MMI awarded $500 ExxonMobil grant to enhance its science and technology departments

MMI Preparatory School received a $500 grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation that will be used toward the purchase an X-Carve machine for the school’s science department. Liberty Petroleum Distributors nominated the school for the grant.

The X-Carve is a multi-axis milling machine that can automatically carve very detailed pieces from a variety of materials, including wood, plastic, acrylic, and aluminum. Michael Mele, MMI Science Department chair, said many students will have an opportunity to use the device.

“The X-Carve will be used mostly in our engineering and robotics classes but it will also serve students with an array of Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science projects as well,” Mele said.

Since the program’s inception in 2011, MMI has received more than $5,500 in ExxonMobil grant money through Liberty Petroleum Distributors. The funds helped the school purchase several items for its math, science, and technology departments, including a digital incubator and a form scanner and associated software for the school’s 3D printer, and complete a collaborative project between the Marine Biology and Robotics classes where students worked toward building Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs).

The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The foundation has a strategic focus supporting education with an emphasis on math and science, promoting women as catalysts for economic development, and ending deaths from malaria. According to its corporate website, the ExxonMobil Foundation focuses on math and science education because they are the universal languages of the global workplace and critical tools for success in today’s high-tech world.

Liberty Petroleum Distributors and its affiliates are now involved in the operations of more than 22 retail travel centers, gas stations, and quick-service restaurants. Today, Liberty Petroleum Distributors also provides travelers with comfortable and affordable hotel accommodations. On the petroleum end, the company provides retail and wholesale distribution of Exxon, Mobil, and Sunoco branded petroleum products to transportation companies, travel plazas, and gas stations. Its retail services include operating numerous convenience stores, as well as Subway, Burger King, and Tim Horton’s restaurants and tobacco stores throughout Pennsylvania.