Melvin Watson Selected to Judge National Competition

CONTACT: MELVIN WATSON, EXT. 2249

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/19/2000

PENDLETON -- Melvin Watson, an instructor in the Business and Industry Training Department at Tri-County Technical College, was among a team of six professionals from all over the United States selected to judge the "Mechatronics" category at the national Skills USA Championships competition last month.

Watson, of Pickens, was chosen to judge this prestigious competition because of his expertise in mechanical and fluid power applications and electronics. The four-day event was held in Kansas City, Missouri, and the competition represented 245,000 students in 70 categories.

Mechatronics is defined as the synergistic application of mechanical, electrical and computer technologies to the design of products and manufacturing processes.

Twenty-four secondary and postsecondary students were asked to design, build and troubleshoot an integrated machine sub-system that is typical of those found in many automated manufacturing environments. Winners of this competition will compete in the Annual Mechatronics World Skills Olympics to be held in Seoul, Korea in 2001.

This Industrial Maintenance/Mechatronics Division is sponsored by Festo - an international company that is a global supplier of components, control systems and training for industrial automation.

Watson joined Tri-County Technical College as an electromechanical instructor in the Business and Industry Training Department of the Continuing Education Division in 1989. Watson spent most of his career as a manufacturing engineer in industry, and prior to joining Tri-County operated his own training business, Watson Associates.

He is a member of Praters Creek Baptist Church and the Six Mile Masonic Lodge # 339. In 1998 he retired as a sergeant major after 26 years in the Army Reserves Combat Engineers.

He holds an Electronics Engineering Technology degree from Tri-County and Mechanical Engineering Technology degree from Greenville Technical College. In addition, he earned a B.S. in Engineering Technology from Clemson University and a master's in Organizational Management in 1993 from Southern Wesleyan University. In 1999 he was certified in Work Keys, a national workforce
development system designed to assess job requirements and individual skills. He achieved Certified Manager status by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers in 1998.
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