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June 3, 4, 5, 2008

Connecticut Expo Center, Hartford, CT

                Students  from Plainfield High School watch a presentation

                                                   on metal stamping.

 

The Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, in partnership with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) and statewide manufacturers, once again gave Connecticut high school and middle school students the opportunity to see what goes on in manufacturing. Through the replication of a factory floor, students saw how a key is made through such processes as CNC programming, laser cutting, stamping, CAD design, injection molding and coil slitting.

More than 3,000 students attended the event, which included a scheduled tour of the manufacturing "pod" processes, school booths, and demonstrations by Connecticut manufacturers.   New to the replication of the factory floor were an overview pod, which included college students from the RCNGM Life Sustainable project, who talked about educational pathways toward preparing for manufacturing careers, and a pod specifically on career opportunities, with CBIA and RCNGM representatives talking about careers in demand, educaitonal opportunities, and employer expectations. 

Faculty workshops were also presented by National Science Foundation Center programs, on rapid prototyping, gender equity in engineering and technology, and employability skills building.  Approximately 45 high school, technical high school and college faculty attended the day-long event, which included a tour of the Expo.

Three technical high schools were also represented in the Connecticut Yankee Ingenuity program, which awards a team of students who design and produce a product.  The team from Platt Tech had the winning entry.

The EXPO is designed to attract any student interested in math, science, and technology who may want to learn more about careers in manufacturing, including engineering, machining, drafting, and CNC programming, to name a few.

So that the impact of this event can be accurately assessed, students and teachers submitted both pre and post surveys.  The results of these surveys will be available in the near future.   For more information, contact Mary deManbey at mary.demanbey@cbia.com.     For more photos, go to myf08-pictures1.

View Video from 2006!

History

The Manufacture Your Future Careers Expo was originally developed by the Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Smaller Manufacturers Association of Connecticut (SMA) for students in Greater Waterbury. The program allowed students to gain hands-on knowledge of different manufacturing processes including computer assisted CAD Cam design and moving through Tool & Die, Coil Slitting, CNC, Lasers, Stamping, Finishing, Plating and Assembly, and Plastic Injection Molding.

The Waterbury Manufacturing Career Symposium had been so successful for the last several years, the organizers wanted to share the experience with Connecticut students. In 2006 the program went statewide, with The Waterbury Regional Chamber and SMA joining forces with CBIA, the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing and other local and state-wide manufacturing trade groups and chambers of commerce.

The Expo offered exhibits and demonstrations from Connecticut manufacturers, showing the diversity and range of products made in the state. Also on hand were educational institutions, including technical high schools, community colleges and four-year universities, providing information on how you can prepare for manufacturing careers.

Held concurrently with the Expo was a business conference on Next Generation Manufacturing hosted by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA). Governor Jodi Rell, who had an opportunity to attend the Expo, was the keynote speaker for the conference.

Faculty Workshops on green technologies and lean manufacturing were offered through the Center, to educators as part of the expo. More than 45 teachers participated from the state's high schools, community colleges and career centers.


The Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education program. Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.