For many TECO team members who participated in the 2016 University of South Florida Engineering Expo, Feb. 19 and 20 at the USF College of Engineering, it felt a little like going back to school – only now they were the teachers who helped make young faces light up.
And light up they did as they learned about how TECO safely serves the community with 99.9 percent reliability. About how power generation works. About new ways to save energy. And about a whole lot of cool equipment – from thermal imaging cameras to bucket trucks to light bulbs that run on bicycle pedal power – that showcase the value of electricity and help us get the job done to serve customers.
In fact, you could say that the subject matter covered just about any effort in the community that you can think of, especially those that relate to staying safe and striving for success in the future.
“The Engineering Expo is a terrific annual event that really lets TECO team members shine alongside community partners of all kinds,” said Josh Rogers, engineer I with Meter Operations and co-organizer of TECO’s participation in this year’s expo with Jeremy Brown, engineer I with Substation Engineering. “The students are engaged, we’re engaged, and everybody gets so much out of the experience. You see school group after school group come through and you know future engineers in the making are having their eyes opened to a whole new world of career possibilities.”
Sang Duong, engineer I with Engineering & Project Management, was among TECO team members returning to his alma mater. He’s far from alone at his company; TECO Energy President and CEO John Ramil is a USF College of Engineering graduate and current member of the USF Board of Trustees.
“It feels great to be back, showing students how the electric system works,” said Duong, standing in the buzzing atrium – affectionately called the “fishbowl” – at the College of Engineering. As his Big Bend Power Station display generated questions and smiles from the young visitors, just being there generated nostalgia in him. “I used to study right here in this room.”
No Comments Found