BANGOR – “It’s a community-building, spirit-building kind of day,” Liz Russell said in describing Eastern Maine Technical College’s Tech Day 2002.

Held on Wednesday, Tech Day incorporated technical presentations regarding curriculum at EMTC and an Earth Day ceremony with food and fun activities.

A student breakfast served by staff and faculty led the day’s activities.

After the breakfast, activities were designed to help visitors learn more about academic and applied science programs available at the technical college.

For instance, the electrical and automation technology department featured such senior project presentations as a model carwash simulator demonstrating motor controls and electrical sensors, and a hydraulically actuated maze table operated with an industrial joystick.

Also highlighted were the technical college’s collaborations with local businesses. Brewer Automotive Components came to Jeff Merrithew, a fluid-power instructor at the college, asking whether EMTC could develop a programmable logic-controller trainer bench. This would allow BAC employees to learn and study a pick-and-place manufacturing system and program the logic controller. BAC supplied the components based on the design EMTC students Scott Coy and Darren Stanley provided. The men will present the trainer bench to BAC next week.

According to Allen Vinneau, a maintenance team leader at BAC, “up to 10 people will be using the trainer.” It has been good for BAC, which will be approaching EMTC for more research and development, he said.

Other presentations included early childhood development displays with a video monitor and poster boards, a computer networking slide presentation and a welding job fair.

The building construction and refrigeration, air conditioning and heating program students went into the community to learn about their profession from those already working in the field.

Earth Day activities included a flag-raising ceremony and campuswide cleanup, followed by lunch and an afternoon of activities designed to attract traditional and nontraditional students.

As Greg Swett, dean of students, said, the event is designed to build a “sense of community, a sense of belonging, a sense of connection to the college.”