Teens experience technology at event - Danville Commercial News

DANVILLE – Area seventh-grade students and high school sophomores were intrigued by the technology around them Friday at Danville Area Community College.

Students remotely operated a small car with their cellphones and marveled at a robotic arm in the mechatronics lab.

The activities were enjoyed by more than 300 students from Danville, Hoopeston, Oakwood, Armstrong, Bismarck-Henning, Georgetown-Ridge Farm and DACC’s Middle College who participated in the annual Manufacturing and Technology Day.

The event offers students the opportunity to learn more about manufacturing technologies currently being used in local industry.

Students viewed a nationally recognized, energetic opening session video rally and participated in 15 small group sessions provided by DACC instructors and local manufacturing experts from Watchfire, Thyssen Krupp Presta, Towne Machine, Strama-NCT, all in Danville, and Kansas-based Depco.

“The kids are engaged,” Nick Chatterton, director of Vermilion Vocational Education Delivery System (VVEDS) and College Express, said of the event. “It’s great for DACC and College Express because these are skills that can be attained here, and we want them to come to DACC and finish their certification.”

One student closely examining the robotic arm in the mechatronics lab was North Ridge Middle School seventh-grader Krish Patel who aspires to be an engineer someday.

“I would like to be an engineer, and I went to Camp Invention this summer,” he said, explaining that he builds electronic items at home.

Joe Dicken, who is the Gateway to Technology instructor at North Ridge, said, “This is a good trip for us. We talk about it (technology) in the classroom, but it’s good for them to see it.”

The annual event is sponsored by DACC and VVEDS/College Express, as well as area businesses.

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