ANTHC Engineering staff wow Hydaburg students with drone demonstration, partner for student education project in Akhiok
February 12, 2018
ANTHC is committed to strengthening our Alaska Native and American Indian workforce and developing future Alaska Tribal Health System leaders by sharing information on the various job opportunities that support Tribal health.
ANTHC Engineering staff, Sean Driskill, Engineering Project Manager, and Kevin Tuning, CAD Manager, recently presented a unique aspect of their work for the students at the Hydaburg Middle and High School. They met with more than 25 students, teachers and parents who were there to learn more about the different opportunities ANTHC has to offer both inside and outside Hydaburg.
Driskill discussed scholarship opportunities for high school students planning on college and reviewed the requirements for students to become behavioral, community, or dental health aides in rural communities. Many of the students at Hydaburg’s school wanted to further their education and were eager to learn about the opportunities presented.
Tuning also took this opportunity to show the enthusiastic students how to produce maps and models using a drone. His live demonstration of a drone flight showed students what a career in surveying or engineering could look like, as ANTHC currently uses a drone to map hard-to-reach areas to better understand topography and site-specific challenges associated with engineering projects. There were many prospective drone pilots in the crowd interested in learning about how they could pursue a career path similar to Tuning’s.
During the construction of a new 100,000-gallon water storage tank in the Kodiak Island community of Akhiok, Jeremy Bultman, ANTHC Field Superintendent, learned that Akhiok students wanted to participate in a school welding project. Bultman got in touch with the school’s principal and arranged to provide guidance and materials for the students to weld placards for the water storage tank currently being completed in the community. The placards show the directional flow of water to and from the tank. According to the head teacher at the Akhiok School, Keith Gray, the students “stepped up to the challenge” and were able to “come together as a team” to get their project finished on time. The project was an opportunity to share ANTHC’s experience with students on a community request, provided an educational service to the community and the students can take pride in their work on display for years to come.