LILLINGTON - Students in the Central Carolina Community College Laser and Photonics Technology and Electronics Engineering Technology programs experienced first-hand some of the logistics of running a successful technical conference when they served as volunteers with the PCB Carolina 2022 Electronics Trade Show and Technical Conference. The event was held Nov. 9 at the McKimmon Center on the campus of N.C. State University in Raleigh. The conference was organized and sponsored by local electronics related industries, such as Better Boards of Cary, one of the main sponsors.
Volunteering to help with the event were Laser students Matthew Blow, Kurtus Boothe, Dominick Hannigan, Isaac Leon-Mendoza, Christopher Long, Juan Martinez, Aisha Nettles, and Ryan Smith from Harnett County; Kolin McDuffie from Moore County; Dylon Dierolf from Lee County; Gene Faircloth and David Johnson from Wake County; Electronics student Matthew Rogers from Harnett County; and Gary Beasley, Lead Instructor of the CCCC Laser and Photonics Technology program. Also attending PCB Carolina from CCCC were Laser student Bradley Austin from Harnett County; Sandra Castonguay, CCCC Information and Engineering Technologies Department Chair, and John LaVere, CCCC Electronics Instructor.
"This is an outstanding learning opportunity for our students. They can attend conference technical sessions, which teach them about available future avenues for continuing education to stay abreast of new and upcoming technologies," said Beasley. "In the exhibit hall, students are able to meet with technology companies, learning about their products, becoming familiar with new technical jargon, and discovering many possible local area career opportunities in their field of study."
CCCC students have been attending the conference and helping out with the event since 2016. Every year, Randy Faucette, Engineering President of Better Boards, reaches out to Beasley to solicit student volunteers to help.
Feedback on the CCCC student volunteers' efforts and contributions to the success of PCB Carolina was very positive. Beasley noted that Steve Trasatto, who helps with organizing volunteer activities and schedules for PCB Carolina, said the CCCC students came through for them again this year at the PCB Carolina Trade Show.
Beasley said he was approached by several event organizers and corporate exhibitors who shared how impressed they were with the CCCC students. Beasley said that they specifically commented about the students' work ethic, politeness, professionalism, and interest in learning. "I was extremely proud of how our students represented CCCC at the event," said Beasley.
To learn more about the CCCC Laser and Photonics Technology program, contact Gary Beasley at gbeasley@cccc.edu. Or, visit www.cccc.edu/lasers.
To learn more about the CCCC Electronics Engineering Technology program, contact Sandra Castonguay at scastonguay@cccc.edu. Or, visit, www.cccc.edu/eet.
For more information on Central Carolina Community College - which is dedicated to providing pathways to achievable dreams, visit www.cccc.edu.
Students in the Central Carolina Community College Laser and Photonics Technology and Electronics Engineering Technology programs experienced first-hand some of the logistics of running a successful technical conference when they served as volunteers with the PCB Carolina 2022 Electronics Trade Show and Technical Conference.
Central Carolina Community College Laser and Photonics Technology first-year student Aisha Nettles (right) is pictured with Lance Olive (left), show sponsor who works for Better Boards in Cary. Nettles won N.C. State University basketball tickets and a parking pass during a drawing at the PCB Carolina 2022 Electronics Trade Show and Technical Conference.