Jeff Starkey, an automotive and diesel program instructor at Washington State Community College, shows various parts of the lab to campers at Ely Chapman Tuesday.
A group of 16 sixth- and seventh-grade campers at the Ely Chapman Education Foundation explored the halls of Washington State Community College Tuesday as part of a week-long manufacturing camp.
“I think it’s cool because we really get a sense of what it’s like to go to college and to figure out what it is we want to do when we get older,” said Lizzie Haller, 12.
This is the second year for the Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship Camp, a partnership with Building Bridges to Careers. The campers toured Skuttle Manufacturing and visited the Epi Center of Building Bridges to Careers at Armory Square. Also on the schedule for the week were Pioneer Pipe, Micro Manufacturing, the Washington County Career Center and Ohio Foothills Custom Catering.
“We partner with a lot of groups, like Washington State, Marietta College and the career center to let the kids know what is available to them and to expose as many kids as possible to the many opportunities,” said Tonya Davis, Building Bridges to Careers coordinator.
For most of the students, these visits are a peek behind the scenes to areas that the general public doesn’t often get to see.
“I love seeing the things they do here, like the engineering and the 3D printer,” said Luke Baumgard, who was also excited to visit the automotive department in a tour led by instructor Jeff Starkey. “I want to hear all the big engines.”
Starkey introduced the young men and women to internal combustion engines, valves, tires and spark plugs that students enrolled in the program were working on. He even mediated a discussion about which was better, Chevy or Ford.
“I hear this all the time,” he laughed.
The students also had time to sit in a hands-on robotics classroom that is home to the school’s 3D printer. Engineering instructor Jim York said he was pleased to answer so many questions related to his chosen field.
“It’s fun — I have grandchildren — and I always enjoy talking to young people about engineering,” he said.
York, an instructor for 10 years, said it is always wonderful to hear the questions that come up.
“I think they just don’t realize that practically everything they use has been manufactured by many people,” he said. “From the graphic designers, to the plastic containers they go in, to the computer operators … manufacturing is everywhere.”
From The Marietta Times | June 27, 2017
