Machining Instructors Dale Haddock and Doug Cabe completed their Level I Machining Certification this summer. The Level I Machining Certification is credentialed through the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), which sets the standard for industry. It is designed to meet entry-level requirements for on-the-job skills in machining.

 At this time, both machining instructors can certify students in NIMS Level I Machining. Over the next year, the Regional High Technology Center will work towards a NIMS accredited facility.

Boy Scouts from Troop 309 recently visited Haywood Community College's Regional High Technology Center. The scouts learned about the Computer Integrated Machining program and the various labs in which students train to become skilled employees in the local workforce. As a result of the visit, the scouts earned their "Merit" badge, enabling them to move one step closer to fulfilling their goals of becoming an Eagle Scout.

Pictured left to right is Doug Cable, HCC Computer Integrated Machining Instructor; scouts Nick Kalev, Talbryn Porter, Hunter Geneau, Arich Rubley; and Darrell Honeycutt, troop leader and HCC Instructor.

Christopher Lewis commented on HCC's automotive program -

"To anyone interested in learning automotive systems and seeking a career in as such keep in mind... Haywood college has in my opinion the best program you can find in WNC, the instructors are professional and intelligent, good at making these difficult to figure out concepts understandable to their students.  Props to these guys who put up with so much to distribute their knowledge among younger generations, their hearts are in the right place.  Bravo! Much respect.

Thanks Christopher!

The Collision Repair and Refinishing department recently applied for a Collision Education Foundation Makeover Grant.  Check out the video we used in the grant application at

http://youtu.be/DFFyMECXW6Y

How to Prepare for an Interview

(notes from an Industry Rep) 

1. Come prepared.  Research the company and what we do. 

2. Present yourself well: Dress appropriately (business dress). 

3. Have a resume or at least some work experience written down and some contact information. 

4. Don't bad mouth your former employer.  That always leaves a question in my mind as to what caused the situation and how it was handled. 

5. Have specific questions for the employer.  Everyone gets nervous during interviews and their mind goes blank.  Bring something to write with and write on in case you need to take notes. 

6. Ask for the job.  Show your genuine interest or if it doesn't seem like a good fit, say so. 

7.  Tell the employer thank you for the opportunity to interview. 

8.   Make eye contact and show a sense of confidence.

On behalf of the Regional High Technology Center, Machining instructor Doug Cabe presented Dr. Johnson a plaque crafted by students.

Students Learn About Biodiesel

 

HCC Students in the AUT 285, Intro to Alternative Fuels course took a class trip to Blue Ridge Biofuels in Asheville, NC. Students were given a tour of the facility with an in depth explanation of how commercial biodiesel production operates, in both a fiscal and physical sense. Woody, the owner of Blue Ridge Biofuels offered students a chance to come back for an internship as their facility and market reach continue to grow across WNC. This was a great opportunity to show our students how complex and regulated the production process is when making over 350,000 gallons of biodiesel per year.

 

Exploring Alternative Energy

Students from the Alternative Energy class showed members of HCC’s Board of Trustees two solar hot water heaters they built at the September Board Meeting recently. Pictured are Bob Staggs and Scott Howe with the heaters. Both can heat 5 to 7 gallons of water from 73 degrees to 140-160 degrees in 3 hours. Pictured left is a Thermosyphon Solar Heater which cycles water through the coils but has no moving parts. A batch heater, pictured right, heats all the water at once in a tank. Special thanks to Blue Ridge Glass for help on this project.

Machining Remembers 9/11

Dale Haddock and his Tuscola High School machining students remember 9/11 at HCC's Regional High Technology Center. 

Solar Concentrator Heats up the Haywood County Fair

Josh Knight and Bryan Ray adjust the solar concentrator at the Haywood County Fair.  Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems, are systems that use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electrical power is produced when the concentrated light is converted to heat which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator.

Solar energy is just one of the topics in their class, ALT 120 Alternative Energy, in the EET program at Haywood Community College.  The class is currently building solar hot water units. 

Welding Student Dustin Cornelison Wins Sequoyah Fund Community College Business Plan Competition

Dustin Cornelison turned his belief in living a sustainable and frugal lifestyle into an award winning business plan. Drawing upon his past experience as a sustainability technician for an environmental education center and his acquired skills as a welder and blacksmith, Cornelison, along with his wife Sara Martin, have implemented a plan to turn their farm, Two Trees, into a model of sustainable practices. “We are selling the farm life style,” he said. “We hope to demonstrate self sufficiency and furnish people with the tools and knowledge to live off their own land.”
HCC Student Dustin Cornelison Wins Sequoyah Fund Community College Business Plan Competition

Machining instructors Dale Haddock, Keith Siske and Doug Cabe, and students Zeb Ross and Justin Bechtold, review the memorials in front of the Shook House for the Haywood County Confederate soldiers that died during the Civil War. The HCC machine shop made the memorials for the Sons of Confederate Veterans as a student project. Derrick Shipman (also pictured) conceived the project and partnered with HCC to machine and engrave each memorial.

"Green Home" is looking green!

The research demonstration house on campus is shaping up nicely. Feel free to drop by anytime to check out the work in progress. The home can be accessed by "Research House Road" the road out of the back of the Auto Body and Auto Mechanics parking lot. The college owns nearly 20 additional acres that are private and beautiful this spring.

Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology - PT Cruiser

Scott Strubeck latest work in HCC's AutoBody class is this PT Cruiser.  Scott refinished the top half of the car black, along with the grille.  The new clearcoat that was applied over the black was sanded and buffed out to a flawless finish.  The silver (factory paint) was buffed also to freshen up the finish of it to look good against the black.  He then added the red pinstripe between the two colors, restored the headlights, detailed the car, and polished the wheels.  The car was done for Singleton's Automotive in Canton, NC.

Regional High Tech Center featured in the Mountaineer

The Regional High Tech Center featured in the Mountaineer -

“Hands-on” might as well be the mantra for the Regional High Technology Center, which serves as home to many of the classes taken by students like Brown, as well as a resource for local businesses that use applied advanced technology....the center is one-of-a-kind — not just in the area but also in the state."

Read the entire article at

http://www.themountaineer.com/center-provides-%E2%80%98hands-on%E2%80%99-learning-4298

An Advanced Technology Christmas!

HCC's Autobody Program has grown into a two-year Associate Degree in Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology beginning in the Fall 2011.   

The bus was paid for with funds from the HCC Foundation and other funds. Haywood County Habitat for Humanity provided funds for new tires. HCC Autobody Repair Instructors Mark Hicks and Mike Moore prepared the bus to be painted. Rick Styles, Haywood County Schools employee, painted the bus using Martin Senour Paint donated from Randy Stocker, Supply Sales Manager at NAPA Auto Parts in Canton.

The automotive students removed bumpers, mirrors, lights, wheel opening flares, decals and nameplates.   They also repaired dents and holes in outer panels where mirrors and lights were.  Students sanded and primed the entire bus including the roof, and did a finishing sand and wash.  All windows and other items were masked.

Special thanks to HCC security for escort to the county garage, Electrical student Andre Rodriguez for helping pick up the bus, and to all HCC electrical/electronics students for preparing the bus and making it into a work vehicle.

Alternative Energy Class Learns About Wind Turbines







Howard Tew's Alternative Energy Class visit a Haywood County wind turbine. 

    



A large number of Haywood Community College students, faculty, and staff participated in the college’s Veteran’s Day Celebration. At the event, the Wall of Honor was unveiled. Pictured left to right are Lt. Col. (Retired) Pete Armstrong, HCC President Dr. Rose Johnson, HCC Network Technology instructor and MSgt. (Retired) Tim Burke, HCC Automotive Technology instructor and Cpl Darrell Honeycutt, and United States Congressman Heath Shuler.

The ALT-120 Renewable Energy Technologies class toured a solar farm. The students were mesmerized as the early morning fog burned away to reveal the largest solar photovoltaic farm in WNC just outside Canton on the Evergreen Packaging Company's industrial landfill. The 190-plus large solar arrays dwarfed the students at the site.

Register now for the Spring 2011 ALT 220 Photovoltaics Systems Technology class to learn more about solar photovoltaics applications.