A $20,000 gift from Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), with additional funding totaling $50,000 over three years, will support the cooperative engineering program in mechanical engineering launched in 2019 by Missouri S&T and Missouri State University. “AECI’s generous gift will help open the door to engineering for more students in southwest Missouri while supporting workforce development for future professionals across the state,” says Richard Wlezien, S&T’s vice provost and dean of engineering and computing. Springfield-based AECI provides electricity to approximately 910,000 homes, farms and businesses through 51 local electric cooperatives in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma. Read more about AECI’s partnership.