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Students See Career Opportunities at STEM FairStaff reports
iBerkshires
05:17PM / Thursday, November 20, 2008
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — James Van Dyke didn't expect to spend so much time in classrooms.
But the vice president of environmental sustainability at Jiminy Peak Ski Resort has been finding himself speaking more and more to students about the wide range of possibilities for those considering careers in the environment, energy and engineering — among a host of other disciplines — because of the resort's landmark wind turbine.
"They all come into play," he told a crowded theater of area juniors and seniors last week at the Berkshire STEM Career Fair at Berkshire Community College.
"It's turned to be a probably bigger portion than we had anticipated," he said later, because of the resort's wind turbine Zephyr. "The public's reception of the project has been absolutely huge. ... When possible, we try to do outreach in the schools."
That's included talking with Taconic High School students who did a presention on Zephyr at the Region 1 Science Fair in May.
"It's showing the real-world applications of what they're learning," said Julie Hannum, BCC's tech prep coordinator. The college is the lead agency of the Berkshire Tech Prep Consortium, a partnership among local colleges, Berkshire County public high schools and area employers.
Hayden Kuhn, Ian Jones and David Jones of Mount Greylock |
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The Berkshire STEM Pipeline promotes careers and further education in science, technology, engineering and math.
Van Dyke was the keynote speaker for the event, which brought nearly 400 students from 11 Berkshire high schools together with 29 local employers and higher education institutes ranging from the Pittsfield Fire Department to Interprint to Unistress to the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts to the Marine Corps.
The fair covered two floors of the Susan B. Anthony Center and students milled around the tables, watching videos, peering through microscopes and perusing brochures as they peppered employers with questions about opportunities, salaries and requirements.
The table for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 7, based in Springfield, was mobbed with high schoolers trying their skill at stripping wires.
"We're looking for apprentices," said Mark Kuenzel, training director for the local. "There's been a lot of interest."
To keep them moving, each table handed out a sticker to be placed on the student's fair badge; once they got 20 stars, they could drop their badge into a raffle for Berkshire Mall gift certificates, BCC and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts items, flash drives and more.
Some students, like Kayla Whitman and Nissa Kuta of McCann Technical School in North Adams, already know what they want to do — accounting — but were looking for places to do it, Covanta Energy Crop. Pam Crawford and Katie Duerr, both seniors at Mount Everett Regional School, were both interested in nursing and checking out the tables related to health care to look at possibilities. Hayden Kuhn, Ian Jones and David Jones of Mount Greylock Regional High School were intrigued by the types of technology being used right here in the Berkshires.
Some STEM aspects weren't readily apparent at some tables, which helped prompt students to ask questions.
"How does this relate to science and technology," a student asked Randy Stein, a firefighter in the Pittsfield Fire Department. Stein replied that firefighters have to carry 70 pounds of equipment; "Engineering equipment that weighs less can be a lifesaver."
It can also mean working on anything from high-tech heat and smoke detectors to inflammable materials, he said.
This was the second STEM fair, organized by the Berkshire STEM Pipeline and Berkshire Tech Prep Transitions Consortium and supported by BCC, MCLA, the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board, Applied Technology and the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
It's all about encouraging students to realize that science and technology offer a broad range of opportunities. |
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