It's no secret that I love behind-the-scenes tours. I think it's fascinating to see how things get made. And as we discussed during the recent #STEMchat on STEM at Work in Manufacturing, many people don't have a sense of what a modern manufacturing facility looks like. That's one of the reasons we now have a National Manufacturing Day. It's also one of the reasons I worked with Alcoa Foundation and SkillsUSA earlier this year to clear up ... [ Read More ]
Manufacturing Engineering Camps
My office isn't the only thing I'm cleaning this summer. I'm also digging into a virtual pile of old half-written blog posts saved in my "drafts" file. Let's just say there might have been more unpublished posts than there are bones in my body. There's no need to provide a heads-up on an interesting STEM event that took place two years ago, but I did find a few diamonds in the rough, like this bit on Fabricator's and Manufacturers Association ... [ Read More ]
Meet Erica Heckman, Welder: It’s STEM Girl Friday!
I typically conduct STEM Girl Friday interviews via email, but I was fortunate to meet today’s STEM Girl, welder(!) Erica Heckman, when I was in Louisville with SkillsUSA and Alcoa Foundation. Erica is one half of the Manufacturing Team Challenge (MTC) team who will represent the United States at the upcoming WorldSkills competition. This is the final post in a series sponsored by the foundation. Hailing from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Erica is a ... [ Read More ]
Straight Talk about Manufacturing Careers
My work with Alcoa Foundation and SkillsUSA has been eye-opening. If you’ve seen me IRL recently, there’s a good chance we’ve had a talk about CTE, Career and Technical Education (formerly known as vocational ed). Not only did my experience at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference challenge some of my previous assumptions, but as you’ll see in the infographic below, I’m not alone in my thinking. A New Look at Manufacturing ... [ Read More ]
When STEM Goes to Work: Announcing the July #STEMchat
On #STEMchat, we often tackle topics like how to raise kids who love math or engineering, but what happens when those kids grow up? What happens when STEM goes to work? That's our topic for the July STEMchat! STEMchat will take place Thursday evening, July 16 from 9-10 PM Eastern Time. Along with sponsors SkillsUSA and #TeamUSAWorldSkills presenting sponsor, Alcoa Foundation we’ll be discussing When STEM Goes to Work: the Role of STEM in ... [ Read More ]
Introduction to SkillsUSA and the WorldSkills MTC Team Sponsored by Alcoa Foundation
Last month I had the chance to attend the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC). I was there of behalf of #TeamUSAWorldSkills sponsor, Alcoa Foundation. Alcoa Foundation is also sponsoring this post, and the July STEMchat, which will be on the topic of STEM in Manufacturing on Thursday, July 16. One of my nieces competed in a CAD drafting competitions through a SkillsUSA program and I know my sons’ school has a team, so I ... [ Read More ]