Temple College’s SkillsUSA STEM Club competed at the SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta June 19-24 and, for the second consecutive year, won the gold medal in engineering technology design.
The 2023 engineering technology design team, made up of students Adrianna Rogers, Tobias Tait and Thomas Clawson, participated in onsite challenges provided by Air Products. They were required to design and create a draw bridge to hold a water bottle. In addition, they presented their “AHA – Articulated Headset Armature,” a device that holds a virtual reality (VR) headset to assist VR developers in efficiency and hands-free application when designing VR products.
The additive manufacturing team – students Ben Cameron and Trio Jimenez – participated in a three-day onsite challenge. The challenge was provided by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The team first participated in a mini challenge to design a ring, and then completed a full-scale challenge to design and build a device with interchangeable gears capable of picking up multiple items. The team placed fifth in the nation.
“The SkillsUSA competitions have helped me grow in developing skills in problem-solving and the engineering design process,” said Rogers, who serves as the club’s president. “It has opened up multiple opportunities for me through networking and meeting people from all over the U.S.”
Rogers, who was awarded a $5,000 SkillsUSA Make Your Mark Scholarship provided by Aerotek said she encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities provided by SkillsUSA and Temple College.
“SkillsUSA has allowed me to collaborate and compete with my peers in a subject that interests me,” Tait said. “Without SkillsUSA, I would not have had a similar experience. I want to thank all our sponsors who supported our teams.”
Sponsors integral in helping the students attend and succeed at the national competition include: Mr. & Mrs. Clawson, Kiella Homebuilders, Comprehensive Engineering Solutions, Inc. (CES), Panel Specialists, Inc. (PSI), Materials Transportation Company (MTC), Impac Additive 3D, Walker Partners, Wes’s Burger Shack and 5M Auto Body.
This year’s successes are a continuation of the club’s many accomplishments in national and state competitions:
- Students received Gold Awards for Chapter Display, Additive Manufacturing, Quiz Bowl, Architectural Drafting, and Engineering Technology Design at the 2023 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary State Leadership and Skills Conference.
- Sandra Melendez, professor of engineering technology and the club’s advisor. was named Texas State Advisor of the Year in 2023.
- In 2022, the club’s engineering technology design team won the Gold Award for their design of the “Handibat,” a pneumatic device that allows children with disabilities to play baseball, at the SkillsUSA National Championships.
- In 2022, the Temple College Skills USA STEM Club was named a Gold Chapter of Distinction – the highest honor a chapter can receive – at the SkillsUSA Texas College/Post-Secondary competition in Houston.
- In May 2022, the group celebrated the grand opening of its SkillsUSA Prototype Lab in Temple College’s Watson Technical Center.
“I am so proud of our students’ accomplishments,” Melendez said. “SkillsUSA provides students with opportunities to apply the real-world skills they have learned at Temple College.”
Engineering Technology at Temple College
The Department of Engineering Technology offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Drafting/Design Engineering Technology; Associate of Science in Engineering Technology; and an Associate of Applied Science in Electromechanical Engineering Technology.
The department also offers multiple certificate programs that prepare students for entry-level positions as assistants and technicians with building contractors, architectural engineers and mechanical engineering firms.
The Engineering Technology Lab has state-of-the-art technology, including 3D mice, 3D printers, plot printers, Alienware, and Oculus Quest rendering virtual and augmented reality. Software applications include Autodesk, REVIT, CAD, CIVIL3D, BIM 360, Map, Unity and SWIFT programing.
Dual credit classes in engineering technology are offered in the fall at the College’s Temple and Taylor campuses.
For more information about Temple College engineering technology programs or the SkillsUSA STEM Club, contact Dr. Sandra Melendez at Sandra.Melendez@templejc.edu or call 254-298-8442.
ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE
Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto and Taylor, offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree, or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.
Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 97 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for healthcare providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.