Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1060790
selected for the Precision Metalwork- ing Association's sole Educational Institution Award, which Frank calls "a heck of an honor." "I believe in teaching high-level skills that yield high value," says Frank, in his fifteenth year as an educator. "While my students are designing products, my program is design- ing what success looks like when students use critical thinking and hands-on, problem-solving skills." When Frank was a college stu- dent, he worked in the UC Davis engineering shop making projects. "I discovered how fun it was to work with metal, figure something out and see the resulting product being used. In this class, I mentor and challenge students while I share the thrill of using advanced manufactur- ing equipment to convert a scrap of metal into an amazing project." His curriculum includes four courses. The first introduces a broad variety of tools and technologies and teaches safety. The second addresses skills development during which the "Titans of CNC Academy" curriculum is implemented. The curriculum was created and piloted with Frank and his students by Titan Gilroy, CEO of Titans of CNC, an advanced production facility based in Rocklin whose clients have included aerospace companies SpaceX and Blue Origin. The colorful ex-con produced and starred in the reality series "Titans of CNC" on MAVTV. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control — the automated control of machining tools by computer. The third course focuses on robot- ics, and students design and develop their own projects for the school's robotics team. The fourth course has students designing and developing their own manufacturing projects, which may be purchased or used by local companies. Frank's students have partnered with NASA's Hunch Program (High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware) and created parts for transporting experiments to the International Space Station. Tanner Knight, a junior, designed a locking mechanism for the Space Station's lockers that store scientific experi- ments. The device must be as precise as the width of 100th of a human hair. After receiving grant money from CTA's Institute for Learning last year, Frank created a program called Measure Up Two! designed to help students connect with a variety of industry partners. His monthly Saturday workshops have attracted manufacturing industry stars, as well as staff from UC Davis who volunteer their time to mentor students. The grant also supports robotics. "I love that we have built an engi- neering community," says Frank. "I love that we are bridging the dis- connect between what our workforce needs and what students need. I love that I am helping to move the manu- facturing industry forward." —Sherry Posnick-Goodwin/Scott Buschman I LOV E T H AT W E A R E B R I D G I N G T H E D I S C O N N E C T B E T W E E N W H AT O U R W O R K F O R C E N E E D S A N D W H AT S T U D E N T S N E E D." 24 cta.org the Innovation issue the Innovation issue I T I N O I N N E O S S V U A Innovation Issue 2018 I I 2018 Innovation issue the 2018