Five students and a faculty member from Pennsylvania College of Technology attended the Electrical Generating Systems Association On-Site Power School in Las Vegas recently, participating in training sessions and receiving a technical tour of Hoover Dam.
The group, which included four students in the Electric Power Generation Technology major, attended training sessions on voltage regulators, engine/generator instrumentation and control, governors, automatic transfer switches, and multiple generator switchgear and generator controls.
Students attended the sessions with industry representatives from General Electric Co., AT&T, ChevronTexaco Corp. and Caterpillar Inc., as well as members of the Electrical Generating Systems Association.
The highlight for the students was a five-hour technical tour of Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border, led by the facility's chief project engineer.
The tour featured access to restricted areas and a walk through a five-story generator within the dam. Prior to the trip, the group underwent a background check and received security clearances as a prelude to touring the facility.
"What a wonderful opportunity for our students to see a payoff from their education," said David C. Johnson, an instructor of diesel equipment technology who accompanied the students. "They participated in sessions and answered questions that seasoned veterans within the field struggled with. It allowed power-generation representatives to see firsthand the high-caliber students we are graduating from this program."
The students who participated are: Jeremy L. Benjamin, RR 2, Wysox, Technology Management; Andrew J. Benvenuto, Langhorne, Electric Power Generation Technology; Joseph A. Duskasky, Wapwallopen, Electric Power Generation Technology; Matthew J. Strine, York, Electric Power Generation Technology; and Jeremy E. Steppe, Williamsport, Electric Power Generation Technology.
EGSA member Herbert Daugherty organized social activities and networking opportunities for the students, and several were interviewed on-site for positions within the industry. Student and faculty expenses for the trip were underwritten by Caterpillar Inc., the EGSA and the College.
The EGSA is a trade association of nearly 600 companies worldwide that design, manufacture, sell, distribute, rent, service and use on-site power equipment.
For more information about the Electric Power Generation Technology major at Penn College, call the School of Natural Resources Management at (570) 320-8038, send e-mail or visit on the Web.