High schoolers ‘tinker’ at Penn College STEM camp

Thirty high school students discovered career possibilities connected to science, technology, engineering and math during the recent hands-on Tinker Camp at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Supported by grants from Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, the Gene Haas Foundation and EQT Corp., the three-day camp introduced students to engineering design, manufacturing, polymer engineering, 3D printing and welding. Penn College faculty and staff led the various workshops in the school’s state-of-the-art labs.

“We wanted to expose high school kids to various fields that we teach at Penn College, and to get them to consider, not only coming here for school, but being employed in a technical field in the future,” said Kathy D. Chesmel, assistant dean of materials science and engineering technology.

The students – 17 boys and 13 girls – were chosen through a competitive application process. They were separated by gender into two cohorts for the camp.

“I got to experience stuff that I never knew about or knew was even an option for me,” said Khloe Outlaw-Mack, a sophomore at West Catholic Preparatory High School in Philadelphia. “Welding was most interesting to me. I could see myself majoring in welding.”

Welding’s status as a nontraditional career for women didn’t faze Outlaw-Mack. “I don’t understand why people think we can’t do this stuff as good as boys. We’re all human. We can do the same things,” she said.

During the welding workshop, the students toured the college’s 55,000-square-foot facility and welded a metal palm tree cutout to a base plate.

That hands-on experience earned a glowing review from John Prigodich, a junior at Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown. “I actually got to weld something together,” he said with a smile. “I liked the welding course the most so far.”

Prigodich is considering welding along with civil engineering and manufacturing engineering as career possibilities. He envisions earning a degree in one of those fields at Penn College. “It’s one of my main choices. I know this place has better technology than a lot of other colleges,” he said.

While taking a break from learning about polymers and the injection molding process, Dayne Shields, a junior at Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey, also expressed interest in studying at Penn College, thanks to Tinker Camp. He’s contemplating an engineering career.

“It was important to come to Tinker Camp to see what this school has to offer and see if I’m interested in what they have to offer,” Shields said. “There are a lot of things that I would probably enjoy. There are a lot of tools here that I have never been able to use or seen used. I’m very interested to use those tools.”

Two tools that the students used in the Larry A. Ward Machining Technologies Center were an electrical discharge machine and a milling machine. With the EDM, the high schoolers produced an aluminum keychain, customized with their name. They relied on the mill to drill a hole for the keychain loop.

Other activities covered the basic elements of engineering design and additive manufacturing. For the latter, the students received their own 3D printer. “They were shown how to take CAD models and find things on the Internet that they can print at home with their 3D printer,” Chesmel said.

A tour of West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. in Williamsport complemented the students’ lab sessions. A Corporate Tomorrow Maker, West designs and manufactures injectable pharmaceutical packaging and delivery systems.

Tinker Camp ended with the students, joined by a parent or guardian, building a paper tower as part of an exercise to differentiate between the applied technology approach to engineering and traditional theoretical-based engineering.

“What I try to stress to kids is the more things you experience, you’ll find something that you are passionate about,” Chesmel said. “For example, you might never have thought about welding if you’re a young woman. Or you might never have thought about engineering design if you’re a guy who likes to tinker in the shop. There are a million possibilities.”

STEM career fields offer ample opportunities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that STEM jobs will grow nearly four times faster than non-STEM jobs through 2032. According to the BLS, the median annual wage for all STEM occupations is $97,980, compared to $44,670 for non-STEM jobs.

For Rylee Bir, a senior at Williamson High School in Tioga, Tinker Camp confirmed her inkling to pursue a future in STEM, probably focusing on robotics.

“I like working with my hands and working with technology a lot,” she said. “I’m pretty grateful for this opportunity. I’ve loved the activities and everyone.”

To learn about degrees offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520.

Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

Watch Penn College News for more coverage of the Tinker Camp and other Summer Camps.