February 13, 2008

Two guitar-making workshops created for high school students

Mark French, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology and organizer of the workshops, said that both workshops will be modeled after the Purdue Guitar Workshop, which will be held for the second year in July.

"We want to reach out to high school students to get them interested in technology and specifically about modern advanced manufacturing processes," he said.

"There was a lot of interest last year from high school students, so we decided to create opportunities for them that contain more of an educational bent but still will be a lot of fun."

The STEPS High School Guitar Making Workshop will be offered July 29-Aug. 1. It is open to all high school students in 10th-12th grades. The class will meet daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Knoy Hall of Technology, Room 106, and Michael Golden Labs, rooms 1208 and B217. The cost to attend is $150.  Lunch and all materials will be provided.  This workshop is being funded by a $25,000 grant from the Society for Manufacturing Engineers.

STEPS (Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer) Academies are held around the country in the summer to introduce students to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and then link them to the partner schools using Project Lead The Way.
The WIRED High School Workshop will be held Aug. 5-8. It is open to 10th- and 11th-graders from Region 4 in Indiana. Students will stay in on-campus residence halls for the week.   There is no cost to attend this workshop.
The workshop is being funded in part by a $35,000 grant from the national WIRED initiative, which was part of a larger grant the university received last year.

 Indiana WIRED (Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development) is part of a federal development initiative designed to help state and local communities compete in the global economy. Region 4 includes the counties of Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and White. Students attending the WIRED workshop must be residents of one of these counties.

In both workshops, the students will make an acoustic-electric guitar. Attendees will receive a complete kit of materials, including a guitar body and neck with most of the machining already completed. Participants will then be able to tailor the final shape of the body and neck, as well as add other custom touches, such as paint.
The courses will be conducted by Purdue faculty and staff, including French, who has worked with several major guitar manufacturers and has been making his own instruments for 15 years.  He also teaches a class during the academic year on instrument manufacturing and testing in which students build and test an acoustic guitar.

Brad Harriger, a professor of manufacturing engineering technology, will offer insights on advanced manufacturing processes. Richard Couch, director of engagement at Purdue's Center for Advanced Manufacturing, will offer insights on large-scale manufacturing.

French said he is especially interested in reaching out to women and minorities, groups that he said are traditionally not attracted to careers in advanced manufacturing.

"There is a national shortage of qualified workers in the industry, so getting kids interested early is important," he said. "There is a huge demand for our students. We want to dispel the myth that using power tools and large machinery is just for boys. Creating a learning environment where everyone isn't the same is an important step in changing attitudes."

Each workshop is limited to 15 participants. Those interested in signing up can contact French at (765) 494-7521 or rmfrench@purdue.edu.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Mark French, (765) 494-7521, rmfrench@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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