By admin FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) — You know a school field trip is going to be a good one when you’re escorted from the school bus to the building by a robotic dog named Spot. That was the case as sixty middle schoolers from Fountain Valley got to spend a day at the headquarters of Hyundai.
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After a welcome from company officials, a day of immersion at the sprawling facility. First getting to see Hyundai’s flagship EV, the Ioniq 9 up close in a show-and-tell by the brand’s advance product planners.
The visit is a way to encourage young minds to consider working in the auto industry.
“The whole goal of this is to have a seed planted. And to pursue these different types of careers,” said Brandon Ramirez, a veteran executive a Hyundai Motor America who organizes the annual event in conjunction with the two neighboring middle schools.
The students then attended a mini seminar on the future of sustainable transportation by key people inside the company. Official school hours, with a twist. A day away from their usual classrooms, but it was still a day full of learning. And some of that learning, was pretty fun.
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The hands-on challenge: build a lightweight vehicle from simple materials, with instructions from Hyundai mentors. First, the kids had to dial in the chassis to make sure their cars went straight after rolling down a small ramp. A variation of what real engineers do for real cars. Including taking stock of results.
Next, adding propulsion to make it a “jet car” via air – a regular balloon mounted with a small nozzle. The cars went from several feet, to all the way across the large room, with fellow students and Hyundai associates cheering them on.
“If students don’t get to see the practical applications of the skills that they’re learning in class, then there’s nowhere to use them,” said Dorian Shiver, a science and robotics teacher at Talbert Middle School.
A feeling of creating something that works, as a learning experience? Always a big win. Perhaps some of these 7th and 8th graders will end up working in this very building someday. Another big win for all involved.
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