Fourth annual ‘Engineering Roundtable’ held at NTCC

MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Fourth Annual Engineering Roundtable at Northeast Texas Community College was Feb. 17 in the Whatley Center Foyer on campus. 
Since 2014, this event has become an annual opportunity for both students who are currently enrolled in the NTCC engineering program and students from area high schools who are interested in the field of engineering. AEP/SWEPCO generously sponsored part of this year’s roundtable with a $1,000 donation. 
In addition, Luminant made a charitable donation of $500 to the funding of the event.
Stan Minter, a mechanical engineer who is the maintenance superintendent for AEP/SWEPCO Welch Power Plant, gave the keynote address.  
He spoke about the rigorous requirements to earn a B.S. in engineering. In addition, he challenged the students to develop an appropriate lifestyle that is necessary for success in the advanced science, engineering, and mathematics courses.
The following recipients for the 2017 Wilhite scholarships were announced:  Isidora Hernandez, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, and Chesney Davis, a freshman mechanical engineering major. Roger Farr, an adjunct engineering faculty member and president of Principled Living, LLC, led the opening session “Let’s Get Started”. This introductory warm-up activity engaged students to identify their reaction to a variety of situational leadership scenarios.
Dr. Mark Bouwens, NTCC professor of physics, introduced Thorondor, the new supercomputer of the NTCC Physics and Engineering Department.  
He explained the details of the design and the extraordinary capabilities of the supercomputer that will be used to 1) calculate high precision numerical analyses 2) simulate many-body systems via Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics, 3) generate 3D electron orbital and molecule models, and 4) conduct research.
Seventy-five of the 105 attendees were students of the NTCC engineering program and the following high schools:  Mount Pleasant High School, Winnsboro High School, Pittsburg High School, Chapel Hill High School, Paul Pewitt High School, Daingerfield High School, and Hughes Springs High School.  
A master schedule was used to pair students with the most appropriate engineer according to areas of interest for each session to maximize outcomes.
 “I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak personally with so many engineers.  They offered helpful advice and a new perspective that will be very valuable as I pursue a career in the field,” said Cypress Wright, a junior at Hughes Springs High School.
 “At the roundtable, I was reminded about the importance of studying and trying hard in my math and my science classes and in general, all of my classes,” said Christian Mariscal, a student at Pittsburg High School.
“I had a great time at the engineering roundtable listening to the very interesting speeches. I learned so much from all of the engineers who seem to know the exact advice that we needed to hear,” said Corey Fyfe, a sophomore physics major at NTCC.
 “I learned about the possibility of becoming a pavement engineer…pretty cool,” added Marcos Hernandez, a sophomore civil engineering major.
For more information about the NTCC Engineering Program of Study, contact Bouwens (mbouwens@ntcc.edu), professor of physics, Kenneth Irizarry, P.E., (kirizarry@ntcc.edu), professor of engineering, or Dr. Paula Wilhite (pwilhite@ntcc.edu), division chair of mathematics, physics and engineering.