Tech savvy: Community forum showcases world of STEM

For the past 10 years, the annual Community Career Education Forum at Endress+Hauser has offered a peek into the potential of technology.

Johnson County students and their parents have had hands-on opportunities letting them see how ball-bearings are made or how 3-D printers work. They’ve been able to measure and monitor pressure gauges as if they’re a real-life engineer.

Through virtual reality, they could try their hand at welding. Robotics of all kinds provided a new way to work, play and solve problems.

Through the annual Community Career Education Forum, the possibilities of STEM are on full display.

“The beauty of the event, what it’s done for us as an organization and for the community, is creating awareness among students and parents of what is possible,” said Nicole Otte, director of workplace development at Endress+Hauser. “Now that we’ve been doing it for 10 years, we’re starting to see that return in the form of students who go into our apprenticeship program and students who come up to us in career fairs.”

Endress+Hauser, along with a wealth of community partners, will once again welcome students in grades seven through nine, their parents, educators and more into their facility for a night devoted to STEM. Attendees to Thursday’s forum can connect with local manufacturers to learn about career opportunities, take away information about degree programs at local colleges and take part in hands-on demonstrations of robotics, 3-D printing and cutting-edge diesel engines.

The idea is to raise awareness and provide information about technical careers and opportunities, to help encourage and develop the science-based workforce of the future.

“It creates a buzz, an excitement, an awareness that students, parents, they can’t see just within the walls of the school building,” Otte said.

The Community Career Education Forum was designed to showcase the wide range of potential careers, education and recreation revolving around STEM. The event was founded in 2014 as a way to help schools, students and their families learn what skills employers are looking for in their workers, as well as see the diverse types of careers available in advanced manufacturing.

Endress+Hauser partnered with Central Nine Career Center and Aspire Johnson County to create the career forum, which has grown into a key way to foster interest in science and technology in the county. Organizers added grants for area educators as well, to encourage innovative STEM opportunities in county classrooms.

The result has been positive, Otte said.

“We’re seeing the fruits of that return to us in future talent, and that’s been really, really exciting,” Otte said.

For the past few years, organizers have dealt with pandemic-related disruptions to the Community Career Education Forum.

The forum transitioned to a virtual event in 2020 due to COVID-19, and in the fall of 2021, spiking cases forced Endress+Hauser to cancel it. They were able to hold the event in the spring of 2022, but some of the more popular activities and attractions were not included.

Finally, organizers brought the event back in its entirety last fall.

“The energy and excitement was back on campus. We didn’t get back to the peak numbers we had in 2018 and 2019, but we’re really hoping this year’s event really starts inclining again and getting us back to that,” Otte said.

This year’s forum, open to students in Johnson and southern Marion counties, will feature a blend of old and new features to maximize learning opportunities. A huge collection of area industries, businesses and organizations will set up booths to showcase how STEM is used in their everyday applications.

At the Innovation Studio, attendees can check out the latest technology in action, from 3-D printing to coding to robotic arms playing games.

Students can talk with representatives from area colleges about degree programs in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.

Robotics clubs from schools across the region are set to bring their creations together to pitch investment into their robots, with the added bonus of potentially winning a $5,000 prize.

One of the most popular activities during the forum is the Process Training Unit, where students and parents can go on a technology-based scavenger hunt using the same equipment Endress+Hauser employees train on.

People can enjoy free food, drinks and dessert throughout the night, and a variety of contests, prize challenges and door prizes.

All of it will together will make for an evening of exploration and fun designed to spark STEM-based interest.

“(Students) don’t know what they can’t explore. They can only say what they’re interested in through what they know. This gives them the opportunity to get exposed to many different companies, many different education paths and help them set up a path for the future,” Otte said. “So when they get into planning after their high school career, they can say they want to take these classes or if they want to go right in the workforce.”

IF YOU GO

Community Career Education Forum

What: A gathering for students and families to learn more about manufacturing and industry, higher education and career training.

Who: Hosted by Endress+Hauser, in partnership with Central Nine Career Center and Aspire Johnson County.

Where: Endress+Hauser, 2355 Endress Place, Greenwood

When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday

Who can take part: Students in seventh, eighth and ninth grades, their parents, STEM teachers, school administrators and guidance counselors.

What will be featured:

Career, education and information booths

Other local manufacturing booths

Meet college representatives and learn about degree and certification programs

Learn about Central Nine Career Center

Free food, drinks and cookies

Contest – Test your technical know-how

Prize challenges

Door prizes

How to sign up: RSVP by Monday in order to get a t-shirt at this link. For questions, contact Betsy Nichols at [email protected].