LOCAL NEWS | Students from Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers Visit the Janney Technical Center

A group of high school students from Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers, a Chicago-based organization that provides enrichment programs for low-income urban youth, recently visited the Janney Technical Center (JTC).

The visit began with a presentation by JTC Regional Director and structural engineer Matt Gries, who spoke with students about planning for their futures and introduced them to the kind of work WJE and the JTC perform. Staff then led the students on a tour of the facility. Along the way, construction materials technician Dave Felleti showed samples in the petrography lab, materials engineer Elizabeth Wagner explained the difference between cement and concrete, structural engineer and laboratory manager John Pearson gave an overview of the structural lab, and structural engineer Brian Easton demonstrated how the Satec test machine works.

One of the highlights of the tour came next. Staff challenged students to guess the failure load of a piece of rebar. The group then watched as the rebar was loaded into the Satec test machine and broken, revealing the actual failure load.

The day wrapped up with lunch and a Q&A session, giving students the chance to ask questions and learn more from WJE staff about career paths in engineering, architecture, and materials science.