NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 27, 2022) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District collaborated with the Tennessee State University Engineering Department to give science, technology, engineering, and math students a behind the scenes look at hydropower during the National Summer Transportation Institute program.
The NSTI program is a four-week residential program held at TSU in the College of Engineering department in Nashville, Tennessee. The program recruits high school students in grades 10-12, from all over the country who want to learn about engineering in transportation.
The program allows students to meet and learn directly from these industry leaders. Land transportation, air transportation, waterway transportation and Federal Highway transportation.
TSU Professor of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Interim Dean of College of Engineering Lin Li said students learn a variety of things pertaining to transportation design, safety, and functionality. They also learn how these industries affect their lives, personally.
“The students learn where the water in their homes comes from, and how packages get from the factory to their doorsteps. Many things in our lives are impacted by transportation and the engineers that help things run smoothly,” said Li.
The USACE hydropower program week kicked-off with an introductory class taught by Jason Johnson, civil engineer, and Maintenance Section chief. Johnson shared with the high school students a brief history of Nashville District dams located along the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers.
“Our nine hydroelectric power plants provide clean, renewable energy to the community, and our dams contribute greatly to flood reduction throughout the Nashville District. Engineering students really enjoy seeing a hydropower plant once learning all they’re capable of doing and how they service the community,” said Johnson.
Students visited the Old Hickory Hydropower plant in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where they learned about hydroelectric power. They walked along the dam to view the lock chamber water levels rise and fall in preparation for a traveling vessel.
“Hearing how lake water is turned into hydropower was one of my favorite experiences this week. Getting to tour the hydropower plant and seeing the equipment it takes to run such a huge facility was very interesting,” said Jordynn Fluellen, a rising sophomore from Global Impact Academy in Georgia.
“Learning that 95% of the goods being shipped are transported by water was something I didn’t expect. They’re keeping a lot of the huge trucks off the road through transporting barges which saves a lot of time, money, and lives by freeing up the roads,” said Fluellen.
Lt. Col. Joseph Sahl, commander of the Nashville District, shared with the NSTI students different aspects of Corps leadership. Sahl also discussed the different types of engineering fields and the engineer jobs at USACE.
“STEM is a huge part of what we do here at the Corps. From running hydropower plants, to operating locks and dams, engineers help things run smoothly and provide important services to the community. We want to highlight the opportunities that await these students in the future,” said Sahl.
Students learned how engineers operate Old Hickory Hydropower Plant and service the community through lock and dam operations and waterway navigation access. They viewed engineers conducting maintenance work and asked questions about tools and maintenance procedures.
Atreyu Skyers, a rising sophomore from McGavock High School, said he is interested in several different engineering fields but is currently focused on robotics.
“I liked seeing how the power plant turbines worked. I’ve rode past J. Percy Priest Dam so many times but had no idea how the dams worked or that there was more than one on the Cumberland. It’s cool to know how they operate and how they’re classified,” said Sykers.
The NSTI program is offered to STEM high school students their sophomore through senior year so they can experience more extensive education on a various transport engineering subjects before graduating and heading to college.
“We hope this program encourages these students to enter engineering fields in the future. Whether they choose a field like civil engineering or mechanical engineering, we want them to have the experience and knowledge to choose a field they have a genuine interest in,” said Li.
The students will take this new experience back with them at the end of the program and have a better understanding of what is to come when they graduate soon.
“It’s good to know now that I should be looking at scholarships and internships for my future. I’m only a rising sophomore, but I want to be prepared and have those advantages. That was one of the reasons I chose to do this summer program. Hopefully I’m able to do more like this,” said Skyers.
(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.)