MANSFIELD — Michaii Williams is a shy kid with a quiet voice.
But ask him to demonstrate a science project and a new kind of confidence emerges.
“It might take a couple minutes,” said Williams, 11, as he picked up a piece from his motors and generators-themed STEM kit.
Two yellow gears were encased in a transparent shell, connected to a bright orange crank on the outside.
Williams took two wires — both equipped with tiny metal clips on each end — and carefully connected them to a metal plate oppose the crank handle. Then he attached the other ends to a miniature fan.
“Can you hold this, please?” he asked, holding up the red fan.
Then, a cranking noise emerged. The blades blurred into a circle, cool air bursting forward as Williams sat a couple feet away, winding the orange crank.
Hands-on learning is a big part of the annual Summer Manufacturing Institute Camp organized by the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC), the Regional Manufacturing Coalition and EPIK.
The free camp provides students in fifth through eighth grade a chance to learn more about the largest employment sector in the area.
Mansfield’s camp is one of 50 occurring across 29 Ohio counties, according to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office.
The senator’s office began organizing summer manufacturing camps in 2013 and continues to provide support to camps across the state.
“Senator Brown created the camps after hearing from Ohio parents and students that they don’t often realize all the opportunities available today in Ohio manufacturing, and hearing from Ohio businesses that not enough young Ohioans are interested in manufacturing careers,” a statement from Brown’s office explained.
“The camps show students how they can put STEM skills to use in good-paying, long-term careers, and encourage young Ohioans to stay in our state and become leaders in the industries of the future.”
This year’s theme was water and sustainability in action. Students toured several employers in the area, including Gorman-Rupp, Michael Byrne Manufacturing, the City of Mansfield’s water treatment and wastewater plants, the Clear Fork Reservoir and MAPCO.
“The idea was to share with them that there’s things happening within their community that make their daily life a possibility,” said Tyler Shinaberry of EPIK.
“Being a manufacturing camp, we decided to go into manufacturing water. Gorman Rupp creates the pumps, the pumps push the water, the water goes through pipes.
“Michael Byrne Manufacturing creates the equipment that allows the pipes to go under waterways, go underneath rivers, reservoirs, etc. Then from there we go to treatment plants.”
