JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP – Some real “girl power” was at work during the first week of the Ashtabula County Manufacturing Institute (ACMI) July 13-17 at A-Tech.
The “Mad Scientist” week of ACMI allowed girls from around the county to build cool science-based devices and visit local manufacturers.
“The idea is to encourage females to consider careers in STEM education,” R. Scott Wludyga, superintendent of A-Tech, said.
Charlotte Glekler, 10, was one of the students attending the STEM Camp Luncheon on Friday, July 17, that wrapped up the week.
She enjoyed making a Vortex Cannon, which shot of circle of air that could knock over a stack of paper cups.
She thought it was really fun.
“You can feel how like it’s a circle of air,” she said.
Her grandfather, Bob Sposito of Ashtabula, who also attended the STEM Camp Luncheon, was happy about Charlotte taking part.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s fantastic, I think.”
He thought the ACMI Camp allows the youths to have fun and learn things.
“She loves every minute of it,” he said.
Drawing attention to the relevance of the camp, Wludyga pointed out that Ohio is the third largest chemistry producing state in the United States with 41,744 employees statewide. He noted that there are 628 manufacturing sites in the state with a $31.86 billion economic impact.
Wludyga said partnerships with sponsors like the Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners, Ashtabula County Job & Family Services, and LyondellBasell allowed Crunch Lab kits to be purchased so the students could have some STEM-related experiences.
Businesses the students visited during the week included Grand River Rubber & Plastics, French’s Concrete, Lake City Plating and Iten Defense.
“And so for the students to be able to go into those facilities and see how what they’re learning in school applies to real-world, meaningful experiences that could be a great career is really what makes this camp successful,” Wludyga said. “And with all those partnerships in the county is why it’s such a success.”
Ashtabula County Commissioner Kathryn Whittington, who attended the STEM Camp Luncheon and helped honor the students for participating, thanked the parents for letting the children take part in the ACMI Camp and learn about chemistry and the manufacturers in the county.
“We appreciate your allowing them to have this educational opportunity,” she said.
She said they’re looking forward to the upcoming weeks of ACMI as well.
These include Robotics Week July 20-24 and Food & Agriculture Production and Future Tech July 27-31.
