The SME Education Foundation and its partners Stratasys and Tooling U-SME demonstrated advanced manufacturing technology to more than 11,000 students, teachers and administrators at the IMTS Smartforce Student Summit, held in September at McCormick Place in Chicago.
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.
The 2019 WESTEC Student Summit Racing Challenge winning team from Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science in Long Beach, California used important skills like teamwork and collaboration that they acquired from their classroom training to blow away the manufacturing competition and secure the victory.
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.