Students who visited Waters Corporation were Ryan Bernard, Patrick Brown, Anthony
Deluca, Anthony DeMeo, Drew Ghiorse, Mackenzie Gray, Joseph Hennessy, Chayse
Mitchell, Guenevere Payne, James Perrotti, Lindsey Provost, Kaleb Schimmelpenningh,
Andrew Squier, Lacie St. Laurent, Sarah Stevens, Andrew Tretheway, and Haleigh
Wagner. They were joined by Mrs. GravesonPayne and Ms. Thulin.
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, seventeen 8th grade students from Douglas
Middle School participated in a STEM career exploration program by visiting
international advanced manufacturer Waters Corporation in Milford, MA. The program,
which coincides with Massachusetts Manufacturing Month, was sponsored by
Blackstone Valley Education Foundation (BVEF).
The students attended a welcome
session conducted by management that introduced them to the global reach of the
company, its products, and its multiple overseas facilities. Employees then conducted
tours of the facility, including production areas, research and development, and product
inventory. The focus of the tour was to inform students about the multiple STEM career
areas in a large global manufacturer. Tours were followed by a panel presentation and
discussion relating to how individual workers and managers became involved in their
jobs, courses they took in high school, and their continuing education and training
beyond high school. Lunch was then provided so that students could informally continue
discussions with several of the workers. After the trip, the students who attended shared
some of their thoughts.
What was something you learned and/or that surprised you?
-The size of the company
-The number of people working in that location (1,600)
-In 2030 there will be 3.5 million new manufacturing jobs available
-They make machines that identify if the fish in sushi is really what it claims to be
-They morph/fuse different metals into solid pieces
-Waters does a lot for the world (making instruments for chemotherapy, neonatal testing,
food and water quality, etc.)
What was the best part of the trip?
-Taking the tour
-Going into the testing labs
-Seeing all the machines and how they function
-Morning snack/Lunch
-Everyone was so nice and made an effort to help teach you about the company
Douglas Middle School is a member of Blackstone Valley Education Foundation. BVEF
provides numerous career-oriented on-site learning experiences throughout the
academic year that extend classroom learning experiences for students, teachers,
guidance counselors, and administrators of member school districts.