Students have engineering adventure at Redstone

By Katie Davis SkelleyFebruary 6, 2015

Adventures in Engineering 2015
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Adventures in Engineering 2015
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Adventures in Engineering, SMDC
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- "Believe in yourself and visualize your success -- don't let other people tell you what you can't do. You are the only person who can set your limitations."

These were just a few of the encouraging words that Brig. Gen. Edward Daly, chief of staff of the Army Materiel Command, shared with the more than 350 North Alabama high school students who came to Redstone Arsenal Feb. 4 as part of Adventures in Engineering Day.

Daly shared his five secrets to success with the students and praised them for "understanding the opportunities that lay before you and researching them so you can make an informed decision." The students spent the day learning about science and engineering careers available in the area with the purpose of aiding them in their upcoming college and career decisions.

The day's events include speakers, hands-on activities for the students and tour stops at the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center's Prototype Integration Facility, AMRDEC's Software Engineering Directorate, the Missile Defense Agency, the Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, the University of Alabama in Huntsville Aero Physics Research Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Stir Friction lab and the MSFC Advanced Manufacturing Lab.

For Lee High junior Tyler Ellison, the day gave him an opportunity to see firsthand what career choices exist at Redstone.

"For my future I have been thinking about pursuing electrical engineering, so I wanted to see my potential career field," Ellison said.

For other students, it was a chance to start thinking about their college career path.

"I don't know what I want to do (in my career), but coming here has opened my eyes to the possibilities out here at Redstone," Lee High junior Christopher Burns said.

The Adventures in Engineering program happens twice yearly and is sponsored by the Air, Space and Missile Defense Association, the National Defense Industrial Association's Tennessee Valley chapter and Calhoun Community College.