May 25, 2022 from 1 – 2:30pm, ET
Industry professionals and/or representatives from institutes of higher education share information and insights into STEM careers and educational pathways in the broader manufacturing field to participants residing in West Virginia communities. TEP's industry partners highlight in-demand careers, skillsets they look for in employees, and educational supports provided by their company. Higher education partners share STEM learning opportunities available at their institute, information about financial aid and admissions, matriculation agreements with universities, etc. for high school students. Teachers can live broadcast this event directly to your classroom or can access the recording later to share with your students.
Watch Recording HERE!
Speaker Information
Matt Thrasher, Ph.D., is an alumni of CEE's Research Science Institute Class of 1998. During that summer, he performed research on muons at Harvard's High Energy Physics laboratory under the supervision of Prof. Melissa Franklin. The experience inspired Matt to attend Harvard and UT Austin to study Physics. As a newly-minted Rickoid, Matt's college studies were supported in part by a science fair scholarship from the Navy. After graduating with a PhD in Dynamics, Matt worked on Navy R&D projects as Research Staff at UT Austin's Applied Research Laboratory. Matt went on to work on sensing and decision making for autonomous vehicles at Ford and is currently the Senior Product Manager and Trucking Planner for Waymo.
Michael Thompson is the Senior Welding Coordinator for Equitrans Midstream Corporation. Thompson coordinates welding inspector training and welder qualification testing by in-house and contractor personnel building natural gas pipelines. Michael first started welding in high school, but it wasn't until after a four year stint in the Navy and becoming a member of Local Union (L.U.) 152 Plumbers and Pipefitters where he received the in-depth training to become a certified SMAW(stick) welder. After thirteen years with L.U. 152 he began working for a natural gas producer and midstream company called EQT, which later split to become Equitrans Midstream Corporation.