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Swain, Macon students explore robotics during Manufacturing Awareness Day

2015-10-09
Photo of Kale Stephenson
Kale Stephenson, a fourth grader at Swain East Elementary, works with magnetic circuit boards during a Manufacturing Awareness Day event organized by Swain County Schools and Southwestern Community College on Friday, Oct. 2, in Bryson City.
 
Photo of Sergeant Detective Joe Silberman
Sergeant Detective Joe Silberman demonstrates how “Newman” – the Asheville Bomb Squad’s robot – works during a Manufacturing Awareness Day event organized by Swain County Schools and Southwestern Community College on Friday, Oct. 2, in Bryson City.
 
Photo of students at Manufacturing Awareness Day
High school students watch “Newman” – the Asheville Bomb Squad’s robot” - during a demonstration at Manufacturing Awareness Day event organized by Swain County Schools and Southwestern Community College on Friday, Oct. 2, in Bryson City.
 
Photo of Tsali McCoy
Swain High School senior Tsali McCoy poses with the Vex Robotics creation he and schoolmate Hunter Cook displayed during a Manufacturing Awareness Day event organized by Swain County Schools and Southwestern Community College on Friday, Oct. 2, in Bryson City.

Kale Stephenson had his own chair at Swain East Elementary School’s exhibit for Manufacturing Awareness Day, but he never sat down in it.

The fourth-grader was too excited about the technology spread out on the table in front of him.

“I like technology because it’s all different,” said Stephenson, as he re-arranged magnetic circuit boards that could turn on lights and fans. “This works just like a power button on an iPad, and I like being able to understand how that works on the inside.”

Stephenson’s was among more than a dozen exhibits designed to show visitors some of the latest advances in manufacturing technology at the Swain County Business Education and Training Center. The event was organized by Southwestern Community College and Swain County Schools.

A few doors down from the Swain East and Swain West Elementary School exhibits, SCC instructor Jim Falbo told group after group of Macon and Swain County students what all the technology meant for them. Falbo is coordinator of Southwestern’s mechatronics engineering technology program.

“I’ve got employers calling to find out how many students we’ve got in our program and when they’ll be graduating because they need to hire qualified people now,” Falbo told the students. “If you want to stay here to live and work after you graduate high school, you can do that – and you can have a great job working with this kind of technology. A lot of our students are able to get internships that pay $13 an hour, and that helps a lot when you’re working toward your college degree.

Falbo added: “I look forward to working with Swain County’s leadership in helping attract even more industry that needs this type of highly skilled workforce.”

Another exhibit that steadily drew crowds was “Newman” – the Asheville Bomb Squad’s motorized and remote-controlled robot. Sergeant Detective Joe Silberman and Detective Tony Johnson showed how powerful the unit can be, and Newman effortlessly dragged volunteers across the floor.

Spheros - lighted, programmable and remote-control balls – rolled around at students’ feet, a 3-D printer churned out a shark-shaped clip and Swain High School students Tsali McCoy and Hunter Cook showed off their Vex Robotics creation that could move objects.

Students were also able to learn how to conduct a pH test using digital devices in a session overseen by Summer Cortinas of BioNetwork.

Baxter the Robot, a key component of Falbo’s mechatronics program, particularly impressed Franklin High School senior Blake Raymond.

“I didn’t know anything like that even existed,” Raymond said. “(Baxter) sees everything around him. If he bumps into you, he’ll stop. And he’s so easy to program.”

 For more information about the Golden LEAF Foundation, visit www.goldenleaf.org.

To learn more about the mechatronics engineering technology program at SCC, contact program coordinator Jim Falbo at 828.339.4299 or j_falbo@southwesterncc.edu.

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