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A team of engineering professionals from the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Nashville District recently welcomed area high school and
college students for a Corps career overview and tour of the Old
Hickory Lock and Dam in Hendersonville, Tenn.
Corps subject
matter experts within the fields of science, technology, engineering
and math talked about their jobs with nine students and four
teachers from Martin Luther King, Maplewood, Hillsboro, and
Nashville School of the Arts High schools and four college students
from Tennessee State University during their visit May 4, 2017.
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May 4, 2017 - John Bell, hydropower operator trainee, explains to a
group of high school and college students in the control room about
procedures and how water passes through generating units using a
gravity-fed system at the Old Hickory Dam Hydropower Plan in
Hendersonville, Tenn. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Mark Rankin)
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As part of a partnership with Tennessee State University Center
for Entrepreneurship & Economic Development in the student
entrepreneurship program, Corps employees mentored and instructed
students on STEM careers, engineering fields and current Corps
projects.
Maj. Christopher Burkhart, Nashville District
deputy commander, welcomed the group and gave the students a brief
orientation on the roles of civilian workers and military personnel;
he then received a more in-depth look at the district’s history,
branches, and project locations and purposes.
“It is great
to have the students and teachers here to take a few minutes and
educate them about Corps of Engineers careers,” Burkhart said. “Our
goal is to help students and teachers understand the many
possibilities of STEM jobs available at the Corps.”
Roy
Rossignol, Nashville District Small Business chief, has been working
with students for the past three years through the mentorship
program. He said helping educate high school and college students
through STEM is key to helping them understand the STEM path for
career advancement.
“STEM is great way we can expose our
youth to different careers fields in high school and college,” said
Rossignol. “Our goal is to take this opportunity to open the
teachers and students eyes through STEM and hopefully they will want
to come back and work for the Corps someday.”
Crystal
Tingle, Old Hickory Lake resource manager, talked to the students
about how the staff manages the natural resources at Old Hickory
Lake and educates the public and kids about being good stewards and
being aware of water and boating safety.
In addition, Carol
Haynes, chief, Equal Employment Officer with the Nashville District
explained career opportunities with the Corps to the students.
“It’s about finding innovative new ways of educating and
exposing students to careers, college, so that they think
differently about their future,” Haynes explained.
After the
briefing, Haynes and Tingle led the group across the Old Hickory
navigation lock and dam to the power plant located on the opposite
side of the dam on the Cumberland River in Hendersonville, Tenn.
The group met with hydropower operator trainee John Bell who
gave the group a safety briefing and introduction of maintenance
tools and gear used at the power plant.
Bell described the
day-to-day power plant operations and the function of four large
General Electric generators used for hydropower generation. The
group witnessed the operation of the turbine shaft and other major
components, and the large rotator assembly.
Bell said it was
an excellent opportunity for him to show the students the dam and
help them learn about the district’s infrastructure and engineering
expertise.
“I really like giving tours and I get a kick out
of seeing students come to visit the power house, see how it
operates and pause with a blank look on their face when they see or
learn something they did not know,” said Bell. “I enjoy giving STEM
students tours because it offers them a practical approach to basic
high school science and engineering to college learning, and also
helps them understand what engineers do and how college classes
relate to real-world engineering.”
At the end of the tour,
Darrell Butler Jr., a senior from TSU, said understanding the whole
concept of a lock and dam, and the hydropower process was a mind
blowing experience and he is very appreciative of the opportunity to
tour the dam before he graduates college. He said he plans to pursue
an engineering job with the Corps of Engineers.
“Most people
don’t get this opportunity to see how the Corps operates and have
the opportunity to ask questions,” said Butler Jr. “I’m so
impressed, that I want to work for the Corps of Engineers.”
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May 4, 2017 - A group of students and teachers from Martin Luther
King, Maplewood, Hillsboro, and Nashville School of the Arts High
schools and four college students from Tennessee State University
during their visit. A team of engineering professionals from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District welcomed the group
for a Corps career overview and tour of the Old Hickory Lock and Dam
in Hendersonville, Tenn. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Mark Rankin)
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District
promotes entrepreneurship programs that mentor and educates
students on STEM careers, and host events and tours that
encourages learning in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics.
The partnership between the community
and schools is great way for the kids to apply what they are
learning in the classroom, said Jim Woodbury, ninth through
12th grade science teacher at Martin Luther King Magnet High
School.
The students and teachers soaked up the
information from the Corps, and the students left with more
knowledge that will help them with making informed decisions
about their future.
“I am very thankful for the Corps
to provide us the opportunity to visit the hydro-electric
dam,” said Woodbury. “I’ve learned so much in person that I
teach in class in theory.”
By Mark Rankin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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