March 2020 NEWSLETTER

The BOSS Scholars Program at DMACC is a minority male initiative. The program is intended to provide additional resource and support system for students who typically face many additional obstacles to aid them in their journey to success and graduation. Contact kwzanders@dmacc.edu for more info.

Gear Up - Student for a Day Event NAACP Youth Council Banquet STEAM: Invest In My Future Event YMCA: Youth College Night

DMACC Takes New Steps to Protect Students and Communities from Coronavirus Pandemic DMACC will continue with the College's planned Spring Break, March 16-20. In an effort to support public health: Face-to-face classes will not meet the week of March 23-28. This will allow self-isolation and social distancing to be a priority for anyone who has traveled during break. Existing online courses will resume on March 23, as planned. ​Any exceptions will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Beginning March 30: The majority of classes will be delivered online until further notice. Select lab-based, hands-on classes will meet as scheduled in a face-to-face format. Faculty, staff, and students will be notified of details over the next several days. All campuses will remain open and all services will operate as usual. This includes Trail Point Aquatics and Wellness, computer labs and DMACC libraries. The Spring term will end the week of May 4, 2020, as planned.

DEPARTMENT Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Technology prepares students for a career in a variety of design and drafting disciplines. The CAD technology student will be exposed to and operate different CAD software packages and related equipment. Students will learn how to create CAD models and drawings to meet international and U.S. customary design and drafting standards. Students can obtain a one-year diploma or a two-year Associate degree in CAD technology. Students enrolled in the one-year d​iploma will be taught basic drafting and CAD practices with emphasis on entry-level drafting job skills. Students enrolled in the Associate degree program will complete the first year diploma requirements and in the second year apply advanced CAD software operations including three-dimensional parametric (solid) modeling, model/assembly analysis and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. Associate degree students will also be taught a variety of specialized design and drafting standards that are used in several different industries. Engineering and manufacturing design and drafting, computer animation, technical publishing and independent CAD contracting are areas where Computer-Aided Design Technology program graduates may find employment.

Student Highlight: Kendall Osier

"When I was 11, I got involved with the restoration of an antique steam locomotive built in August of 1906 at the Midwest Central Railroad. While working on it, I began to realize that there were many components either missing or past the point of feasibly being repaired. Of course, if one needs to make new parts, drawings must be made first. This need for new parts, and therefore drawings, led me to discover AutoCAD. I taught myself the basics of AutoCAD, but I was inexperienced and did not how to operate the software efficiently. When I was in high school, I took a “Mechanical Drafting” class. This class introduced me to a whole new world: parametric CAD software. This blew AutoCAD out of the water, and I quickly thought of all of the possibilities that parametric CAD software had. However, I didn’t merely realize that learning how to use parametric CAD software would be beneficial to the restoration of steam locomotives; I also realized that it could lead to a promising and exciting career. This in turn led me to discover the CAD Technology program at DMACC, of which I am currently going through the 5th semester of. Just as I had hoped, this program has led me to understand how to efficiently and effectively operate both 2D and parametric CAD software. However, this program has also helped expand many other skills, such as the understanding of different manufacturing processes, materials, the function and design of mechanical systems, reverse engineering, project management, and problem solving."

Alumni Spotlight: Jonathan Crowson DMACC Professor of Computer Aided Design Technology

My name is Jonathan Crowson. I graduated from Ankeny High School back in 2000 before continuing on to the University of Iowa. When I was in high school, I never considered going to college at DMACC. There was always a negative connotation associated with going to a community college, and if you did not go onto a four year university, then you cannot get a good job. There are some careers that require a four year university, but I was not aware of all of the opportunities available with a two year degree. While at the U of I, I realized that what I was going to school for was not a field where I wanted my career. In the fall of 2005 I enrolled in the Computer Aided Design Technology program at the Ankeny DMACC campus (I had taken a CAD class in high school, and there was always an interest there). In my second semester of the program, started as a work-study in the CAD Tech. program. I assisted in gathering information to assess the relationship of the use of virtual reality in education. At the end of my second semester, I was able to get a part-time job (making $16/hr) in CAD working at Economy Forms Corporation (EFCO) while staying in school.

Once I completed my degree, I started working full-time at EFCO. I was responsible for supplying hundreds of people around the world with digital files to help them complete their daily tasks. During this time, I was able to increase my knowledge of CAD: I helped create new programs to aid in the production of drawings for manufacturing I was able to create short animations that would show how equipment was assembled I was given the responsibility of providing computer / CAD assistance to people that were having difficulties I became a certified professional in AutoCAD It was at this time that I was also given the responsibility of providing training to all employees at EFCO that used CAD. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel the world and see many different cultures (I have been to South America around 20 times, Mexico, Southeast Asia around 10 times, the UK, Canada, and all over the United States). I learned while I was traveling and providing training that I enjoyed watching people learn. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge. I started teaching at DMACC in the year 2010 with DMACC Business Resources. From there, I was able to teach continuing education courses related to CAD software. I have now been employed as a full-time CAD Technology instructor at DMACC for four years. All of this is because I did go to DMACC.