Eight Tech Valley businesses show students the region's offerings
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| Robert Hirsch, of H2Pump, demonstrates what can happen when a hydrogen-filled balloon is overheated. He was not hurt in the demonstration. |
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| Freshman Leah Clifford of Ichabod Crane peers through a lens to see the impact of a filter being applied by Jesse Fawcett of Green Island. Looking on is Dennis O'Leary of Micro-Optical Methods. |
From exploding super-heated balloons to flow charts, products and business ventures took center stage during the Tech Valley High School Exposium Oct. 5.
Representatives from eight Tech Valley businesses detailed what their companies do and why during the event, which is designed to expose students to business opportunities in Tech Valley and showcase local innovation.
"Our goal is to inspire students to pursue careers in our region," said Denise Zieske, business partnership coordinator at Tech Valley High School. "By all accounts, we were successful today with this large variety of presenters and topics discussed."
Robert Hirsch of H2Pump showed students the impact of heating a hydrogen-filled balloon as a demonstration of how difficult it is to contain particles and gases.
During other presentations, students learned how the use of crystals can alter the view of objects, and how the media is evolving in response to social networking.
Throughout the event, Tech Valley High School students moved from classroom to classroom for 20-minute sessions on topics they chose to learn more about.
Renee Nichols, of Solid Sealing Technology, said that exposure to local business opportunities greatly impacts the students' education.
"It's really important for high school students to be exposed to the opportunities that await them based on what they are doing here at school," she said. "The students here (at Tech Valley High School) have great skill sets and different interests that can be applied locally."
Exposium participants included: Lewis of H2Pump; Nichols of Solid Seal Technology; Michael DiAcetis and Kathy Seymour of National Grid; Michael Hendricks and Robin Cooper of the Albany Business Review; Dennis O'Leary of Micro-Optical Methods; Marie Schnitzer of AWS Truepower; Phil Spoor of Chart Industries; and Sarah Halliday of M&T Bank.
"Our students today were exposed to some of the premiere businesses in the Tech Valley," said TVHS Principal Dan Liebert. "This interaction provides them with a better understanding of all that awaits them in the future and allows them to understand that what they are learning at Tech Valley is used in the business world."
