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:

• Rensselaer Co-Hosts Manufacturing Education Conference http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=3066
• Rensselaer Introduces the Manufacturing Innovation Learning Lab http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=3040
• Manufacturing Innovation Learning Lab http://manufacturing.eng.rpi.edu/MILL
• Times Union: “RPI student mission: Make something” http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/RPI-student-mission-Make-something-3530118.php
• Rensselaer Manufacturing Network http://manufacturing.eng.rpi.edu/
• The Record: “Gibson, Tonko get taste of RPI students’ robot technology” http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2011/08/15/news/doc4e49c518bbc53991956108.txt
• CATS Homepage http://www.cats.rpi.edu/
• Times Union: Pushing the Boundaries http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Pushing-the-boundaries-1350092.php