Students at New Hope High School experienced hands-on learning this week when a robotics trailer visited the campus.
Itawamba Community College paired with East Mississippi Community College to give students in eighth grade through 12th grade in New Hope’s robotics and engineering courses a glimpse into their future careers. The advanced manufacturing mobile lab visited the high school campus Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tracy Doyle, the school’s engineering and robotics teacher, said the lab is an opportunity to show students what awaits them when they graduate, should they choose to pursue a career in manufacturing.
“Most people don’t realize that manufacturing is not what it was 50 years ago,” Doyle said. “There’s so much science and math in it now, it’s not just a laborer’s job, so we wanted the students to see what all is available.”
With the amount of industry in the surrounding area, Doyle said she wanted to give students an opportunity to see how the skills they are learning in high school could be applied once they move on to a community college or four-year university.
“We wanted all students to see what other options are out there outside of…a four-year traditional track,” she said. “They can go to EMCC or ICC and get the technical training that can immediately put them into the work force, as well as prepare them to go on to a university level.”
Hunter Quinn, 17, is a junior at New Hope High School. Quinn plans to attend EMCC for two years and major in robotics engineering before transferring to a four-year university. Quinn hopes to join the military. After touring the lab, the teenager was excited about what he had just seen.
“For me, it’s really interesting,” he said. “You don’t realize that almost everything that we have is manufactured by the machines that are in here. There’s the 3D printer, which is really, to me, a work of art, I think that’s probably my favorite thing in there…just walk through it and it’s just amazing.”
Deanna Duckworth, ICC’s accountability and information specialist, said the lab, which must be towed by an 18-wheeler, has been mobile since last fall. The focus of the lab is to help steer students into manufacturing fields, Duckworth said.
“The whole idea behind the mobile unit is to try to get students interested in advanced manufacturing,” she said. “We want to dispel some of the myths. Manufacturing used to be hard labor — awful work. It’s not that anymore. There are some really high-tech parts of advanced manufacturing and we have a lot of the equipment, sometimes on a smaller scale, to try to get them to see what it’s all about.”
Duckworth was confident that students who take advanced manufacturing courses can graduate from a community college and step into a solid career.
“They have skills that are needed and they can get jobs, they can get good paying jobs,” she said. “They have skills where they can go to work and support themselves.”
Lovebiah Johnson, 17, is a senior at New Hope High School. Like Quinn, Johnson plans to attend EMCC to pursue a degree in robotics engineering before advancing to a four-year university. Johnson said he was impressed by the mobile lab’s robotics arm and laser printer. Touring the lab reinforced Johnson’s desire to major in engineering, he said.
“I’ve seen some things I haven’t seen,” Johnson said. “I think it’s a very good experience. This helped seal the deal.”
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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