sTEm–at-Work Puzzle #43: Battery Recharge expectations

A major customer of a high performance battery manufacturer has a critical, mission-specific performance expectation from the lithium batteries they purchased. The Quality technician for the manufacturer can only authorize shipment of all of the batteries from each manufactured lot after a statistically valid sampling and subsequent testing of all the batteries in that sample have been performed. If just one of those tested batteries does not at least meet the minimal charge/discharge specifications established by the customer, none of the batteries in that manufactured lot will be shipped to this customer.

Three different charge/discharge tests are performed. A range of expected battery performance as indicated by these three tests is shown in the performance graphs below. One battery, under test, had the following recovery characteristics:

• It recovered 80% after it was 100% discharged and recharged 500 times
• It recovered 75% percent after it was 50% discharged and recharged 600 times (and)
• It was 30% discharged in less than 30 minutes and recovered 70% after 1,200 charge/discharge cycles.

The Tech did not authorize shipment of this lot of batteries to the customer. YES  or NO. Submit your answers below the blog post, or on www.fl-ate.org.

3D Printing: The New Technological Frontier to Engage Students in STEM & Manufacturing

The constant and consistent call to action for American education has been to increase their interest and performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Additionally, a recent clarion call has been issued to inform students about the important role of manufacturing in our nation’s economic growth, homeland security, and desire to remain the most competitive and innovative nation in the world. Educators have discovered that robotics is a low-cost, effective method of providing engaging, exciting, and enriching lessons in literacy, mathematics, science and technology. Using robotics as a hook in K-12 education has become a successful initiative for increasing the interest of both boys and girls in STEM career and educational pathways. 

The “Maker Movement” centered on 3D printing, is driving a similar effect on STEM interest for our youth. With the ease of use and the availability of 3D printers, formal and informal educators are using additive manufacturing projects with students to peak their curiosity about “making” and manufacturing. Just as robotics offers a relatively easy entry into programming and problem solving, 3D printers can be the first step to introduce students to the processes of planning, designing, making and testing their own ”products”.

Through the push of the maker movement, hobbyists’ insatiable demand for 3D printers have driven

the costs of printers down so that they are fairly reasonable for most school districts and even families. The software needed to make 3D models is accessible to students free of charge.  Students can download 3D CAD software from Autodesk for free while younger students may use Autodesk’s Tinkercad software online. The one crucial ingredient needed to really make 3D printing ubiquitous in schools is curriculum and curriculum integration. Robotics had a huge increase in momentum when educational institutions such as Carnegie Mellon, Tufts, and Sinclair Community College developed and disseminated curriculum, resources, and challenges that formal and informal educators could use inside and outside the classroom. These curricula include alignment to academic standards so teachers can integrate into their existing curriculum.  Many teachers need professional development, but after a few targeted sessions together with good curriculum, they are on their way. Across the country students began using robots to design, build and program robots of all types and learning, and reinforcing science, technology, engineering and math principles at the same time. 

The 2007 FLATE robotics camps for middle school students were cutting edge and unique among summer camp offerings for kids. FLATE’s Best Practice Guide for Robotics Camp, published in 2009, has been distributed nationwide and used by colleges, university, and non-profit groups everywhere to increase STEM outreach efforts. Additionally, FLATE, in partnership with other organizations, has coordinated professional development workshops to help educators integrate robotics concepts into their classroom curriculum to meet state standards in mathematics, science, literacy, and technology. A few other organizations in Florida also started offering robotics camps, however, the idea of teaching K-12 students to program robots was not mainstream five years ago.  

3D printing/additive manufacturing should follow a similar path. In order for educators to stimulate

students with 3D printing, standardized curriculum and integration models are needed.   3D modeling can help students understand some advanced math concepts in geometry, algebra and trigonometry. Science students can discover the differences in materials used for manufacturing. 3D printing, like robotics, can help students develop teamwork skills, improved problem-solving skills and expose students to the engineering design process. Structured lessons for all secondary levels and educator professional development will provide the support that education needs to use 3D printing as another powerful tool to engage students in relevancy of STEM in their everyday lives and provide the opportunities for them to explore and consider STEM career paths.  

Each summer, FLATE offers a high school camp in which students use SolidWorks to design objects based on given design specifications. In 2015, campers will incorporate microprocessors and 3D printers for their camp projects. 3D printers will be added to a growing list of 21^st century technologies that must be used to help engage students in STEM and keep our nation globally competitive and the number one innovative nation in the world.  For more information about additive manufacturing contact Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org. For information about FLATE summer camps contact Desh Bagley at bagley@fl-ate.org, or visit http://madeinflorida.org/camps-workshops.  

Florida TRADE @HCC Helps Veterans Join the High-Tech Workforce

Florida TRADE@HCC coordinated a facility visit for veterans and military-in-transition as part of 

National Manufacturing month in Florida. The visit, part of the program called “T-VETs of Hillsborough,” provides veterans and military-in-transition the opportunity to tour manufacturing facilities throughout the county. “T-VETs of Hillsborough” initiative seeks to help increase the pipeline of talent for the manufacturing industry by introducing veterans and military-in-transition to manufacturing as a viable career.

The facility visits consisted of a short presentation, a tour of the facility’s operations, and a panel 

discussion with key personnel. Chromalloy Castings in Tampa, hosted the tour, exhibiting what is said to be one of the most technologically advanced modern casting facilities in the world. This facility features advanced, cutting edge technology from shell lines that fine-tune process control to furnaces that enable the production of the entire range of complex aero, aero derivative, industrial gas turbine and heavy industrial components.

Participants were able to observe the full production process of casting, a process by which a liquid material is poured into a mold containing a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then is allowed to solidify. The solidified part, also known as a casting, is broken out of the mold to complete the process. The process, while it involves some manual labor, is heavily dependent on robotics and electronics to create a perfect part. Among other things, Chromalloy manufactures parts for jet engines, and participants were able to understand the importance of detail and quality in each stage of the production process.

Veterans working at Chromalloy committed a portion of their workday in a Q & A session with

participants. The veteran employees, all from different departments --- accounting, production, purchasing among others --- told participants a bit about their background and what they did to successfully secure a job in the manufacturing industry. Several subjects were covered from managing expectations in civilian life, education and training, resume, interviews and selling your military skills the right way to potential employers.

Economic Development Manager with Hillsborough County, Ken Jones stated “the tour helped open

the eyes of veterans to better understand career opportunities within the manufacturing industry.” Some of these opportunities include production, R&D, quality control, maintenance, welding, finance, and logistics, to name a few. We would like to thank Chromalloy Castings, FLATE, Hillsborough County, Upper Tampa Bay Manufacturing Association and Career Source Tampa for their support of “T-VETs of Hillsborough”.

If you are a veteran and would like to join our tours visit http://fltradehcc.com, or contact Miguel Angel Garcia at mgarcia147@hccfl.edu, or Ms. Kirsten Miller at kmiller18@hccfl.edu.

This article was contributed by Miguel Angel Garcia, FL TRADE @HCC

Additional Points of Interest

Veteran Organization Fair at HCC-Dale Mabry

Symposium for Vets at HCC, Brandon Campus on Nov. 15.

Student Showcase at NCPN Provides Up-Close Look at CTE Programs in FL & Tête-à-Tête with Industry Experts

Students enrolled in Career & Technical Education programs across Florida had the opportunity to showcase their programs and best practices at the 2014 National Career Pathways Network (NCPN) Conference in Orlando, FL. At the conference, Florida Career Pathways Network (FCPN) partnered with the 2014 NCPN Conference to host a Florida student showcase to give conference attendees an up-close look at secondary and post-secondary career pathway programs, highlight CTE programs offered by Florida based educational institutions, and provide visitors from around the country a chance to talk to students enrolled in these programs. FCPN featured selected FL Best Practices to be part of a special “Florida Surge Session” during the conference.

Given the potential for statewide/national exposure, FLATE took an active role not only in promoting

the opportunity to the educational community in Florida, but also helped secure funds for some students to attend the conference and participate at the showcase. This year’s student showcase comprised of programs from 10 middle and high schools from  Florida. Among them were the student showcase from McLane Middle School in Brandon and Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology in Jacksonville, FL.

It was the first time the Vibots—the robotics team from McLane Middle School in Brandon—participated in the student showcase at the NCPN conference, said Mike Wilson, program director for the robotics program at McLane. The overall theme of their showcase “Robotics in the Modern World” was geared to promote robotics as a tool for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Using a humanoid robot students demonstrated how robotics can be used to teach manufacturing principles and its applicability in everyday settings.

The Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics Academy and the NCAC Model Aviation Academy

at Frank H. Peterson (FHP) Academies in Jacksonville also teamed up with the National Flights Academy to send students for the first time to participate in the Florida student showcase. Stephanny Cahill, Darius Singletary and Charles Stephens were the three students who attended the showcase along with Jessica Parrish, vice principal and Russ Henderlite, instructor for the automation and production technology and director of the robotics program at FHP.

The theme of their showcase was “Tying Manufacturing to NCAC Model Academy,” and was a culminating experience for students who were taking coursework from both academies and had interest in pursuing careers in aviation and/or manufacturing. “The idea behind the participation was to give students an experience in presenting their achievements to an outside audience and represent the school to a national group” said Russ Henderlite who was recently named 2014 FLATE secondary educator of the year.

Students showcased the robotics and advanced manufacturing and aviation academies and how they were connected to the manufacturing industry and STEM field in general. Students also presented an informational PowerPoint about the Aviation Academy and their participation in the Naval Flight Academy. They operated several different types of robots that were on display, and manufactured giveaway items to conference/booth attendees that were made onsite using a 3D printer to demonstrate the ability to rapid prototype designs.

The Florida Student Showcase offered several perks to participating schools and students. “The

biggest reason is the experiential learning” that students will gain from interacting with educators across the nation said Nicole Palmer, coordinator for career pathways at Valencia College. Other takeaways included a first-hand look at how other CTE programs around the state are configured, as well as an exposure and opportunity to interact with professionals from a variety of fields who answered students’ questions and improved their understanding of what it takes to work in high-tech industry. Both Henderlite and Wilson stated the conference gave their students a chance to talk with local vendors and learn about STEM-based careers that are available to them across Florida. Henderlite was highly impressed with the role NSF ATE Centers like FLATE and its business partners were taking to help educators at the secondary school level to provide students with opportunities to gain experience outside the classroom. Both Henderlite and Wilson agreed “the interaction with adults served as an energizer for students to pursue STEM careers.”

Besides, F.H. Peterson and McLane Middle School, other Florida student showcases included

those from: Treasure Coast High School in Port St. Lucie, Boone High School in Orlando, Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Middleton High School in Tampa, Leesburg High School in Leesburg, Madison Middle School in Tampa and Celebration High School/Osceola School of Arts/Westside Middle School in Celebration. For more information on the NCPN conference and the Florida student showcase visit www.ncpn.info and www.ftpn.org. To learn about Career and Technical Student organizations head to www.fl-ate.org and www.madeinflorida.org, or contact Executive Director of FLATE, Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org/813.259.6578.