New Machine Trades summer camp just completed

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  • Freebird01

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    Jan 26, 2013
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    Since I'm pretty new to this board, I would to share something I'm pretty proud of...

    I work for IPFW (Indiana Purdue University Fort Wayne) here in Fort Wayne.

    My colleague and I started a summer camp through our outreach department that targets 9th-12th graders to come get some experience using manual machine tools and hear some stories from active and retired engineers about mechanical engineering.

    For our first time through we had 6 students. We all had a great time. They got to use a lathe,mill,drill press, band saw and some hand tools. It was 5 half days. They had a guest speaker every day.

    Chad Longstreth our Haas salesman donated some shirts and hats, Powell Tool Supply donated some tooling, and metals supermarket donated some of the material we used to create a small wobbler air motor.



    You can check out a video of the motor I built as an example here if you have never seen one.

    https://youtu.be/6mP8EEPFayQ

    The boys all did great and I'm excited to do it again next year.

    I've said it a few times...if us as young adults (I'm 36) don't step up and teach these kids that hard work and working with your hands is ok then who will?

     

    Alamo

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    Oct 4, 2010
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    Most excellent!

    When I was in high school in ... a long time ago... I was on an academic track. I always liked drawing ships and planes and things like that, so one semester I wanted to take drafting. I had to arm wrestle my school counselor to get her to let me sign up for it. Later in life I figured out that she probably thought it was too "manual", I was on the academic college track, didn't want me wasting time doing "shop work." I now wish I had taken more shop classes.

    I don't have kids, but from what I understand most? all? high schools have jettisoned their shop classes, everyone is supposed to go to college. Aside from college having turned into largely into a leftwing indoctrination and participation camp, with engineering and some hard sciences being the last holdouts, even kids that go to college ought to get some hands-on time with "real stuff". Especially if they are going to be engineers, and most especially if they are not.

    Good on you.
     

    Freebird01

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    Jan 26, 2013
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    I wouldn't say all high schools got rid of their programs but certainly most. That was kind of why we started this program because of what we see coming into our basic Machining Credit class. I know there was a huge push in the 80s and 90s for everybody to go to college as opposed to skilled trades but unfortunately it's biting Us in the ass. Unbeknownst to them America cannot become a service economy if we're not making stuff we won't survive. We've been seeing manufacturing slowly coming back to Northeast Indiana. Hopefully we can do our part to draw more students into the manufacturing trades weather its engineering, welding, Machining, whatever...

    I know I spent the better part of my senior year in our industrial Arts shop. It was because of my shop teacher that I do what I do today I started with a basic technical sketching class went to college for a cad degree did a bit of Machining a lot of AutoCAD taught myself SolidWorks and solid Edge and moved on into machine design. I took the job at the college because it was close to home and it's allowing me to finish my 4 year degree but in reality I've come to love working there and the teaching part has been the best part of my job and I may actually pursue that further. But again if we're not instilling the work ethic into our kids who's going to?
     

    PMR

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    Feb 28, 2013
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    Great job Freebird, I work at a high school and see a number of kids that need programs like this. The reality is that college isn't the right fit for every student.
     

    littletommy

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    Fantastic! My youngest son just graduated high school and vocational school, where he studied diesel tech. He's going for an interview Tuesday at a diesel shop. This kid was a 12 year struggle when it came to traditional school work, so I know he would be bored out of his mind with college.
     

    Freebird01

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    Jan 26, 2013
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    Our programs here at IPFW are engineering programs not necessarily machine trades... But there are plenty of good trade schools around. Like I said above...I hope the students took something away from last week beyond the tools. Thanks for the kind words.
     

    Freebird01

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    Jan 26, 2013
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    Thats cool! We have other camps going on this week. Our Outreach dept has like 5 or 6 different ones, but never anything to do with the machine shop here
     

    ghuns

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    Nov 22, 2011
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    That's awesome. There is a serious lack of young-uns coming into all skilled trades, but especially machining.
     
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