safety on premises. Stillwell has led the way with ‘Girl Power’ since 2015.

Girl scouts toured the grounds around Abbott, as well as inside on the production floor, viewing boilers and turbines and endless pipes, pumps, and noise.

Russ Reynolds, Abbott utility operations, led some tours through Abbott, and Mike Brewer took other groups, allowing for greater learning opportunities from these experts.

Andrew Moore, operator-engineer foreperson, showed the scouts more impressive machinery: heavy equipment like a giant front-loader with wheels bigger than the kids themselves.

Part of the tour also included Grainger CEE undergrad and graduate students who showed the girl scouts how scientific theories become reality through a few simple experiments. At one table, a small light could be turned on with the right type of wiring and conditions, even through a test tube of water. Another used a sine wave signal generator to produce highly-precise vibrations to shape sand. One activity revealed how power and water are essential to modern living standards like showering or using a computer.