Cleveland State Community College was awarded the funding along with the University of Tennessee Chattanooga to create the Experiential Learning in Advanced Manufacturing towards Novel and Diverse Career Opportunities for Rural Tennessee Students (EXPAND TN) program.
Cleveland State Community College and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program. Together, the two schools have been given $800,000 over a three-year period to implement its Experiential Learning in Advanced Manufacturing towards Novel and Diverse Career Opportunities for Rural Tennessee Students (EXPAND TN) program, a program that is intended to give local dual-enrolled high school students hands-on learning experience opportunities in the field of advanced manufacturing.
Dr. Bradley Harris, an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, is collaborating on the program with Karen Wyrick, who is the dean of STEM and Advanced Technologies at Cleveland State Community College.
According to an article on Cleveland State Community College’s website, Dr. Harris explained his hopes for the program and what he wants the high school students to receive from the opportunity. He is quoted as saying, “I hope the grant money will start a pipeline that will continue past the grant award. I really want these kids to learn what advanced manufacturing is; it’s a very broad term. It can mean sustainability; it can mean green engineering; it can also mean additive manufacturing – really anything that improves the efficiency of manufacturing. I also want them to understand that you don’t have to get an engineering degree; there are multiple routes to go into this field. You can go into a certificate program; you can get a two-year degree in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) or advanced technologies, or you can go for an engineering degree.”
As part of the program, ten students from Bradley Central High School, Meigs County High School, and Polk County High School who are dual-enrolled in the Cleveland State Technical Calculations class will be given the opportunity to take part in a paid six-week summer internship with local advanced manufacturing companies. The students will also be eligible for scholarships should they choose to continue their education at Cleveland State Community College or the University of Tennessee Chattanooga for engineering or advanced technologies.
Wyrick said, “This is an exciting opportunity for these high school students to learn about the advanced manufacturing opportunities in our area while they are also earning college credit. This program highlights our commitment to prepare students with the skills needed for success in the evolving workforce.”
For more information about Cleveland State Community College, visit the school’s website.