2002 Duke Energy Technical Career Day is March 26

CONTACT: LISA GARRETT, EXT. 2315

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/21/2002
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- The past several months have been a challenging and rewarding learning experience for area high school students who accepted the assignment of designing and programming a robot to enter in the second annual Duke Energy Technical Career Day competition.

The 2002 Duke Technical Career Day is set for March 26 at the World of Energy Visitor Center. Duke Energy and Tri-County Technical College are engaged in a partnership to increase awareness of careers open to industrial and engineering technology graduates.

High school juniors and seniors representing career centers (Hamilton, B.J. Skelton, the Career and Technology Center and Hanna-Westside Extension campus) and the two comprehensive high schools (Crescent and Pendleton) are all working on the same project: to construct or design a robot to be programmed to perform a series of three tasks. Each team, composed of up to 15 members, received an identical Lego kit with a motor and accompanying software.

Each team will present its project to Duke Energy and Tri-County judges on March 26. Teams acquire points for each section of the course. The team with the most points in the allotted time wins the robotic award. There also will be awards for creativity, design, teamwork, programming, and communication/presentation skills. The Duke Energy Award, a $500 prize, goes to the best overall team.

Unlike last year's competition, students are working on the same project, said Dr. Jim Wood, who chairs the College's Industrial and Engineering Technology Division. "We wanted to make sure there was a level playing field by having students working on the same project, using the same materials. It creates an evenness. We narrowed the focus this year, but we broadened what they had to do within that focus," he said.

"As a result, we have engaged the students in an exploration – to determine a strategy as to how to perform a series of tasks which include an experiment on a robot and mechanical design," said Dr. Wood. "The project involves good problem-solving situations and introduces them to the concepts of design and implementation."

Tom Hewitt, School-to-Work coordinator for Anderson School District 4, says this year's project was more of a challenge because it required a different thought process. Pendleton High School's Entrepreneur class, consisting of 12 juniors, has been working on the project for around six weeks. "It has kept the students' curiosity aroused because Tri-County's instructors have fed them information every week. It kept the students more engaged, and they've acquired good team-building skills," he added.

It's crunch time this week, Hewitt said, and they are working on a business plan and the power point presentation. "We feel good about our presentation. Our team has a lot of live up to," he said. Pendleton High's technodogs, inc. won last year's competition.

For the past two years, Duke Energy has presented Tri-County with a $4,000 check to fund the Career Day. The event is aimed at raising the awareness of technical careers that are available at Duke.

Fud Cater, a technical specialist at Duke for two decades and a 1971 graduate of Tri-County's Industrial Electronics Technology department, is looking forward to talking to high school students about what technical career opportunities are available at Duke Energy.

Cater says that within the next five years, there is a significant number of persons working in technical positions at Duke who will reach retirement age.

"Technical colleges provide graduates with the hands-on skills we will need," said Cater. "We see the need to stay in touch with Tri-County, as well as high schools in our service area, to let them know there will be job opportunities in the technical fields for people with the required skills. It's a good investment to work with high schools and Tri-County to support that."

Specifically, Cater says two-year technical degrees from Tri-County can lead to careers as maintenance technicians and instrument and electrical technicians. A person with a science background could work as a chemical technician, and many of the Tri-County majors give students the qualifications to hire in as operations learners.

Prior to the afternoon contest, students will hear presentations about specific jobs at Duke Energy, Cater said. "We will offer students the chance to ask specific questions about the opportunities at Duke. There are many job opportunities within Duke Energy, not just at the Oconee Nuclear Station. There are jobs all around the world."
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