BRIDGING THE GAP PSU's cooperative education program in engineering hree of PSU's mechanical T engineering students share three thlngs in common. All are marrled and make their homes in the Portland area: all are gamng current on-thsiob work experience closely tied to thelr professional goals: and all give h ~ g hpralse to PSU's Cooperative Education Program in Engineering. which has helped students llke themselves to forge the connectton between ciass- room and career. "YOUcan see where your school- ing is headed. and you can offer more in class." according to Randy Wolfer, a 23-year-old junlor. "YOU really get a good lmk at the tools you'll need at work." says Randy Schwartz, a 23-year-old senlor. "I think the transition could be made (without the program), but not as easily as 11Is now,"comments 28- year-old Todd Hill, a post- baccalaureate student. Current corporate host firm where the three work is the Northwest Port- land plant of Bingham-Willametle Company, one of the nat~on'sprin- cipal manufacturers of large-scale pumps, valves and turbines, includ- ~ n ghlgh technology Items for the o ~ l and nuclear Industries. At the plant, the three students report to F. Marshall Hauck, project supervisor, pump engineering, who says that betler than 60% of his plant's busmess today involves the deslgn. production and testing of centrlfugai pumps in which these PSU students play a part-time occupatlonai role Randy Schwartz works in the offices of the plant's Technical Support Group. He uses a computer to help him determine, through stress analysis. the design ihmlta- tlons of potential pump materials and components. Thts allows hlm to examine the lntegrlty of new design configurations and catch potential defects before the design IS cast In metal Todd Hill. who plans to be a deslgn englneer and says there is a "good possibility" he wlli work full time for Btngham-Wiilametle, PSU enaineerino Division students Randv Woltnr Itmnti and Tndd Hill ~ - ~ - - -, - - , .. .. ... brave c~twalkpgrch lo inspect grant Blngham-Willamerle pbmp, prror lo gimg ,I fur8.scale re1,ablbIy lest !asl#ng 50 hours lo check pressure an0 temperature integrity before pump is shipped l o Oklahoma for rnstellabon in new nuclear power facility now works in the plant's Test De- Randy Woifer has two years' partment, prtmarily In nuclear pump part-time employment lnvested in testing. "We plan tests, write the firm so far. For the past nine procedures, perform the tests, then months he has worked the swlng- wrtte up the results and submit them shin In the Test Department and has to the customer." reports ill, had responslblllty for determining the integrity of large. heavy-duty commercial pumps whlch can move llqulds at speeds ranging from 20 gallons to 43.000 gallons per minute Since 1969, PSUs campus-wide Cooperative Education Program. under Willlam A. Olsen. Jr.. director. has made it possible for at least 100 of PSU's engineering students to gain needed professional work experience In englneerlng whlle they contlnue to complete their degree requirements on campus, according to Carleton Fanaer, director of cooperattve educatton tor engineer- Ing at PSU Wlthout the program he adds. "there would be an element of sterility in (engineering education). because clearly they wouldn't be able to relate nearly as well what they're learning here to the actual practice of engineering." Students in the program receive academic credit for their internships with local firms. The students submlt a work report to Fangerat the end of each work period, and the firm's supervisor's rating is requ~red before each student receves a grade. The popularity and value of the Droaram are further indications that ~nq"neerlnqs t ~ o yrap!d y #scomlng ot aqe at PS, Current enrollment n rnglnrrr ng courses has nearl, lr pled smce 1973 and the nped for properly trained engineering graduates tn Portland-area firms alone has been documented by the Portland Area Council on Engineer- ing Education (PACEE). Responding to thls demand. PSU recently created the D~vlsionof Eng~neermgand Applied Science as a separate academlc unit, wtth the support of the professional engl- neerbng community at large. Wlth more than 1.000 students currently enrolled in the Dlvnion's courses, the students' twin desires to complete course work and obtain good Industry jobs are keen. To accommodate this demand. the D~vis~ocnurrently offers about half 11sclasses aner four In the after- noon. and it is becoming more common for students to earn their englneering degrees at PSU by aflendlng such even~ngclasses entlreiv.
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