Lindsey Prestholdt received SME Education Foundation scholarships while majoring in mechanical engineering at North Dakota State University. Lindsey plans to join 3M in 2021 as an optimize operations engineer, assigned to process improvement projects while gaining extensive training in areas such as lean manufacturing.
Scholarships can mean much more than financial support, says Kyle Riegel, recipient of the 2008 SME Education Foundation Family Scholarship. Kyle is a field sales engineer with Schunk Carbon Technology in Iowa. A 2008 graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, Kyle currently serves on their engineering board.
Students across the state have new opportunities to learn some very important, and applicable skills for careers, in science, technology, engineering and manufacturing.
In the wake of COVID-19, educators at Pine Bush High School and Saginaw Intermediate School District (ISD) — both of which are part of SME’s PRIME (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education) program — have taken creative approaches to learning. Pine Bush High School students returned to school virtually in early September. At Saginaw ISD in Michigan, the back-to-school experience in Fall 2020 includes a combination of remote, hybrid and face-to-face learning, including Tooling U-SME online coursework.
Park High School, part of the Racine Unified School District, serves 1,900 students. Through SME PRIME, the high school students at the school explore opportunity in advanced manufacturing through training on modern equipment and learning from tailored curriculum.
Fori Automation provides opportunities for young people to explore and discover exciting careers in advanced manufacturing.
The SME Education Foundation inspires high school students to discover the manufacturing industry at our Student Summits co-located at SME events across the country throughout the year. Our students summits deliver student-centric programming that educates the next generation about the manufacturing industry with technology demonstrations, hands-on challenges and a guided, interactive SME event show floor tour.
With the Bright Minds Program at HOUSTEX, high school students had a chance to explore the latest technologies and connect with industry professionals. At the convention center, students saw a virtual reality training program where machines are used to simulate the floor of a worksite. Learn more about how the SME Education Foundation is inspiring future workers.
The WESTEC 2019 Student Summit will host over 200 high school students and introduce them to the high tech and exciting career available in the modern manufacturing industry through hands-on challenges and competitions, guided event show-floor tours and technology demonstrations, and inspirational industry guest speakers.