As a member of the robotics team at Waterbury’s Crosby High School, Jhovanny Torres enjoys working on electronics. So he saw plenty to interest him at the the recent STEM expo at Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC).
“This has been pretty fun,” said Torres, a junior who plans a career in engineering. “I’ve seen a lot of things I’ve heard about.” His interest in STEM arises from his involvement in the robotics team, which offers both intellectual challenges and socialization. “We do lots of great things and it’s nice to get together with everyone,” Torres said.
Held Nov, 30, the STEM expo brought dozens of Waterbury-area middle- and high-school students to the college’s Technology Hall to learn more about local opportunities in the field of manufacturing, technology and science. This is the third time the Waterbury Regional Chamber has held the event, known in full as the STEM/Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Expo. Since its inception in 2011, more than 5,000 people have attended.
Students from regional schools plus Waterbury’s Dugan Elementary, Waterbury Arts Magnet School, Reed Elementary and Gilmartin Elementary visited booths set up by 21 companies and organizations, including the Army National Guard and U.S. Army.
Among the displays at the expo were machinery and tools used by students in NVCC’s manufacturing program. The robotics teams from Wilby High and Crosby High staged a live demo of their robots and explained how they work. Wilby High School students Ryan Goordot and Alex DeJesus, along with teacher Vincent Boucher, talked about their race car and how it was constructed.
“It takes many hours to create something like this and it takes teamwork,” Boucher said.
On the industry side, Chris Marinaro of Watertown’s Braxton Manufacturing Co. spoke about how his products are used in multiple applications for a range of customers. Among Braxton’s offerings are precision deep-drawn eyelets, deep-drawn metal enclosures and housings.
“We make products for medical, electrical and automotive” applications, Marinaro said. “The company also makes electronic connectors for circuit boards for various companies. We also make dental implants from titanium,” he added. “We have a lot of companies to deal with.”
“It is good for young students to be at the college to hear about a future of possibilities in manufacturing in Connecticut,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis. “Our successful manufacturing program owes part of its success to the significant support received in terms of internships for our students and later employment for our graduates.”
NVCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center was recently selected as one of ten finalists nationwide for the 2019 Bellwether Award for workforce development. The winner will be chosen in February at the Community College Futures Assembly in San Antonio.
Cutline 1: Wilby High School students speak with a recruiter about opportunities in technology in the Army National Guard at the Waterbury STEM expo .
