Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District

June 2020

Get ALL the MTA news!  If you read this newsletter from your email inbox,  you might miss important information. To see it all, View as Webpage OR  Click "view entire message" at the bottom of this email

‌ ‌ ‌ MTA Matters is also accessible at the Career-Tech Center/MTA website

About Manufacturing Technology Academy

Manufacturing Technology Academy provides a learning environment which motivates and enables students to acquire world-class manufacturing and engineering skills while positioning them to compete and excel in the global market.

MTA is a tuition-free program offered by Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District’s Career-Tech Center for eleventh and twelfth grade students in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Leelanau counties. For information, call (231) 922-7859.

MTA Partners with Michigan Tech University for Scholarships

In recognition of the rigor and merits of the Manufacturing Technology Academy program, Michigan Technological University is partnering with MTA to support its students and promote educational opportunities. The partnership is designed to foster exploration in science, technology, engineering and mathematics career paths. Students who successfully complete two years of MTA and enroll as first-year students at Michigan Tech will receive $1,000 scholarships which are renewable annually, for a possible total of $4,000 in MTA/MTU partnership support!

Interested in MTA? Applications Still Accepted for 2020-21 School Year

View Video Featuring MTA

There are still a few spots left at Manufacturing Technology Academy for the 2020-2021 school year! Rising high school juniors may still apply. Accepted students attend MTA during their junior and senior years of high school. The challenging MTA educational experience, housed in the newly-built classrooms and labs at the Career-Tech Center campus on Parsons Road in Traverse City, is a rewarding and rigorous academic program. Students engage in classes in math, science, English, economics, engineering and project management. Robotics and automation, product design, and electrical and pneumatic systems are also key parts of the MTA curriculum. Check out the link above to an informative video about the field of engineering. For application info, see the information below. Contact Tim Wheatley at twheatley@tbaisd.org with questions.

How to Apply to Manufacturing Technology Academy It’s simple to apply... here’s how: Mail application packet to Tim Wheatley 3035 Nawakwa Drive Traverse City, MI 49686 Application packet should include: MTA application with counselor comments and signature Get the application HERE 9th grade and first semester 10th grade transcripts One-paragraph essay explaining why the student would like to attend MTA Two letters of recommendation (only one may be from an educator) Interview   with MTA Manufacturer’s Council Students will be contacted by MTA to schedule an interview after submitting full application packet  Notification Students will be notified of their application status by MTA Questions?   Contact Tim Wheatley at  twheatley@tbaisd.org 

Robotics Projects Rewarding The 2020 robotics season started off strong, launching in January with teams formed and concepts formulated. There were excellent robots in the works. But when the school closure occured in March, the annual trip to Marion, Ohio to compete in the National Robotics Challenge (NRC) had to be cancelled for everyone's safety. Fast forward more than two months and countless hours of online MTA classes and meetings. MTA students are certainly disappointed to miss NRC, but the upside is that learning, creativity and innovation carried on during the shutdown. Not least of all, students had time to reflect on the overwhelming support they receive from MTA's generous robotics sponsors and mentors. These businesses, organizations and individuals contribute time, energy and resources to coach MTA students and their contributions are meaningful. Below are just a few student sentiments shared thanking supporters on behalf of MTA Teams: The Wrenz - HydroHipsters - R4 - Stonks - The Elon Musketeers "We could not dream of doing the things we do without generous funding from financial donors like you. The opportunities and experiences we students receive are all made possible by your generosity. For that, we cannot thank you enough. While we were not able to compete this year, your contributions helped us make progress both in our machine and technical skills." "Your donation was a key component of our project and we couldn't have made as much progress without your help." "Thank you for giving us access to your brain and unending support for a little while. We hope that the experience was as educational for you as it was for us. Your programming research, in-depth brainstorming sessions, and enthusiasm gave us the exciting educational experience that we would not have had otherwise. Thank you for being a passionate honorary member of our team.  "We appreciated your perspective when it came to problem-solving and your feedback at our engineering reviews." "Our audience at Design Review and Prototype Review helped us to make a better Autonomous Vehicle than we could have done alone and your support gave us a valuable learning experience that made us better students, team members, and people."

A rescue robot team of juniors created a thank-you video to recognize outstanding support by businesses, mentors, and other CTC programs for the MTA robotics program. Check out their video here.

Congratulations 2020 MTA Graduates!

Gina Anger Mancelona High School Pursuing Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering  Allyson Breitmeyer Buckley Community Schools Northwestern Michigan College

Benjamin Astor TC Central High School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to 4-year college Aerospace Engineering Joe Buffum Glen Lake Community School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to Michigan Tech University Mechanical Engineering

Donovan Bootz Glen Lake Community School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to Univ. of Michigan Engineering Cameron Carlson TC West Senior High Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to Michigan Tech University Electrical Engineering

Garret Coan Kalkaska High School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to 4-year college Business and/or Law

Zach Dix Grand Traverse Academy Northwestern Michigan College

Gabrielle DuCheny Schooled at Home Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to 4-year college Agricultural Engineering

Jane Dunlap Kingsley High School Calvin University Organizational Communication

Dahlia Evans Bellaire High School University of Michigan School of Engineering

Marah Finnegan-Pool Kingsley High School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to Findley University Pre-Vet and pursue DVM

Brent Jarvis Buckley Community School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to Michigan Tech University Chemical Engineering

Paige Johnston Benzie Central High School Grand Valley State University Biology

Sierra King TC Central High School Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to 4-year college Biomedical Engineering/Biology

Gracie Noller TC West Senior High Michigan Tech University Mechanical Engineering

Ristan Pierson Kingsley High School Northwestern Michigan College

Nathan Rager Mancelona High School Kettering University Mechanical Engineering

Olivia Reed Bellaire High School Northern Michigan University Music Education

Layton Roe Schooled at Home Northwestern Michigan University Transfer to 4-year college Biomedical Engineering/Business Cole Weaver TC Central High School Northwest Lineman College

Scott Severance Schooled at Home Northwestern Michigan College Transfer to Michigan Tech University Biomedical Engineering

Student Scholarships and Honors Congratulations to the following MTA seniors for earning scholorships and other honors. We salute them and all MTA students for their hard work and dedication to education and teamwork!

Scholarships CTC Academic Award of Excellence $1,500 Layton Roe Steinmetz Award $500 Scott Severance CTC Academic Scholarship $500 each Allyson Breitmeyer Jane Dunlap Gabrielle DuCheny Paige Johnston Gina Anger

Honors Two-Year Perfect Attendance Layton Roe Risten Pierson Outstanding Student Award Noah Robitshek, junior Layton Roe, senior Students of the Quarter      First Quarter:  Quincy Thayer, junior Cole Weaver, senior     Second Quarter:  Noah Robitshek, junior Marah Finnegan-Pool, senior     Third & Fourth Quarters:   No awards due to school closing

MTA Alum Spotlight Jonathan Wheatley, MTA 2010 This May, MTA students were treated to a virtual presentation by 2010 MTA alum Jonathan Wheatley. It was interesting and informative for them to hear about a successful alum's path from high school to college to professional life. Following high school graduation, Jonathan attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids for his freshman year, studying biology with early plans to pursue dental school. But then he discovered a new direction that led him to transfer to Michigan Tech University where he graduated in 2015 with a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering. Fresh out of college, he was hired as an applications development engineer at Saint-Gobain. In 2018, Jonathan transitioned within the company to serve as product manager in cell banking and cell therapy. He shared with the high school students his firsthand experiences about subjects of study that are useful in the field of biomedical engineering, especially cell biology and injection molding. But he also emphasized the importance of continuing to be a "student" even after job placement as he described the key role of on-the-job experience in career development.

Saint-Gobain is a global leader in high-performance components and solutions using engineered polymers for the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and medical industries .

MTA Mentors Matter  One of the best things about MTA is the commitment of local professionals who dedicate their time to mentor MTA students. Pictured here is senior Gina Anger from Mancelona High School (right) and mentor Autumn, a biomedical engineer at Thompson Surgical Instruments.

MTA Interns a Win-Win for Businesses Manufacturing Technology Academy welcomes businesses and organizations to get involved with MTA by hosting interns. MTA students are well-equipped to flourish and make real contributions to organizations. The search is underway now for businesses willing to offer summer internship opportunities. For information, contact Debby Oliver at doliver@tbaisd.org.

MTA is Social! Stay in touch with MTA happenings on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. From student accomplishments to career opportunities, it's a great way to learn more and stay in touch.

‌ ‌ ‌

Thankful Recognition Special thanks to the industry partners who contribute resources and expertise in support of MTA’s mission. As a result, our students thrive in a rich learning environment with hands-on, collaborative experiences.

MTA Contacts MTA Main Phone (231) 922-7859 www.tbaisd.org/career-tech-center/programs/manufacturing-technology-academy/ MTA Guidance Board President Josh Hart, Kennametal Inc. Career-Tech Center Principal Pat Lamb

Sponsors Welcome MTA is always seeking sponsors and grant opportunities. If you are an individual or company interested in collaborating, please contact Debby Oliver at (231) 922-7845 or doliver@tbaisd.org.

‌ ‌ ‌