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2 4 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 9 S T U F F M a d e I n N H . c o m Patrick Dodge became interested in manufacturing in high school after joining the FIRST Robotics Program – a robot- building contest founded by legendary inventor Dean Kamen. There, he was introduced to CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting) as well as electronics, wiring and programming. FIRST sparked his interest in the Robotics and Automation Engineering Technology (RAET) program at New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI). "In the RAET program, I was exposed to a wide variety of topics including PLC programming, complex circuit analysis, C++, CADD, and even programming robotic arms," said Dodge. Parts designer Dodge chose to intern at Nashua manufacturer BAE Systems because of its dedicated culture. "The technology they develop at BAE Systems literally saves lives every day, and everyone plays a role in their mission," said Dodge. He works in the Continuous Improvement Department in Nashua as a technical operations intern. Some days, he designs, 3D prints, and tests new fixtures and tools. "In just a couple months I have designed parts that are being utilized in almost all of the factories here in New Hampshire," Dodge said.. Dodge plans for a bachelor's degree at the University of New Hampshire Manchester in electrical engineering technology, and then a three-year master's program offered through BAE that rotates students through new positions. "I'm hoping that by experiencing a wide variety of opportunities, I'll be able to choose the right career path that best suits me," Dodge said. e long road It is said that the path to our destination is not always a straight one. This rings true for Marguerite Kennish, a former pizza cook and event planner turned mechanical engineer. Kennish interns at UNH's John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center. She learned of the Center last year while earning her associate's in engineering at Great Bay Community College. Her project is with Mohammad Ali Davar Panah, a post- doctoral scholar, and Brad Kinsey, the interim director of the Olson Center, on sheet metal forming for patients requiring trauma fixation. Her work is used to create implants and hypodermic needles. Kennish performs uni-axial testing on an MTS Landmark 370 machine to create a material profile of the stress and the strain caused by loading a specimen. Finite element analysis programmers then simulate data predicting how the material and product will react with different loads. Students from acrs New Hampshire are launching careers in advanced manufacturing By Bill Robidoux Patrick Dodge, 20 POSITION: Technical Operations Intern II COMPANY: BAE Systems, Nashua HOMETOWN: New Boston SALARY: $18.50/hr GIVING BACK: I love traveling and going on community service trips. In March 2018, I traveled to Houston to help hurricane Harvey victims. In March 2019, I traveled to New Orleans to help out Hurricane Katrina victims. PHOTO | Michael Papetti VIDEO LINK SEE P AGE 7