A new partnership between ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and GlobalFoundries will expand science, technology and engineering initiatives for students across Vermont.
GlobalFoundries, a global tech firm with a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Essex Junction, is one of the state’s largest employers. ECHO, based in Burlington, already provides science education to more than 15,000 students and educators in Vermont each year. Together they’ll bring engaging STEM exhibits to students in rural areas, too.
Part of the goal is to connect with youths by hosting mobile STEM festivals and making classroom visits to elementary and middle school students. But this five-year collaboration will also improve ECHO’s ability to offer professional development for teachers. For example, the STEM Teacher Institute, a yearlong course, includes workshops and graduate-level classes for educators.
In a press release, ECHO executive director Ted Lawson wrote, “GF’s investment connects the dots between the wonder we cultivate on the Burlington waterfront and the high-tech careers being built just down the road.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “ECHO to Go”
This article appears in Kids VT Back to School • 2026.
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