AWC Welding Team Wins Gold in the 2016 Welding Thunder Competition
December 19, 2016The Arizona Western College Ernest Lopez Welding Institute team competed in the 2016 Welders Without Borders: Welding Thunder Team Fabrication competition, bringing home gold post-secondary fabrication and gold for the STEM award.
This is considered to be one of the most challenging welding team competition events in the nation due to the complexity of the project. Students had to build a commercial sized griddle and grill with only the tools and equipment that were allowed in the competition. Students not only had to build the project on-site, but they also had to cook a meal on it to be judged by professional culinary judges.
Thirty students prepared for the competition on weekends and after classes working hard with faculty to prepare for this event. The AWC Matadors welding team has been the first place fabrication team at this event three years in a row. Winning at the event hosted at Skyline High School in 2014 at Mesa Arizona, at Mohave Community College in 2015 and again at this year’s event in Las Vegas hosted by the American Welding Society. Students worked with Mr. John Crano, a representative for the Canadian Welding Bureau, with eighteen students completing a CWB Industry Tacker Certification test. In addition to the students’ required classes, they were able to raise over $6,000 of their own funds to help with competition costs.
“These students and faculty have demonstrated an outstanding ability to master not only the complexities of welding but the logistics to move a large contingency of people, tools and equipment a long distance, complete the task at hand and return safely to their home base” said Samuel Colton, AWC Professor of Welding. “This is considered an outstanding example of real world job related activity and is valued highly by the various industry partners who support this program.”
The competition was sponsored by the American Welding Society, American Welding Society District 21 at FABTECH in Las Vegas, Nevada this past November. This event was held this year in conjunction with the AWS FABTECH show at the Las Vegas Convention Center; the largest industrial trade show in North America and was attended by CEO’s and industry leaders from around the globe. This year’s event included 16 teams representing schools from Arizona, California and Nevada with five post-secondary teams representing their respective colleges.
“Our thanks go to all of the AWC staff, administration and faculty who provide year round support of the mission of the Ernest Lopez Welding Institute and who helped to make this success possible. Special thanks to the AWC welding faculty team: Mr. Nate Bailey, Mr. Larry Lebsock and Mr. James Veldhuis who took time away from their personal lives to support the students for this year’s preparations and travel. Special thanks to this year’s team captains Mr. Pedro Ordaz and Mr. Braiden Campbell for their leadership and devotion to our team’s success” said Professor Colton.
Contact:
Samuel Colton
Professor of Welding/Coordinator Construction & Applied Technology (CAAT) Institutes
Arizona Western College
928 344-7570
Samuel.Colton@azwestern.edu