One by one, students stepped into a virtual world of unthinkable potential.
They tried their hand at welding and treating patients in a health care setting. Elsewhere, teens programmed robots to pick up blocks and used coding skills to guide a toy car. Others marveled as 3-D printers crafted models of sharks and Pokemon seemingly out of thin air.
For STEM-minded young people, Thursday’s Community Career Education Forum was the place to be.
“I like anything with technology; it’s really cool, so I wanted to experience it,” said Carrington Dokken, an eighth-grader at Knightsbridge Academy in Greenwood. “It feels like my mind is going everywhere with all of these things. It’s a good thing.”
Endress+Hauser again opened the doors of its Greenwood campus Thursday to students and their parents, showcasing the possibilities that science, technology, engineering and mathematics offered. More than 400 kids and parents attended the event to learn about STEM applications in local industry, while another 300 volunteers and community partners took part as well.
They completed science experiments examining pH levels, witnessed demonstrations of equipment from companies such as George E. Booth Co. and Cummins and had the chance to watch school robotics teams in action.
For Endress+Hauser, the enthusiasm coursing through the building was exhilarating.
“It is joy; it is really neat to see their excitement in seeing something for the first time, seeing those light bulbs come on. Having them understand that there are more opportunities to them than they could ever have considered prior,” said Nicole Otte, director of workplace development at Endress+Hauser.
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.
On Thursday evening, a small army of Endress+Hauser volunteers opened the facility’s doors and welcomed people inside. Participating students picked up a passport, which they could mark after visiting certain booths and activities, with the hope of taking home prizes once they finished.
They stopped by booths manned by members of robotics clubs from Greenwood, Center Grove and Southport schools. Inside a large pen, the members demonstrated their robots’ abilities, including throwing a large ball to waiting students to catch.
Dominik Fegenbush had just arrived at the Community Career Education Forum, finding himself in the robotic area and talking with team members there.
He came to the forum curious about different career and study offerings available locally. Fegenbush, a seventh-grader at Southport Middle School, was interested in building and engineering, and was seeking out that information.
Moreso, he was hoping to get some hands-on experience throughout the night.
“So far, it’s been a lot of questions, questions, questions. I want to get to actually doing it,” he said.
A wealth of community partners and local businesses hoped to provide that. Booths showcased how
At the National Weather Service table, kids marveled at mini-tornadoes whirling in real life and experienced the static shock of a Van de Graaf generator they touched with a metal wand.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office displayed one of its drones, demonstrating how infrared cameras help search from the skies.
All of this science, particularly engineering and industrial technology is what motivated Hazel Froman to come to the event. Froman, a seventh-grader at Greenwood Community Middle School, was hoping to learn more about engineering buildings and other structures.
“I really just came expecting to learn a bunch of stuff,” she said.
Schools like Ivy Tech Community College, Franklin College and Marian University presented information about their STEM-related degree programs, answering questions from students and parents about the pathways to different careers.
At the Ivy Tech table, Dokken had donned a set of virtual reality goggles, entering a health-care setting to provide care to a patient who had injured their knee. Dokken was passionate about STEM, with a hope to go into a career in computers or coding.
“I wanted to learn more about what I could do with that,” Dokken said.
Near the industry and community partner booths, a two-story apparatus drew participating students in to test their knowledge of pressure, flow and other measureables. The Process Training Unit is an opportunity for students and parents can go on a technology-based scavenger hunt using the same equipment Endress+Hauser employees train on.
Throughout Endress+Hauser’s facility, a buzz filled each room — reinforcing how important the night is to everyone involved.
“It is such a high level of energy to see the community coming back into the facility, engaging with the partners. Our employees are so excited; we have double the volunteers compared to what we had in the past,” Otte said. “It becomes some of our team members’ favorite nights, but to see the community partners getting excited and re-engaged is great.”
