Phoenix Contact Engineers Celebrate National Engineers Week by Teaching Science in Pennsylvania, Michigan
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Phoenix Contact engineers in Pennsylvania and Michigan are sharing their enthusiasm for science with local students this week. The activities are part of National Engineers Week (Feb. 14 through 20), an annual event that promotes engineering careers to young people and honors engineers' contributions to society.
Engineers from Phoenix Contact's U.S. headquarters, just outside Harrisburg, Pa., are working with students at the nearby Middletown Area Middle School. Each day, a team of engineers will teach sixth-grade science class, incorporating a combination of theory and hands-on activities into the lesson. Students will learn about static electricity with a demonstration of the van de Graaf generator; build an electric motor; race cookie tins to see how the distribution of mass around an axis affects the speed of an object; and build a catapult to demonstrate momentum and trajectory. This is the third consecutive year the company has worked with the school for Engineers Week.
For the first time ever, Phoenix Contact's automation sales and software development office in Ann Arbor, Mich., is also visiting a local school. On Thursday, Feb. 18, the Ann Arbor team will work with the seventh- and eighth-grade classes at Ann Arbor Open school. Students will learn about the history of manufacturing and begin work on the "mini-factory" project, a desktop model of a production line that includes a conveyor and some simple robots.
"Over the past few years, our engineers in our Harrisburg have had a lot of fun working with local students, and we're excited our Ann Arbor staff is joining the activities as well," said Jack Nehlig, president of Phoenix Contact USA. "These hands-on demonstrations not only show how math and science can be fun, but also how engineering impacts all of our lives on a daily basis. During Engineers Week, we'd also like to say thanks to all the engineers whose creative ideas make a world of difference at Phoenix Contact and beyond."
In addition to the school activities, Phoenix Contact will honor its practicing engineers with luncheons in both Middletown and Ann Arbor.
About Phoenix Contact
Phoenix Contact is a leading developer of industrial electrical and electronic technology. The company's diverse product range includes components and system solutions for industrial and device connection, automation, electronic interface and surge protection. Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg, Germany, operates 46 international subsidiaries, including Phoenix Contact USA in Middletown, Pa. Phoenix Contact's formal Integrated Management System is registered to ISO quality, environmental and safety standards (ISO 9001:2008,14001:2004 and 18001:2007).
For more information about Phoenix Contact or its products, visit www.phoenixcontact.com, or call technical service at 800-322-3225, e-mail info@phoenixcon.com
