By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer
Roane State hosted the launch of the fifth annual “Dream It. Do It.” competition last week at the community college’s mechatronics campus in Clinton, and it is also providing judges for the months-long events.
Now in its fifth year, the unique student competition highlighting manufacturing careers is sponsored by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, the contractor that operates the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, and the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.
The event is held each October as part of the National Manufacturing Day celebration.
Chamber President Rick Meredith during the competition kickoff expressed appreciation for the college’s assistance. Gordon Williams, director of the mechatronics program in the Clinton Higher Education and Training facility, showed the students the various types of equipment used in mechatronics.
In “Dream It. Do It.,” students from four Anderson County Middle Schools and Oak Ridge’s Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools team up with local industries—Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee, Clayton Homes, Eagle Bend Manufacturing, Protomet, Techmer PM, and SL Tennessee – to learn how a variety of items are made by the companies.
County schools in the event are Lake City, Norris, Norwood, and Clinton middle schools.
CNS provides each student team with a digital camera, and the students produce videos—not to exceed 2.5 minutes in length—that give an overview of the respective companies and their manufacturing processes. Those are uploaded onto the Anderson Chamber of Commerce website, and the public has a week in April 2020 to cast ballots for their favorite.
Last year, there were 3,147 votes cast, said Kristin Waldschlager, in Y-12’s education outreach division.
The winners will be announced May 5, 2020, and CNS is providing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) scholarships of $1,000, $750, and $500 to the teams’ respective teachers.
A web design competition for sixth graders and an arts competition for seventh graders in the six middle schools is also part of the event.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or john.huotari@oakridgetoday.com.
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