BRIDGEPORT – Bridgeport Middle School seventh graders took a deep dive into the fields of science, technology, art and math when the Career Connections class capped off the latest nine-week course with a field trip to Touchstone Research Laboratory in Triadelphia.
Instructor Lori Doughtery said the class has been active for several years, firing up the imaginations of seventh graders about the STEAM fields and how they apply to different careers.
The seventh grade is split into four groups. Doughtery works with a different group during each nine-week period.
The one-and-a-half-month course operates through the FlexFactor outreach program formed to acquaint students with technical skills they need and the careers where those skills are in demand.
Using what they have learned about manufacturing technology and entrepreneurship, Doughtery’s students each put together a business model.
“They spent six weeks designing a product, something that could fix something,” she said. “They do a presentation on a project that they’ve designed and they present it to a panel of teachers, and we also do two field trips.”
As part of the program, the Career Connections students visit a college and a business. Earlier, they toured Belmont College where they learned about career training options and saw tools such as a driving simulator for semi trucks and a medical services lab where college students learn how to provide emergency medical care.
More recently the students toured Touchstone and met CEO and founder Brian Joseph, who gave them an in-depth look at how an idea can be turned into products that people need.
Doughtery said her students were wowed by the variety of options.
“At Touchstone you have physicists, you have chemists, you have engineers which they’re being exposed to, but they also have the machinists and welders out there, exposing them to some of those jobs that they don’t have to go to a four-year college or get a doctorate or get a Masters. There are jobs that they can go right in for training right out of high school.”
The trip made an impression on her students. Some like Mason said they were interested in the field of underwater welding.
Others like Jonathan learned about material made from pressed coal, which has multiple applications. He also had questions about the large three-dimensional printers.
Doughtery said Joseph also inspires young people by highlighting accomplished individuals and important industries from the area.
“He does a nice presentation of all of the products, all of the businesses that have come about, like the building of the suspension bridge, soda glass was invented here. Airplanes used to be here,” she said. “Talking about all of the inventions and the products that were started right here.”
Jonathan agreed.
“I really enjoyed all the Wheeling history in Brian Joseph’s presentation.”
Afterward, the students went to the SMART Centre in Wheeling. Doughtery thanked Joseph, who for the past two nine weeks has given each child a $10 gift certificate.
“So that when we go down to the SMART Centre they’re able to purchase something.”
The students tied everything together at the conclusion of the course.
“They had to put together a PowerPoint presentation where they tried to sell a new product, create a new product,” Doughtery said. “They’re looking at a real-world problem.”
The tour of Touchstone helped them envision the process of taking an idea and making it a reality, applying technology to solve problems.
“Showing what real-world entrepreneurs and people do.”
Doughtery stressed the importance of introducing students to varied options at an early age.
“We’re going to continue getting the rest of our kids out there to be exposed to those things. Get them down to the SMART Center, get them down to Belmont College to see what’s available there. Have them start thinking about it now while they’re in the seventh grade rather than waiting until they’re juniors and seniors in high school.”
