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MIDDLETOWN, Va. - Engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District hosted students from eight local high schools during the annual Day With an Engineer event. Students learned about different engineering fields and competed in a design and build activity.
Nearly 100 students from eight area high schools took a day away from their usual studies to learn about engineering career fields March 21 at Lord Fairfax Community College’s Middletown Campus.
During the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District’s annual Day with an Engineer, high school students interacted with engineers to explore the different disciplines of the engineering field.
Col. Vincent Quarles, commander of the Middle East District and a mechanical engineer, greeted the students as they arrived in the morning. He discussed his passion for engineering and for serving in the military.
“What excites me is being able to solve a problem that has never been solved before,” he said. “Whether it’s here or overseas. In Afghanistan, I was able to help bring water and electricity to kids who had never had that before.”
Quarles explained his hopes for the students.
“We need folks who are excited about solving problems – like you, our future engineers,” he said. “So today what we hope to do is inspire you.”
Before lunch, the students learned about well known engineers through history, from Leonardo Da Vinci to Robert. E. Lee, and from Alfred Hitchcock to Star Trek characters. They learned about important courses to take in high school to prepare for an engineering major in college, as well as starting salaries and job outlook.
Paul Weaver, a history teacher at Strasburg High School, accompanied a group of students to the event. The students were chosen based on their academic skills and interests.
“Most of the students don’t know anyone in the engineering field,” he said. “This is their first opportunity to speak face to face with an engineer.”
Weaver is a student himself. After teaching for over 20 years, he has been studying engineering technology at Lord Fairfax Community College, and expects to graduate in December. He said this helps students relate to him on a different level, and helps him promote not only STEM careers but also an attitude of lifelong learning.
After lunch, representatives from LFCC spoke to the group about their engineering specialization degree program which prepares students for transfer to a four-year college or university to complete their engineering degree.
| Date Taken: | 03.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2015 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 158016 |
| Location: | MIDDLETOWN, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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