2012 Engineer-for-a-Day event brings back memories Published Feb. 17, 2012 By Philip Lorenz III AEDC/PA ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- "The story of civilization is, in a sense, the story of engineering - that long and arduous struggle to make the forces of nature work for man's good." L. Sprague de Camp, science fiction writer and Navy aeronautical engineer This year National Engineers Week takes place Feb. 19-25. During one of the local area activities, Engineer-for-a-Day, engineers at AEDC will host and mentor area high school students at the world's largest complex of flight simulation test facilities Feb. 22. AEDC's involvement with this activity goes back to the 1960s. It is a mentoring activity that resonates for three of AEDC's younger engineers. They also were once among the students visiting AEDC on that day. Now it is their turn to take on the role of mentors to a new generation of young people who are considering an engineering career. In 1996, Casey Schewe, a Franklin County High School junior, attended an Engineer-for-a-Day event sponsored by the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI). Schewe, who is now ATA's oil analysis program manager, said he didn't know much about AEDC at the time. His father, Maynard Schewe, who is an ATA (formerly with Sverdrup) IT (instrument technician) in turbine test cells, had been at Arnold since 1979. However, for Casey, "It was something we just didn't discuss." Regarding his Engineer-for-a-Day experience, Schewe said, "It really helped open my eyes to what an engineer can do. One of the projects they had going at UTSI at the time was taking chicken manure and turning it into a fuel - the roles engineers play in that process is pretty significant. Plus I was trying to figure out how to get it done on a small scale and then [take it] to a larger scale where you could actually do something profitable." Schewe added, "We also got to look at some of the real powerful lasers they had out there, things like that really impress you when you're a kid. You get to see where the rubber meets the road where engineering is concerned." Schewe said looking back, he realizes his father also taught him engineering basics. "Dad liked to work on vehicles with us and helped teach me how to get my car running when I turned 16," he said. "There are IT (information technology) and problem-solving skills - he taught me how to troubleshoot a circuit and make sure everything had good connections." Schewe, who holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, said he had always leaned toward engineering. Engineer-for-a-Day has allowed him to explain the opportunities engineering can provide. "I participated last year and we had the opportunity to bring some of the kids in who were interested in something outside of aeronautics and mechanical and electrical engineering, a lot of the traditional careers we have out here. I got to answer a lot of questions and show them some of the things I'm involved with, like the oil processing facility. "I explain the science behind how we get the water out of the oil. And it's always eye opening for children to realize you can actually boil water at a lower temperature than it boils normally on the stove. Seeing the science applied to something practical, tends to open eyes. Schewe said, "Most children don't really seem to understand the broad applications engineering has." John McInturff and his wife, Carrie, are both engineers at AEDC. Carrie, ATA's STAT (Space Threat Assessment Testbed) project engineer, first came to AEDC 14 years ago when she was a Coffee County High School junior or senior. "As a young person, I didn't realize the kind of asset that we, the community, have here at AEDC until I was able to see it firsthand," she said. "It was eye-opening to see the types of testing and research and development that engineers are privileged to be a part of." Armed with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technology University nine years later, she remembers the engineer who showed her around AEDC on that day. "Jerry Bailey was my mentor for Engineer-for-a-Day," she said. "I was able to get some hands-on experience using CAD systems while here for Engineer-for-a-Day. This sparked an interest in design and modeling and pushed me toward the engineering field." Bailey, ATA's utilities manager for steam, potable water and wastewater, was a maintenance reliability engineer when he showed McInturff where he worked. "Most students in high school just simply don't know what to pursue in college," he said. "The thing that scares off most students is the math. "It's more important to show that engineers don't just sit around and work math calculations. The job can be fun and rewarding for those with a mechanical aptitude. Also it is important to show that engineers are in high demand and can go into many areas of interest. "Most students are only taught theory from books which can really be boring. However, with somebody willing to take their time to talk to the students about their interests and try to show them some work at AEDC along those lines could inspire a future engineer that eventually becomes "ATA Team Member of the Quarter" like Carrie. I hope she pays it forward." Carrie, who has participated in Engineer-for-a-Day since joining AEDC's work force, said, "I hope they were able to see that engineers can take on very different roles like project engineers, test engineers and instrumentation, etc. For anyone interested in math or science, there is a place for them in the field of engineering - no matter their interest." John McInturff, ATA's energy program manager, oversees the energy conservation aspects at AEDC. He took part in Engineer-for-a-Day at AEDC when he was a Coffee County High School senior in 1994. During high school, he also helped on his family's farm and worked construction jobs. "I had to work on tractors and take things apart, and figure out why they broke," he said. He originally considered civil engineering because it seemed to fit his idea of what all engineers do. His experience with Engineer-for-a-Day at AEDC changed his perspective of the profession. "At the time when I came on base they let us see a rocket [motor] firing," he said. "[We went] into the test control room and watched them fire it off. That was interesting, because that was another aspect of engineering I'd never considered, the dynamics and that part of it. "It kind of opened my eyes up as far as what engineers can do. That kind of broadened my horizons as I went into school, I didn't want to just concentrate on one thing or the other." McInturff said he will take part in this year's Engineer-for-a-Day activity. "I will probably show them the 'typical' mechanical engineering side here," he said. "I'll take them to different places I've worked, the steam plant and show them that aspect of it. "I can show them different plans we have in place as far as reducing our steam footprint, converting over from gas to electric or vice versa depending on the application using variable speed drives and motors where applicable, things like that." He also wants to show the students what test engineers at AEDC do, to give them a broader overview of what the profession entails. The students will tour AEDC, have a pizza lunch and then go with a mentor to observe engineers at work. After lunch, some students will stay at AEDC, and others will go to companies in the local area. For additional information, contact AEDC's Paul Kelly, Tullahoma TSPE chapter member and chairman for the Engineers Week activities, at (931) 454-6542 or call Harry Clark at (931) 454-4495.