Innovation on campus May 2: High school students compete for cash prizes
04/15/2011
Area high schools present innovative student projects in advanced materials and manufacturing and compete for cash prizes 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m., May 2 in Woodway Hall 202 at the METE-Manufacturing Education and Training Exchange.
The event, “Young People Building America,” showcases local talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. All attendees will help judge the projects and first, second, and third place cash prizes will be awarded ($1,000, $800, and $500) to the students’ school.
“This is an opportunity for the community to be inspired by what students are learning and doing in our public schools,” said Mel Cossette, Principal Investigator for the National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education, which aims to increase the number of and diversity of highly skilled manufacturing technicians ready for employment. “It’s also a great chance for parents and students to see the kinds of projects they can work on in these fields. Manufacturing is a rewarding career path.”
Participating schools include: Arlington, Granite Falls, Cavelero, Kamiak, Mariner, and South Whidbey high schools. More than 100 people are expected to attend.
The event will showcase exhibits of students’ work: designing and building small robots, tables and cabinets, and fuel efficient cars; exploring and testing concepts for solar power and home insulation; and lending their skills to lighthouse restoration and stagecraft projects at their schools.
Michael Greenwood, a senior manager at The Boeing Company, will talk to attendees and students about the broad variety of opportunities in manufacturing career pathways in our community and the skills needed for well-paying jobs in manufacturing and materials technology.
Sponsors include: Airtech International, www.airtechonline.com; Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound, www.camps-us.com; Edmonds College, www.edmonds.edu; Future of Flight, www.futureofflight.org; Manufacturing Technology Advisory group, www.mtag.wa-.org; MatEd National Resource Center, www.materialseducation.org, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation, www.smeef.org.
The event is free and open to the public. Parents, students, educators, and business leaders are encouraged to see the innovation happening in local schools.
For more information, call 425.640.1961.