Building the Talent Pipeline: St. Petersburg College ET Program Hosts 2024 Summer Camps

FLATE frequently emphasizes the importance of changing the perception of careers in manufacturing to reflect its true status as the most advanced, high-tech industry in the country. Two ways to provide exposure to manufacturing careers are through manufacturing summer camps and tours of local manufacturing facilities. Robotics and Engineering Technology Camps take students on an in-depth exploration of some of the most recent technologies used in high-tech manufacturing environments. Students develop real-world skills in programming through a hands-on exploration of STEM-related topics in robotics.

This summer, St. Petersburg College’s Engineering Technology (ET) program hosted two summer camps for middle and high school kids at its Clearwater campus that also included visits to local companies. 

First, a Nuts Bolts and Thingamajigs (NBT) manufacturing camp was held June 3-7. NBT camps are partially sponsored by the Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association to promote US’s fabrication of goods. M.S. Greg Lewis and Dr. Andres Cardenas were the 3D Design and Mechatronics coaches, respectively. The eight campers enjoyed the camps’ curriculum, which consisted of:

• Introduction to Electronics and Mechatronics
• Creating a siren circuit and a transistor-based touch-on light
• Creating circuits which were interfaced to micro-bit and Arduino microcontrollers
• Creating solid works drawings and 3-D printing their designs. 

Draper Labs, June 2024

Campers also visited two local industrial facilities: Draper Labs and Inventorium Robotics, both located in the City of St Petersburg).

• At Draper Labs, the campers learned how semiconductor materials are used and also had the chance to dress up for a cleanroom. 
• At Inventorium Robotics, the kids learned all the basics of a machine shop. 

Also, two professional visitors shared their experience with our campers. Dr. Michelle L. Cardenas, professor at the University of South Florida’s Engineering College delved deeply into the world of inventing, designing and leading a team to fabricate electromechanical prototypes. M.S. Abraham Azar, from Polypack, another local manufacturer, provided an in-depth discussion of engineering design that included examples of the types of machinery used for automation at Polypack.

SPC FORM Camp, June 2024

The second camp was held June 24-28: The Future of Robotics and Mechatronics (FORM) Camp. Sponsored by the City of Clearwater, this camp was packed with activities led by Dr. Cardenas-Valencia, working with St. Petersburg College's cobot ("collaborative robot"), relay boxes, PLC trainers, industrial robots, and pneumatic trainers.

The campers also:

• Worked with Arduino-based claws, where they operated a prosthetic claw (for amputees) with their own muscles, and
• Programmed a micro-bit bot and completed the assembly and programming of a 4-degees of freedom robotic arm. 

The eight FORM campers visited the MONIN U.S. Headquarters and Flavor Innovation Center, in Clearwater. In this industrial visit, the campers learned about automated manufacturing, the processing of flavors and even tested a new flavor, as Monin does for their novelty products. 

Two professionals visited the FORM camp to talk about their careers. Mr. Richard Cole, alumni from St. Petersburg College's Engineering Technology program, now works at Duke Energy. He taught the campers how electrical energy is produced and transported to their homes. Mr. Larry Langebrake, an accomplished electrical engineer, gave an inspiring talk about how technology has evolved over the years and how he, after an illustrious career, has become an entrepreneur and co-started his own manufacturing company Sayweather.  

Manufacturing summer camps and plant tours shows students, parents and community members the high paying career paths available in manufacturing. The ultimate goal is to help manufacturers build a steady pipeline of qualified and diversified manufacturing talent to help build and support local economies for decades to come.  For information on planning your student event, visit https://madeinflorida.org/manufacturing-day/.