Woodbury Middle School students had an up-close look at the manufacturing industry in Connecticut with a visit from Goodwin University on September 12.

Every WMS student participated in the Manufacturing In Motion presentation, which focused on engineering and manufacturing in the healthcare industry. The event included a hands-on visit to the 44-foot mobile learning lab parked outside for the day.

Keith Sevigny, STEM Career & Technical Education Coordinator at Goodwin University Magnet Schools, explored the healthcare engineering and manufacturing industries with students. Sevigny used Connecticut’s own Pfizer Corporation as an example to get them thinking about careers that help create solutions to problems with the human body and the relationship between engineering and manufacturing.

In the mobile learning lab, students interacted with a variety of high-tech gadgets, tools, and desktop machines, including calipers, micrometers, CNC machines, 3-D printing, microscopes, and robotics and automation arms. Students were also able to test their welding skills on a welding simulator.

This is the second year WMS has partnered with Goodwin University to give students Advanced Manufacturing elements embedded into the Tech Ed curriculum, along with the visit from the mobile lab. WMS students will also head to the Goodwin campus in East Hartford for a field trip in the spring.

This year, the students in TechEd will focus on solving a healthcare-related problem by creating a device to help unclog arteries. Goodwin University educators will visit WMS Tech Ed classes and work with students and teacher Will Michael several times throughout the school year on various topics related to this project.

WMS Principal Bill Nemec said this year’s theme with Goodwin also works well to supplement the WMS curriculum already in place for students in health and PE. 

“Students learn about concepts including heart health, healthy eating habits, and taking blood pressure and other health screenings, as well as First aid and emergency preparedness,” Nemec said. “Having Goodwin educators here with the healthcare focus will be a wonderful add-on for our lesson plans.”