WHITEWATER – Whitewater High School students are expected to have expanded access to robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence through a new Generac Innovation Center.
According to a release from Whitewater Unified School District and Generac, the lab is being created through a partnership between the district and Generac. It will support hands-on learning in engineering, manufacturing, and computer science.
The center is part of the district’s career and technical education renovation and expansion project at Whitewater High School. The district says that project was made possible through the spring 2025 community referendum.
The Generac Foundation is providing a $200,000 donation to help secure equipment for the center, which is expected to be completed by September. The release says the sponsorship will fund FANUC ER-4iA fenceless industrial robots and Niryo Ned 2 robotic arm systems with vacuum pumps, conveyors, and vision systems.
The center will also include a robotics lab and a dedicated area for robotics activities and practice space for the school’s FIRST robotics team.
Whitewater Unified School District Career and Technical Education Coordinator Michael Rick says partnerships like this create opportunities that schools cannot provide alone. Rick says the investment is not just in equipment or a facility, but also in students, their futures, and the continued growth of the Whitewater community.
Whitewater High School Principal Brent Mansky says the center will mirror today’s industrial environments and help prepare students for their first jobs and long-term careers in changing fields. Generac has a manufacturing facility in Whitewater that employs more than 800 people, according to the release.
