Tag: Project Lead The Way

VIDEO: ECC and St. Clair High School Engineering Partnership Continues

August 30, 2022 | Campus News

A collaboration between East Central College and St. Clair High School continues to grow. This year marks the third year of the Project Lead The Way-Engineering (PLTW-E) program — a partnership between the College and SCHS.

The high school’s PLTW-E program, in conjunction with ECC’s advanced manufacturing center, has organically grown into what is now a collaborative lab-sharing project. SCHS students use the labs and equipment at ECC to further enhance their PLTW-E program.

Since 2019, Maurice Gritzman, PLTW-E instructor at SCHS, has jumped on a bus with his students four days a week to make the trip during the fall and spring semesters to the College’s Business and Industry Center (BIC). Gritzman, a former engineer, leads his students through engineering studies at SCHS and at ECC.

While at ECC his students learn to model projects using Solidworks (computer-aided drawing and engineering application) and then they build their projects using Precision Machining equipment. Students in this program also utilize industrial precision machines and other related software. In addition to utilizing equipment and technology that is unavailable at the high school, the SCHS students also earn ECC dual credit courses for college.

This year there are eight SCHS students involved in the PLTW-e. In 2020, all three SHCS grads in the program came to ECC the following year. Last year, there were 15 students, five of whom were seniors in the program — two came to ECC after graduating high school and three went onto Missouri S&T in Rolla.

Collaboration

The collaboration between SCHS and ECC began four years ago, according to Dr. Richard Hudanick, Dean of Career and Technical Education. Gritzman brought students to the BIC labs for ECC’s Annual Manufacturing Days Event in 2019.

The event showcases ECC’s faculty, labs and programs focused on HVAC, Industrials Engineering Technology, Precision Machinery, and Welding.

It was at Manufacturing Days that Gritzman and SCHS Advisor Holly Click met Nathan Esbeck, Industrial Engineering Technology (IET) program director; Curtis Elliott, Precision Machining program coordinator; and Hudanick.

At the time, Gritzman had his eyes on one of IET’s robotic trainers, according to Hudanick. “Maurice said, ‘I wish I had one of these.”

“I told him that ‘our labs are your labs’,” Hudanick added. “At this point the ball was in Maurice’s court and from that moment his relationship with ECC, and Esbeck and Elliott, has been nothing but a success.”

This collaborative project satisfies many needs of the community while allowing students to discover engineering and advanced manufacturing career paths.

ECC’s IET and Precision Machinery programs offer such an opportunity for this discovery.

“Neither of these programs are well known outside manufacturing itself and with good paying careers for those who travel their paths,” Hudanick added. “What a novel way to build a collaborative adventure with high school student’s career-future at the center.”

He explained that the high schools work toward developing pathways, like PLTW, for their students, while trying to engage them is career ideas.

“It’s a win-win when high school engineering and industrials arts programs are supported by their community colleges,” Hudanick added. “ECC has the lab resources to include state-of-the-art equipment and industry software, and we are preparing these high school students for their next step after graduation.

St. Clair High School, ECC Manufacturing Partnership Grows

October 12, 2021 | Campus News

A partnership between East Central College and St. Clair High School has grown this year, building on its success from last year.

The SCHS Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has 12 students enrolled this year, which is up eight from the 2020-21 academic year.

PLTW is a national nonprofit that offers hands-on computer science, engineering and biomedical science instruction. Through the partnership between SCHS and ECC, students utilize industrial precision machines and software at ECC’s Business and Industry Center (BIC).

The partnership with the college officially began last year when Maurice Gritzman, PLTW engineering teacher at SCHS, brought students to the BIC labs.

In addition to utilizing equipment and technology that is unavailable at the high school, the SCHS students also earned dual credit for the courses taken through PLTW, according to Megen Strubberg, director of early college and admissions.

The seed of the relationship between ECC and SCHS was planted three years ago when Gritzman first met Dr. Richard Hudanick, dean of the Career and Technical Education Department, at a Manufacturing Days event at the college.

“The collaboration has been a success since the start – for St. Clair and their students,” Hudanick said. “Maurice seemed very knowledgeable, and he really talked up the labs to his students.

It was during the conversation at the Manufacturing Days that Hudanick told Gritzman, “Our labs are your labs.”

Program’s Success

Three of the four students who enrolled in the program last year are now ECC students, Hudanick added.

“Last year, the PLTW class began as 12 students but COVID changed plans for many,” Gritzman commented. “In the end three PLTW are now ECC students — two enrolled in the STEM program and the third enrolled in the NIMS-based precision machining program”

ECC’s facilities were made available to the students to learn industry recognizable design software, mill their designs using commercial Computer Numerical Control (CNC) capital equipment and gain programming experience using Mitsubishi robots for robotic applications, such as pick and place manufacturing operations, Gritzman explained.

“Overall, the past year was a success,” Hudanick said. “Maurice’s main efforts were focused on sustaining the ECC relationship and growth of technology education courses for high school students.

“He wants this to be the template for all St Clair High School Engineering programs sharing ECC facilities for student learning using industry tools for design and manufacturing. He has nothing but the highest regards for ECC and St. Clair.”

According to Gritzman, he would like to establish a sustainable partnership with ECC to grow a “Technology Education” track for high school students.

Technology Education would offer specialty PLTW engineering courses, such as Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), that leverage the access to industrial precision machines and software available at ECC.

Gritzman added that the future could include additional courses for SCHS students at ECC, including Industrial Engineering Technology and Precision Machining.

“Expansion into diverse technical education channels with ECC provides broader options for technology careers for St Clair’s engineering and technology students,” Gritzman stated.

Last year, SCHS students were engaged in the precision machining facility lab-sharing project and earned six dual credit hours in ECC’s Introduction to Manufacturing and Solidworks courses.

Future dual credit opportunities in other technical courses also are being explored.

Soft Swing Technologies

Gritzman noted that this year, the SCHS students will be working with a local company, Soft Swing Technologies, to “validate a new design and recommend market entry and manufacturing strategies.”

“All of the students will receive industry recognized soft-skills training to meet industry hiring goals and expectations,” he said.

At this point there is no other known collaborative PLTW program partnership between a community college and a high school. This is both a strength to the stakeholder partnership and an opportunity to build credit hours, Gritzman said.

“There really is not any partnership like this that we are aware of– it’s just simply exciting,” added Hudanick.

ECC, St. Clair District Team Up on Pilot Program

September 4, 2020 | Campus News

Five St. Clair High School students will explore high-tech, innovative manufacturing through a pilot program that partners with East Central College and utilizes the college’s state-of-the-art equipment.

The SCHS students are enrolled in courses through Project Lead The Way (PLTW) — a national, non-profit organization that provides computer science, engineering and biomedical science instructional programs.

The St. Clair R-XIII School District expanded its PLTW offering this fall by partnering with ECC to use its precision machining lab in ECC’s Business and Industry Center.

The students are using the equipment for a new engineering course, Computer Integrated Manufacturing.

In addition to the hands-on learning in the ECC lab, the five students will also earn college credit hours upon course completion. The students are Austin Hellebusch, Logan Hunter-Cockrum, Sebastion Vitt, Wyatt Strothcamp and Cody Ross.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity our partnership with ECC is providing our students,” said Melissa Husereau, Director of Teaching and Learning with the St. Clair School District.

“This collaboration gives St. Clair students hands-on experiences while studying manufacturing planning, integration and implementation of automation while learning the technical skills needed to be successful in the workforce.”

On Aug. 31, the students and their instructor, Maurice Gritzman, held their first class at ECC. They were welcomed to campus by Vice President of Academic Affairs Robyn Walter, Dr. Richard Hudanick, dean of career and technical education; and Director of Early College Programs Megen Strubberg.

According to Strubberg, this is a great partnership for the students, St. Clair District and the college.

“Pairing incredibly talented PLTW students with state-of-the-art equipment on ECC’s campus allows students to work with equipment and technology resources not currently available at their high school,” Strubberg said. “Students in the program will also be eligible to earn dual credit that can be used toward a certificate or degree program at ECC, upon high school graduation.”

PLTW empowers students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges through computer science, engineering and biomedical science.

The students learn technical and problem solving skills utilizing critical thinking and creativity.

PLTW also provides training, resources and support for elementary, middle school and high school teachers.

Learn more about ECC’s Precision Machining Technology at https://www.eastcentral.edu/business/precision-machining-technology/.