“Engineer for a Day” Program
by Charlie Hammontree, P.E., P.S., “Engineer for a Day” Chair

During National Engineers Week, Stark County high school juniors and seniors who are interested in learning about careers in engineering have the opportunity to participate in “Engineer for a Day,” which occurs Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 16 - 19.  Last year, 135 Stark County students spent a day as the guest of a local company that is engaged in engineering activities and to gain first-hand knowledge about the function of an engineer.

When applying to participate in the “Engineer for a Day” program, the student can choose to explore the engineering discipline of his/her choice.

A typical visit to a host company might include an introduction to the nature of the company’s business and products, a tour of the company’s facilities, and a chance to spend a few hours one-on-one with an engineer.  During the time that the student spends with the host engineer, he or she might be introduced to the vast array of hardware and software that the engineer uses, as well as to examples of the projects and the problems that the engineer works on and solves.

Participating in the “Engineer for a Day” program is rewarding for both the students and the host companies.

Examples of engineering disciplines that are offered by the host companies include Chemical, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Metallurgical, Industrial, Quality Control, Computer and Construction Engineering.

Companies that have participated in the 2009 “Engineer For A Day” program are Abbott Electric, Inc., Canton City Engineer, Cooper & Associates, Ltd., CTI Engineers, Inc., DCS Building Corp., Diebold, Inc., EOM, Ltd., GPD Group, Graco, Inc., City of Green, Hammontree & Associates, Limited, Hendrickson USA, LLC, Hilscher-Clarke, Koch Knight LLC, Marathon Ashland Petroleum, City of Massillon Engineer, M-E Companies, Ohio Department of Transportation District 4, Seifert Technologies, Inc., Sherwood RTM Corp, the Stark County Engineer, and the Timken Company.  In addition to the above companies which we trust will also participate this year, ASC Industries, Inc., Hannon Electric and the City of North Canton Engineering Department have pledged to host students in 2010.