(Butler, PA) June 26, 2024 – A rare associate degree program in metrology provided by a western Pennsylvania community college has now a record 11 scholarship opportunities applicable to its students as they learn to make precise chemical, electrical and dimensional measurements and gain practical insight through visits to a U.S. Department of Commerce agency four hours distant.
The associate degree program at Butler County Community College has been reported to be one of only three in the United States.
The fall 2024 debut of a vocational scholarship administered by the BC3 Education Foundation increases to a maximum of $13,465 the amount in financial awards applicable to students in BC3’s two-year measurement science-metrology technology career program, said Bobbi Jo Cornetti, the foundation’s development coordinator.
The foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that acquires and manages private funds for the college’s benefit.
The John Baker Elks Lodge Vocational Scholarship, established by a Butler County chapter of the fraternal organization, will fund two $500 awards for students in a BC3 career program such as measurement science-metrology technology, Cornetti said.
BC3’s program emphasizes the traceability of measurements, instrument calibration, precise laboratory procedures and the theoretical aspects of experimentation.
Karen Newpol appreciates precise measurement because, she said, “it makes for a better end product.”
Donor rep: Career programs advantageous
Newpol is chaplain of the Cranberry Elks Lodge 2249 that founded the scholarship. BC3’s career programs — in which students can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation — may enhance a graduate’s earning potential, Newpol said.
“You are starting in the workforce two years earlier than going for a four-year degree,” Newpol said. “It is better to establish yourself. We want to help make college more affordable and to get students into the workforce quickly.”
The college’s 62-credit measurement science-metrology technology program prepares graduates for positions in which biomedical, chemical, dimensional, electrical, mechanical and optical measurements are performed.
Financial awards applicable to students in the program in 2024-2025 range from $420 to $2,500, Cornetti said.
“Scholarships and the training we provide give our students a head start into entering a technical field,” said Kevin Ruediger, a BC3 professor and coordinator of the college’s program.
BC3 graduates have later worked for private companies or for government organizations such as NASA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said Matt Kovac, dean of the college’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics division.
“The fact that so many of these scholarships identify at least in part with metrology is a testament to the quality of the program,” Kovac said, “and a recognition of the skill sets that students come away with. The only barrier some students have is resources. The scholarships put into the realm of possibility enough resources for students to be able to get through the program and reach their potential.”
Scholarships “took that worry” away
Annabel Schaffner studied instruments such as a FARO Quantum S 2.5-meter, seven-axis articulating arm coordinate measuring machine, and an optical comparator, as she received $4,660 in financial awards over two years from the BC3 Education Foundation.
“I took advantage of the scholarships,” Schaffner said. “I didn’t even have to think about taking out loans. The scholarships just took that worry off my shoulders.”
Schaffner applied what she learned from BC3’s program as a recent intern with one of Butler County’s 265 manufacturers, as did Zachary Kress.
Schaffner said she helped “to calibrate different hand tools, things like micrometers, calipers and gauge blocks in the lab” and Kress said he used interferometry – “light waves to measure radius and flatness of parts” – in the quality assurance department of a different company.
Trip to NIST “super-beneficial”
Schaffner and Kress also traveled in April with other BC3 students and college employees to the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., an approximately 240-mile drive from the college’s main campus north of Pittsburgh.
“It’s great that the program provides the opportunity to do this,” Kress said. “The trip to NIST was super-beneficial to me. Everything metrology in the U.S. is traceable back to NIST. We were able to see all kinds of real-life examples of how they calibrate things and analyze their scales. It was interesting to see how they do it and all of the top-of-the-line equipment they use.”
Kress intends to graduate from BC3 in May 2025 with associate degrees in measurement science-metrology technology and in engineering. Schaffner graduated debt-free from BC3 in May 2024 and with summa cum laude honors.
Schaffner said her associate degree in metrology from BC3 is “very unique” and that her research since graduation has shown “many different job opportunities out there, locally and out of state if you want to travel.”
Graduates of the college’s 41-year-old program have worked in positions such as instrumentation engineer, metrology and maintenance manager, quality engineering technician, research lab technician and research engineering technician.
“There are probably 10 open positions for every qualified person,” said Bob Dodds, a 2006 graduate of BC3’s program who worked three years for NASA’s Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, and is now senior principal metrology engineer at Northrop Grumman, Baltimore.
“Metrology skills are very much needed, especially as we go forward with the future of engineering and pushing the boundaries of science,” Dodds said. “There are fewer and fewer technical schools out there. The program at BC3 is instrumental in filling that educational gap.
“The degree in metrology from BC3 is something that you can be proud of. Scholarships may mean you do not have to work now as a student and can concentrate on finishing the program.”
Central Georgia Technical College, Macon, Ga., and Monroe County Community College, Monroe, Mich., have been reported to offer associate degrees in the field, according to callabmag.com.
The first scholarship benefiting students in BC3’s program was established with the BC3 Education Foundation by the National Conference of Standards Laboratories International in 1993.
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