(Bluefield)—When Jesse Farmer took part in a summer internship at Conn-Weld Industries, the Bluefield State College student was following the advice of his “Honors College” advisors. When the ten-week experience concluded, Farmer’s understanding of manufacturing concepts and practices had grown exponentially.“Every student in the Honors College program at Bluefield State is encouraged to get involved in a research activity with faculty or industry,” Farmer explained. The BSC mechanical engineering technology major chose Conn-Weld Industries in Princeton because he had worked in the machine department there. “I knew the manufacturing engineers and I was interested in doing some design work,” he said.
His summer experience included outstanding opportunities to put theory into practice. “I worked on remote door openers, and we’re installing them on all the doors of the shop,” he continued. “Our engineers had worked on the concept of welding stainless steel in a vertical fashion, hoping to reduce the amount of contamination to the steel. During the summer, we were able to accelerate the process for implementing vertical welding.”
Farmer maintained a journal, detailing his experiences. “I learned a lot by talking to engineers,” he stated. “We worked on three-dimensional solid welding—a process that is used often in industry. I also gained some insight into engineering protocol and managerial strategies.”
The Princeton resident discussed his internship with the advisors and other members of the Honors College at BSC. “What I learned goes beyond the classroom,” he summarized. “I found that I can never stop learning when I finish college. I’ll be learning for the rest of my life.”
The Honors College at BSC is open to students who maintain at least a 3.75 grade point average and rank in the upper three percent of all students at the College. Honors College provides leadership opportunities, rigorous academic experiences, and community service. Students interested in receiving additional information about the BSC Honors College are encouraged to contact Honors College advisors Dr. Patrick Muldoon (pmuldoon@bluefieldstate.edu) or Dr. Carolyn Browning (cbrowning@bluefieldstate.edu).
October 11, 2004