Sunday, July 1, 2012

Elder Johnson speaks at EMCC graduation

I was invited to give the commencement address to the TIME (Technical Initiative for Manufacturing & Engineering) graduates at East Mississippi Community College.  My address was titled "How To Get A Job".  It was based upon other similar presentations I have made to student and community groups.  I modified a PowerPoint presentation specifically to the needs of these students as they move from school into the workplace.  EMCC graduates are sought after by local and regional industries, as having qualified entry-level skills to move into a technical jobs in manufacturing. 




The administrators welcomed my remarks, from an employer's viewpoint - as representing companies to whom their graduates will seek employment.  I stressed the competitive nature of the workplace and the need to be more marketable and qualified than their peers, in order to start on the career they want.


Students and parents at graduation


Elder Johnson with two of the EMCC faculty:  Dr Jim Huerkamp and Chrystal Newman

A selected group of the EMCC graduates

Elder Johnson presents two model robots to Mr. Otis Taylor, director of the EMCC Workforce program.  These model robots are moveable at every one of their 6 joints, and serve to demonstrate to students the range of motion of industrial robots.

Close-up of the model robots.  The "real" version of these robots has a 165Kg (363lb) payload, and a working radius (reach) of about 2 meters.  Back home at Precision Automated Technology, we use many robots of this size, as well as smaller (3Kg) and larger (750Kg) to provide automation solutions for our customers.

Dr. Jim Heurkamp of EMCC, starting up the Mechatronics test module for me to see.  The complexity of this system is similar to some of those we make at Precision Automated Technology.  Some of the systems we make for airbag component assembly and robotic cake decorating are WAY more complex.

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