Student Summit Highlights

Jacob Belser, a 17-year-old senior at Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois, eagerly anticipated his involvement in the Bright Minds Student Summit that took place in early May at RAPID + TCT at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Our Bright Minds Student Summit at EASTEC allowed high school students to get their first taste of manufacturing with keynote speakers and guided show-floor tours of exhibiting manufacturing companies.

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.

Last year, nearly 900 students from 30 high schools in 12 U.S. states participated in Student Summits that took place at four SME events: RAPID + TCT, EASTEC, SOUTHTEC and WESTEC. In all, nine full days of Student Summits — made possible by a donation from the Arconic Foundation — took place during the SME events.

Kouts High School from a small, close-knit community near Valparaiso, Indiana, came out ahead and won the manufacturing competition at the 2019 FABTECH Student Summit. The SME Education Foundation Student Summit event series is one solution that through student-centric programming, effectively addresses the misperception often held by young people that manufacturing is dull, dirty and dying.

Students from Kouts High School explored career opportunities within the skilled trades at FABTECH. The students left the conference and event with a deeper understanding of manufacturing and how it all comes together at the end.