PCSD Pulse Podcast-Engineering Club

Season 3 Episode 3 In this Podcast Dr. Richard Surrency, Dr. Tom Hunter and Mike Helms are discussing the potential of bringing advanced science and engineering education to Putnam County. They believe that Putnam County students can play a key role in introducing engineering to their peers and classrooms, sparking interest in these fields. The vision is to make Putnam County a resource hub that helps address the nation's need for engineers, particularly by reaching students who might not have considered science and engineering as a career path.
Their goal is to ignite curiosity, appreciation, and a desire for science and engineering among students- many who may never have been exposed to these disciplines before. The future of technology with innovations like self-driving cars and planes, is already here, and the belief is that any one can become an engineer if given the right exposure and opportunities.
This past summer, for example, Putnam County held camps where students gained hands-on experience by building electric vehicles, giving them practical knowledge. The goal is for all students across the district regardless of their location to be exposed to the engineering design process starting as early as kindergarten. "In the district's vision students who know how to code will learn how to put on a tire, and the kid that can put on a tire will learn to code"-- Michael Helms preparing them for the growing field.
Ultimately, they want students to not just understand engineering in theory but to learn through practical, hands-on experience, just as professional engineers do when working on the floor. The emphasis is on the engineering design process as a foundation for their learning journey. Allowed by partnership with Dr. Tom Hunter a world renown Engineer.