--- title: "Back to School: Bringing Real-World Carbon Removal Into the Classroom" date: "2026-08-26 00:00" authors: "Alison Kelman (Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager)" topic: "Company" url: "https://charm-industrial.vercel.app/blog/back-to-school-carbon-removal-classroom" excerpt: "As students across the country head back to school, 55 teachers from STEM Lab - Adams 12 Five Star Schools started their own school year by stepping outside the classroom — and into the world of carbon removal. Ahead of the 2026–2027 school year, Charm welcomed K–8 teachers from STEM Lab at Adams 12 Five Star Schools for a professional development field experience at our Colorado operations. The goal was to give educators a firsthand look at the science, engineering, research, and problem solving behind carbon removal — and help them connect what happens in their classrooms with the skills students may one day use in the workforce. For STEM Lab Faculty Coordinator Liz English, that connection is particularly important." image: "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1019545/640x480/bb35d1bc62/stem-lab.JPG" --- # Back to School: Bringing Real-World Carbon Removal Into the Classroom ***STEM Lab educators from Adams 12 Five Star Schools visit Charm's Colorado operations ahead of the 2026–2027 school year.*** As students across the country head back to school, 55  teachers from [STEM Lab - Adams 12 Five Star Schools](https://stem.adams12.org/) started their own school year by stepping outside the classroom — and into the world of carbon removal. Ahead of the 2026–2027 school year, Charm welcomed K–8 teachers from STEM Lab at Adams 12 Five Star Schools for a professional development field experience at our Colorado operations. The goal was to give educators a firsthand look at the science, engineering, research, and problem solving behind carbon removal — and help them connect what happens in their classrooms with the skills students may one day use in the workforce. For STEM Lab Faculty Coordinator Liz English, that connection is particularly important. “For teachers to see what they are doing in the classroom has space in the real world inspires them and reminds them that the work they are doing is important and authentic,” English said. “It excites them about learning new things.” ## **Learning by Solving Real Problems** STEM Lab uses a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model, where students explore real-world problems and develop potential solutions. Rather than treating subjects like engineering, computer science, environmental science, and other disciplines as isolated areas of study, PBL encourages students to understand how they intersect. It’s an approach with a lot in common with the work happening every day at Charm. “What excites me about Charm is that you are looking at a problem and coming up with a unique solution that involves multiple stakeholders,” English said. “These problems are complex and intersected; we want kids to have experiences outside of standard silos.” During their visit, teachers learned how Charm converts woody biomass and residues into bio-oil through pyrolysis and uses idle and orphan wells for permanent underground carbon storage. ***STEM Lab teachers got a firsthand look at the products and processes behind Charm's carbon removal pathway.*** Charm Chief Development Officer Vince Green introduced the group to Charm’s carbon removal pathway and the role different technologies, teams, and stakeholders play in bringing it to life. From there, teachers went deeper. ***Teachers toured Charm's operations and had the opportunity to ask questions directly of the scientists and engineers working on Charm's carbon removal technology.*** Principal Scientist Brian Jamieson led a mini-lecture on biochar before Lead Pyrolysis Engineer Reed Farber and Senior Pyrolysis Process Engineer Jessica Brown took the group through Charm’s pyrolysis operations. The visit concluded in Charm’s new research lab with Lead Analytics Scientist Steven Rowland, giving teachers another look at the research, testing, and iteration behind developing new carbon removal technology. There were plenty of questions along the way. In fact, the tour lasted  45 minutes longer than planned as teachers continued asking questions and engaging with Charm’s team. ## **From the Lab to the Classroom** For educators preparing students for careers that may look very different from those of previous generations, seeing research and engineering in progress was part of the value. Charm is still researching, prototyping, testing, and improving its technology. Teachers weren't simply seeing a polished end product; they were seeing what the process of solving a difficult problem can actually look like. That mirrors what STEM Lab asks of its students through Problem-Based Learning: identify a problem, ask questions, collaborate across disciplines, test ideas, learn from what happens, and continue working toward a solution. As English put it, Charm was “an incredible example of innovation, engineering, and entrepreneurship working together to solve one of today's biggest environmental challenges.” The visit also gave teachers a tangible example of how sustainability, engineering, research, and career-connected learning can converge. Climate challenges don't fit neatly within the boundaries of a single school subject, and neither do their solutions. Through PBL, English said, students have an opportunity to “experience the world as interconnected” through convergence or transdisciplinary learning. ## **Inspiring the People Who Inspire the Next Generation** Perhaps the most important part of the day wasn't a particular machine, lab, or presentation. It was the people behind them. “It was great to see how passionate your employees were and excited about the work,” English said. “That energy rejuvenates our teachers and helps them better prepare our students for the world after school.” That enthusiasm went both ways. Welcoming 55 curious educators — and answering enough questions to send the tour nearly 45 minutes overtime — was a reminder of why opportunities to connect our work with the broader community matter. Those teachers are now heading back into K–8 classrooms where students will spend the year asking questions, building things, experimenting, collaborating, and learning how to approach problems without obvious answers. Some of the technologies and careers those students will encounter as adults may not even exist yet. But the skills required to build them are already being taught. As another school year begins, we're grateful to the STEM Lab educators who spent part of their own back-to-school experience learning alongside us — and who will take that curiosity back to the next generation of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and problem solvers.