ACADEMY GIVES STUDENTS UP-CLOSE LOOK AT INDUSTRY

Like many high school students, Lani Bedwell is having trouble deciding what she wants to do when she grows up.

The Scott City High School student knows two things -- she wants to go to Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and she likes math and science.

To explore some of her options, Bedwell is attending the first Summer Academy of Engineering and Industrial Technology sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational Technical School.

The academy, which runs through Friday, will examine careers that relate to fields in engineering and industry.

Sixteen students from Cape Girardeau Central, Notre Dame, Jackson and Scott City high schools will visit five local industrial sites and Southeast Missouri State University's Industrial Technological Center. They will also perform laboratory and classroom experiments and shadow professionals within the fields.

Jerry Whitvoet, academy co-director, has his sights set on two goals by the end of the week.

"I hope the students come away with a lot more knowledge and experience of industrial careers and see more relevance in their high school courses that apply to the industrial setting," he said.

Monday, students spent the day at Carpenter's Hall and visited local construction sites at St. Francis Medical Center and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

Local carpenters played teacher for the day. The lesson was life and learning.

"Students got to ask them what kind of education and classes were needed for the jobs they were doing," said David Papendick, an academy team leader. "These students might not have any idea of the kind of skills that are required for different occupations. It means something coming from the horse's mouth rather than from teachers."

Tuesday, the industrial setting was Lone Star Industries Inc. Students divided into four groups and took turns touring the engineering department and laboratory and going on a riding and walking tour of the plant.

Climbing the plant's nine-story tower, students saw the facility from a bird's-eye view and learned the history of the United States' second largest cement producer. Mike Harrison, quality supervisor, arranged experiments in the engineering department and laboratory to give students hands-on experience and to keep the interest level high.

Bedwell used Autocad, a computer program used in engineering and drafting, and made cement pellets to test with an X-ray machine for chemical composition.

She and other students also teamed up with lab technicians and learned to test for the quality of coal using British Thermal Unit analyses and sulfur and chlorine contents.

"We want them to run as many tests as they can in an hour time frame," Harrison said. "Our focus is to show the students in a day the kind of work that goes on at Lone Star."

Bedwell looks at the academy as a way to preview many careers. She hopes the wide range of activities will give her a better idea of what she wants to do after college.

In the eight and a half hours she spent at Lone Star, she did pick up on one thing that's necessary in the industrial field.

"There's no one individual that makes an industry work," she said. "Everybody has to work together to keep the plant running."

Students will visit Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co. today, DANA Corporation on Thursday and Southeast Missouri State University and its Industrial Technological Center on Friday.

Travis Klipfel, a junior at Cape Girardeau Central High School, considers the academy an investment in his future. Although he is being exposed to the numerous jobs that exist in the field of engineering, he admits there are other benefits.

"I hear this kind of stuff looks good on a resume," he said.