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Putting More STEAM into the FEF Student Experience

Pam Lechner

Pouring metal was fun!” “Metal castings can be used in buildings.” “I liked brushing off the castings and taking them home.” These are just some of the comments made by 8- to 14-year-olds at a STEAM activity held at San Marcos High School, attended by students from FEF certified school, Texas State.

In addition to metalcasting, this STEAM activity offered children in elementary through middle school  the opportunity to learn about health, insurance, aerospace, biological sciences, and the fire service. Several FEF schools take part in these types of events every school year, providing these students with a platform for sharing their passion and excitement with younger generations while introducing kids to a field they might not otherwise ever consider as a vocation.

But these activities are not only educational and fun for the children––their parents are also exposed to the world of metalcasting and able to see how their child responds to this type of career opportunity. One of the parents at the San Marcos event mentioned to FEF Key Professor, Luis Trueba that she was “excited to see that the hands-on activity seemed to turn her otherwise-reserved son into a very talkative individual.”

FEF affiliated school, Penn State University Behrend (PSU), also participated in a STEAM casting event at which about 600 people participated. PSU students designed and printed 3D binder jet printed molds––parents and children were able to choose a mold (either a PSU key chain or lion statue) and clean out the unbonded sand from the mold. PSU students then poured the molds with tin and finished the castings for the kids to take home.

PSU FEF Professor Paul Lynch said, “Our booth was busy the entire night! We were the first booth set up and the last one to leave … It took 12 people working at the booth to keep the activity moving along.”

The students from Texas State experienced that same level of busy activity. “We had so many very interested young people visit our table,” said student Rachel Cooling. “We had a good workflow going from molding to pouring to shakeout and cleaning. Next year we’ll request two tables!”

Is it worth the time and effort for our FEF schools to participate in these activities? FEF sources give a resounding yes.

“We are planting the seeds and hoping some of these young people will consider metalcasting for a career, and if not a career, then at least to recognize the importance of manufacturing and metalcasting on the quality of their lives, said Trueba. “I also think this is a great way for my students to share their metalcasting knowledge with the community. It gives them an opportunity to improve their communication skills as they talk about metalcasting with people ranging from elementary school students to their parents and grandparents.”

Educating younger students about our industry and encouraging them to consider their future in this industry is an important goal of FEF. Focus now includes getting into high school classrooms teaching casting. Through a partnership with the Composite’s Institute’s METAL program, FEF is expending resources, striving to keep the pipeline of metalcasting students full so foundries have a much larger pool from which to choose their next talented, experienced employee. FEF schools are doing their part in this very important undertaking.