The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Avon Lake High School students tour Bendix
Avon Lake High School students toured Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, 901 Cleveland St. in Elyria, on Nov. 15 to see real-world applications of engineering.
“One of the things we want to do here is promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning in the local communities,” said Maria Gutierrez, director of corporate responsibility and sustainability for Bendix. “We make brakes for commercial vehicles, so there is a good amount they can learn during the tour.”
Gutierrez said local outreach is something the company owes the community.
“We’re all a family here,” she said. “We like to give back however we can.
“It is very important to invest in the next generation, and who knows, some of these students could be the next Bendix employees.”
Gutierrez said the tour takes the students through a good portion of the process.
“The tour is pretty thorough,” she said. “They started by learning about the design process and how our products are imagined.
“They will then see the testing phases and the ultimate application of the products.”
Gutierrez said it’s important to change the perception of who an engineer is.
“Some kids may think of an older person with a lab coat, glasses and a pocket protector,” she said. “We want to show them how exciting it can be and the products they can make.”
Scott Wagner, research and development engineering technician at Bendix, conducted the tour.
“My daughter, Camryn Wagner (a 15-year-old Avon Lake High freshman), is in the Intro to Engineering class, so both myself and her teacher thought it would be a good experience for the class,” Wagner said. “I just wanted to show the product from concept to market and all the different equipment we use. I think they got a lot out of it.”
Greg Svec, the Intro to Engineering teacher at Avon Lake High, said he wanted the students to get a firsthand, real-world experience.
“I wanted to take them out of the classroom and see this stuff in action,” Svec said. “I wanted them to see why they are learning what we cover in the class and how it applies to making something.”
Jackson Wiley, 16, an Avon Lake High sophomore, said the tour was fun.
“I like learning about this stuff,” Jackson said. “Machinery and building stuff is really cool, and it was great to see it all in action.”
Cullen Reutter, 16, also a sophomore, said the machines interested him.
“We got to see it firsthand, which was cool,” Cullen said. “The machinery are really interesting and it was great to literally walk underneath one of their trucks to see where the parts go.”