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Rensselaer To Host Area High School Students for 2012 National Manufacturing Day
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Partners with
HVCC, CEN, CEG, and Others To Give Students First-Hand Look at
How High-Tech Products Are Made
As part of its ongoing mission to educate and inspire the
next generation of technology leaders, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
will host local high school students for a morning and
afternoon of activities to celebrate national Manufacturing
Day.
More than 100 students from Capital Region high schools will
visit Rensselaer on Oct. 5 for manufacturing-related activities
and workshops. The School of Engineering at
Rensselaer is partnering with Hudson Valley Community
College (HVCC) to host Manufacturing Day, in collaboration
with the Chief Executives Network for
Manufacturing of the Capital Region (CEN) and Center for Economic Growth
(CEG), as well as Haas-HFO Allendale
Machinery, the Rensselaer and Capital Region chapters of
the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Ecovative Design,
and the Empire State Development (ESD)
Division for Science,
Technology, and Innovation (NYSTAR).
Participating high schools are Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,
Berlin, Troy, Cohoes, and Albany. A leader from Ecovative
Design, located in Green Island, N.Y. and founded by Rensselaer
graduates, will deliver the keynote address.
“Advanced manufacturing is essential for reinvigorating
American innovation and for creating high-paying jobs across
all technology sectors—around the country and right here at
home in the Capital Region,” said
David Rosowsky, dean of the School of Engineering at
Rensselaer. “Engineering Day is a powerful tool to excite young
people about manufacturing, to challenge them to think
critically about it, and to inspire them to study and pursue a
career in science, technology, engineering, and math.”
“HVCC is pleased to be co-hosting national Manufacturing Day
celebration with Rensselaer,” said David Larkin, program
organizer and HVCC professor of automotive, manufacturing, and
electrical engineering technologies. “This program will
showcase the highly skilled and interdependent technician and
engineering careers within advanced manufacturing. Our hope is
that national Manufacturing Day will help generate interest in
careers in advanced manufacturing for grammar school and
secondary students, in order to build a pipeline of students
with the necessary skill sets required by manufacturers within
our region and in order for these students to eventually obtain
high-paying technical jobs.”
“It is vital to educate our students, parents, and teachers
on the growing opportunities in advanced manufacturing,” said
F. Michael Tucker, president of the Center for Economic Growth
(CEG). “The time is now, to work with our colleges and
universities to build a skilled workforce pipeline to provide
manufacturing companies and their suppliers with the human
capital needed to sustain their growth. CEG is excited to join
Rensselaer and Hudson Valley Community College to celebrate
Manufacturing Day.”
“The Chief Executives Network for Manufacturing is proud to
join Rensselaer and HVCC to celebrate national Manufacturing
Day. As manufacturers, we are committed to the Capital Region
and we know first-hand the vital role education plays in
preparing students and the broader community for the ongoing
growth in advanced manufacturing,” said Gary Balfour, chairman
of CEN.
Manufacturing Day activities at Rensselaer range from
learning how a fuel cell works and interacting with the
university’s full-scale Motoman industrial robot, to a
Lego-based demonstration of additive manufacturing and donning
a “bunny suit” for a tour of the clean room facilities.
Participating labs and centers at Rensselaer are the Center for
Automation Technologies and Systems, the Manufacturing
Innovation Learning Lab, and the Micro- and NanoFabrication
Clean Room, which is operated by the Center for Integrated
Electronics. At HVCC, tours will be given of labs and
facilities in the manufacturing technology systems
department.
Nationally, Manufacturing Day is
organized by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, the
Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) of the U.C.
Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the
Manufacturing Institute. The program aims to highlight the
importance of manufacturing to the nation’s economy and draw
attention to the many rewarding high-skill jobs available in
manufacturing fields.
For more information on manufacturing at Rensselaer,
visit:
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Published
September 27,
2012 |
Contact: Michael Mullaney
Phone: (518) 276-6161
E-mail: mullam@rpi.edu |
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