Matt Kovac, Dean of STEM at Butler County Community College discusses the capabilities of the FAB Lab to a group visitors from the Ukraine as part of the Open World Rotary Exchange.

BUTLER — As they made their way from station to station inside one of Butler County Community College's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics labs Monday, a group of young people from the Ukraine took photos and videos to document their visit.

They listened intently as Dean of STEM Matt Kovac explained how the lab is used for everything from 3D printing to larger projects on health sciences and renewable energy. The visit was just one of several in the region for the group through the Open World Leadership Center. The Butler County stop was held in conjunction with the Butler PM Rotary Club.

According to John O'Keefe, counsel to the board of trustees and former executive director of the Open World Leadership Program, the goal of the program is to both educate and learn from the young professionals on a particular topic. The group visiting Butler County had a background in renewable energy.

“The idea behind the program is for them to come and see how we look at energy issues,” he said. “They also have, as you have in this area, shale gas, and so they can take a look to see how that gets developed, what the advantages and disadvantages are and how it is managed.”

Read more in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.