Greg Wilkett, Fluor-BWXT President and CEO
STEAM Ahead is a hands-on science experience introducing new opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math to Pike County elementary students.
The mentors share their knowledge through interactive experiments from problem solving to chemical reactions, video editing, physics, water quality, welding, environmental studies, and more in easy to follow 15 minute lessons.
The program is now in three schools and looks to grow each year as more mentors and community partners join the effort to get local students engaged in science and thinking about their future careers.
The program would not be possible without the engagement of our FBP volunteers and others from Ohio University, the Ohio EPA, Pike County Extension Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Adena Health System.
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My presentation is on welding. We have a short video which shows different types of welding, SMAW, GMAW and TIG. These welds are made on plate and pipe that are on display that the students can look at and hold. I also have examples of weld bend test coupons that passed and one that failed. Finally, we have a virtual welder which allows the students to complete a simulated GMAW weld. This unit also grades them on their technique so they get to see which one can get the highest score if time allows more than one attempt.
Engineering has a world of opportunities with so many different fields within Engineering; however one thing that Engineers have in common is problem solving. This presentation goes through examples of problem solving at the PORTS Gaseous Diffusion Plant that is in D&D mode and also discusses various aspects of structural members. Next the students are given the opportunity to use their imagination to construct a masterpiece of their own.
My station combines building with Legos and learning process. Students build a small scene or item that is given to them on a card, and then work as a group to decide what process the items they built are describing. After determine the process (usually going to be or getting ready for school) and correct order of the process, I discuss the importance of planning work and how that keeps the workers, community, and environment safe.
Communication is the key to every career. No matter your job, it is important to learn how to effectively communicate, including asking questions to get answers. During the Public Affairs section students read off a real teleprompter, learn how to put a story together through video and play reporter and ask their fellow students questions to enhance the story telling process.
I perform an experiment that proves that air in the classroom’s environment has weight and exerts a pressure on everything around us. We also discuss the 3 phases of matter and how they vary with energy using water as an example. The experiment involves adding heat to a metal can, we use a soda can and a 1-gal can that would hold something like paint thinner, and creating sufficient generation of steam that the steam occupies the entire inner volume of the can and pushes the air out of the can. Then, we seal the can and place it in ice. The ice lowers the heat energy in the system and causes the steam to condense back to water, which occupies much smaller volume than the steam previously did. This creates a vacuum in the can as well as a pressure differential from atmospheric air pressure and the inside of the can. The air pressure exerts a force over the area of the cans and crushes them.
For community involvement activities, please contact Deneen Garner at 740-897-2609 or Deneen.Garner@ports.pppo.gov.
Are you a resident of the local Portsmouth community and have a question about our presence and impact on the area? Please do not hesitate to contact us with yout question. We are more than happy to hear from you. Please allow us some time to get back to you. For questions, please call 1-888-603-7722 or email questions@fbportsmouth.com