NASA Officials Celebrate with High School Students at CCM
First HUNCH Stowage Locker Heads to the International Space Station – Posted 2/1/17
Morris County high school students taking part in the Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing (EDAM) program at County College of Morris (CCM) are now proud NASA affiliates who worked on parts for a stowage locker that will be sent to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX-10 on February 15.
The EDAM students at CCM are participants in the High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program to create parts for the International Space Station.
To celebrate the upcoming delivery of the stowage locker, Dr. Florence Gold, HUNCH implementation project manager; Stacy Hale, HUNCH founder; and Blake Ratcliff, HUNCH program manager; visited the EDAM students at CCM on Tuesday, January 31, to congratulate the inaugural class of HUNCH CCM students and welcome this year’s class to the program.
The HUNCH students were tasked with fabricating metal sleeves and nuts for a stowage locker for the space station. The HUNCH locker scheduled to be sent to the space station this month will provide a safe and secure housing for hardware required for plant studies.
“The biggest benefit of being a part of the HUNCH program is that, not only do the students get to apply what they learn in the classroom and see their work come to fruition, they get to be a part of technological history,” said Tom Roskop, assistant professor of engineering technologies at CCM, who has been teaching the EDAM students and overseeing their work through various stages of machining and finishing.
The current group of EDAM students signed another recently completed stowage locker as part of the celebration. “This is a fantastic opportunity for high school students like us,” said Alfonso Carandang of Mount Olive High School. “The exposure we receive through this program at CCM will serve as great preparation for college and beyond.”
“Building products for NASA will open up a window of opportunities and help me meet my educational goals,” added Erin Foody of Morris Hills High School.
EDAM is a share-time program developed by the Morris County Vocational School District in partnership with CCM. Twenty three high school students are enrolled in the current class.
The EDAM program is designed for students with an interest in engineering, computer applications and manufacturing. Upon completion of the two-year program, students earn 32 credits from CCM and a Certificate of Achievement in Mechanical Computer Aided Drafting and Engineering Technology. Students may then enroll in CCM’s engineering technology program for one additional year to earn their associate in applied science degree, apply to a four-year college or university, or pursue workforce placement.
For additional information on the EDAM program, call the Morris County School of Technology at 973-627-4600 ext. 277.
Learn more about the engineering programs at CCM.
Photos:
Photo1 – High schools students from the NASA HUNCH program at CCM sign a recently completed stowage locker for the International Space Station.
Photo2 – Dr. Anthony J. Iacono, CCM president, adds his signature to a recently completed stowage locker for NASA’s International Space Station. The locker was also signed by students working as NASA-supported program participants at the college.
Photo3 – (l-r): Eric Pederson, County College of Morris (CCM) lab assistant for engineering programs; Tom Roskop, assistant professor, engineering technologies at CCM; Blake Ratcliff, HUNCH program manager; Stacy Hale, HUNCH founder; Dr. Florence Gold, NASA HUNCH implementation project manager, in one of the engineering labs at CCM.
Credit: John Hester