PG&E Charitable Donation in Calistoga Comes Full Circle

By Megan McFarland

Calistoga is well known for both its vineyards and high summer temperatures that have started to climb into the triple digits over the past few years. That’s why it’s no surprise that a new personal cooling technology that stands to benefit first responders, as well as agricultural workers, is in the early stages of development from a group within this community. Perhaps what’s even more surprising is that it’s a group of students from Calistoga High School driving this innovation.

This new technology is now headed to a country-wide MIT competition that recognizes STEM inventions that are designed to solve community challenges. In June, 32 students and their chaperones will head to Boston to compete, thanks in part to a donation from The PG&E Corporation that helped close the funding gap for their trip.

It all started with Heather Brooks, the teacher of the junior Physics class. Back in 2012, Heather was the recipient of a PG&E Bright Ideas grant that funded a class in Physics and Chemistry of Alternative Energy. As part of this class, her students participated in multiple California engineering competitions, with two groups of students taking home awards. Many of those students remained with Heather and are part of the group competing at MIT in June. Most of the participating students are first-generation college-bound students.

As part of the trip fundraising efforts, Heather reached out to PG&E to see about the availability of grants and expressed gratitude to the company for their support back in the day.

“I feel incredibly proud to share with you that it was your PG&E seed money back in 2012 that started this journey for my Alternative Energy classes, followed by the Pathway Program, which then turned into the class heading to MIT. PG&E is a part of my story!”

Coworkers from Government Relations and Community Relations learned of the request and presented the opportunity to The PG&E Corporation Foundation. A separate entity from PG&E, The PG&E Foundation has funding to help the next generation succeed and innovate in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and other disciplines.

After thoughtful review, The PG&E Foundation agreed on a donation that would close the funding gap for their trip.  

“The Foundation is thrilled to support these talented students and their teacher and help make their upcoming trip a reality. This contribution supports our commitment to STEM innovation, community safety and giving back to our hometowns. It was also inspiring to see a past contribution come full circle – starting with Heather back in 2012 and taking students to MIT in 2024,” said Stephanie Isaacson, executive director, The PG&E Corporation Foundation.

A few days later Dave Canny, vice president for PG&E’s North Coast Region, attended the Engineering Extravaganza fundraiser in Calistoga and presented the large check. 

“The whole event was incredibly inspiring. The students were super engaging and excited to talk about their technology and the process for development, which was both data-driven and influenced by conversations with first responders and local farm workers. I don’t want to reveal too much before they submit their patent application next month, but it’s clear that their invention incorporated both head and heart,” said Canny.

Calistoga has been one of the most wildfire-impacted areas in the PG&E service territory and through conversations with the Calistoga Fire Department, the students learned that the majority of firefighter injuries are the result of heat stress; their invention will help them stay cool during wildfire season. The students also engaged the Calistoga Vineyard Workers to understand the needs of local farm laborers.

During the fundraiser, Canny had the opportunity to spend time with Heather, describing her as an inspirational force of nature. “I learned that she got into teaching after starting her career as a forensic scientist. During that time, she saw many messes in the criminal justice system and felt that she could help fix some of those challenges by inspiring youth,” noted Canny.

Canny also noted that over the years, Heather actually earned an unprecedented four scholarships from PG&E which allowed her to develop the academic curriculum that has now allowed these students to be so successful. 

The Calistoga High Schools students put together a YouTube video describing their invention and the process of creation. If you are interested in following their journey to MIT, please check out Calistoga_lmit_inventeam on Instagram where they will detail their trip.