After the positive response to virtual manufacturing tours on National Manufacturing Day, we are now offering monthly "Breakfast with a Manufacturer" online events. The first offering on November 19 featured Cal Reynolds, President of Snowline Engineering, in Cameron Park. Pete Delosa's Introduction to Design Engineering class at Golden Sierra Junior-Senior High School in Garden Valley participated.

The monthly presentation is co-sponsored by the Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Initiative (SVMI) and the California Community Colleges North Region Advanced Manufacturing initiative to increase high school students' awareness of manufacturing careers.  Reynolds spent about 25 minutes speaking about his career path in manufacturing, followed by 15 minutes answering students' questions.  

Students appreciated how forthright he was in saying that he hadn't been a good student in high school. He indicated that if it weren't for a ROP teacher who took an interest in him and his mechanical abilities, he probably wouldn't have graduated on time.  

Reynolds recalled that the ROP teacher helped get him a job in a machine shop where he began by deburring parts. Over time, he learned to make the parts while operating manual manufacturing machines. It wasn't until years later, at the age of 39, that Reynolds got his Mechanical Engineering degree from Sacramento State University.  

About 20 years ago, Reynolds had the opportunity to buy Snowline Engineering and now is the President of the company. With more than 45 employees, Snowline Engineering manufactures parts for companies such as Space X, Siemens and Honeywell.  

When asked what classes he suggested students take while in school, Reynolds encouraged those interested in a manufacturing careers to focus on math and physical science classes. Additionally, he strongly recommended that all students take any class related to technology, since he anticipates that many future careers will require employees to be actively engaged in some form of digital technology.

Manufacturing Cares, a collaboration between The Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center, SVMI, Sacramento COVID Relief Workforce Recovery Program and the CARES Act, is providing training for those considering the manufacturing field. The free program includes:

Participants will learn OSHA-10 safety practices, forklift operation and gain an introduction to advanced manufacturing. The goal is to produce program graduates equipped with skills for entry-level work in manufacturing. They are also seeking employers interested in offering internships. Learn more at the Manufacturing Cares website.

During the November Shop Talk, Derek Lee with PilotCity described how they've been successful in setting up internships for high school students in San Leandro and other Bay Area cities. Students build hands-on projects in the classroom to address real problems faced by businesses and submit prototypes to the companies for consideration. Students are awarded internships to execute the project for the businesses.

Join Shop Talk: The next Edu2Mfg Shop Talk will be on Tuesday, January 12 at 3:30 PM. Instructors will discuss how to host an effective advisory meeting online and share best practices to engage employers during the remote sessions. To join these Shop Talk calls, please Click Here to request access and/or get on the list for future notifications.

Watch Shop Talk: Previous recorded Shop Talk calls are available on the Edu2Mfg website.

Resources: See List of Shop Talk Resources on the website.

Perry Campbell, CEO of SwissMak, was the featured speaker for Sierra College's Global Entrepreneurship Week mentor night. Over 60 attended, watching the mill in action, meeting his staff, touring his facility and asking many questions of the team based in Taiwan. Campbell was a student who benefited from mentoring and resources to set up operations in Taiwan to manufacture the CNC hybrid mill-turn center he invented. At Sierra College, the Affiliate Mentor Program (AMP) is a team of local experts who mentor budding entrepreneurs by commenting on start-up pitches and providing access to resources at no charge. More information on Mentor Night and Tour.

The DEWALT Trades Scholarship program is awarding up to 20 -- $10,000 scholarships to students pursing majors in various trade fields. To apply, students must:

To Learn more and Apply click here. Click here for a flyer to download and share with students.

December 8 at 10:30 - 11:30 AM PT

Find out how machine vision can help Food & Beverage manufacturers gain real, measurable metrics.

Register now 

December 17 a 10:30 - 11:30 AM PT

Learn how to implement smart manufacturing with just enough technology to yield results.

Sacramento State is making the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student and Senior Design Showcase examples available online.

On Wednesday, December 2, the ME Graduate Student Showcase included five minute student poster presentations. The names of students and the titles of their poster presentations are available here.

On Friday, December 11, Sacramento State is holding the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Showcase. The link to a recorded presentation for ME 190 and ME 191 projects will be posted on the department website.