[caption id="" align="alignright" width="343"] ET Precicion Optics' Herb Case demonstrated how toys were made 30 years ago, and how they are made today. Students reviewed CAD drawings and used them to reassemble toys.[/caption]

Professionals from fields as diverse as glass blowing, tool and die making, welding, optics manufacturing, photonics and solar power came together at Churchville-Chili Middle School on April 19 to introduce students to future career paths.

Fifth- and sixth-graders at the school are exploring educational and career areas they are interested in and meeting community experts in a series of workshops this year. The Advanced Manufacturing workshop featured Herb Case from ET Precision Optics, SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Ian Cooper, and Matt Wolff from Rochester Arc and Flame. Churchville-Chili High School student Joshua Johnson, who is studying Tool and Die and Welding at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES WEMOCO, participated as well. He spoke with the younger students about his planned career and demonstrated the use of a dial caliper for precision measurement.

Each visitor introduced his area of expertise with an activity designed to pique student interest. Wolff spoke about arts-and-crafts smithing and jewelry making, and students used a simulator to experience welding. Cooper invited the student scientists to make a super-saturated solution and then observe crystals growing. Churchville-Chili teacher Patti Saucke and STEM Coach Leslie Tanner demonstrated several applications from Nano-Link Center for Nanotechnology Education, including super-absorbent polymers and thin films.

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