PowerAmerica Offers Teachers Hands-On Education in Power

PowerAmerica hosted more than 20 high school teachers and community college instructors from across North Carolina for an intensive two-day workshop July 18-19 on applying power electronics concepts in the classroom.

The group participated in a variety of hands-on activities designed to increase their understanding of the role of power, and specifically wide bandgap semiconductors. In addition to constructing their own robots and devices powered by wide bandgap technology, they visited the various lab projects in the FREEDM Engineering Systems Center at N.C. State, toured the nearby facilities of global power technology company ABB, and took a trip to the N.C. State solar farm. 

The teachers recounted several takeaways from the workshop. Amiee Riley, a teacher at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, was surprised to learn that “half the engineering workforce is set to retire in five years…I also thought it was interesting that the starting salary with a two-year degree in power electronics can be as much as $60,000. Those are some great, different higher education options to share with my students.”

Added Billie Adeimy, an instructor at Richmond Community College in Hamlet, North Carolina: “As instructors, we sometimes get alienated from the real world in the classroom. So it’s great to attend something like that and receive real world, industry knowledge to take back with us.”

 

For more about PowerAmerica’s Education and Workforce Development initiatives, visit the website.