This Week At CART - James Watson

Hello! My name is James Watson, and I am currently a senior at CART and Clovis High School. Last year, I was in the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Robotics (EMR) lab, and this year I am in the same lab as a second-year student. What I love most about CART is the hands-on environment that many people don’t find at their home school. Very rarely do I sit down and listen to lectures all day. Instead, I gain practical experience that I can apply to future educational and career opportunities.

In the EMR lab, you learn how to design a product from beginning to end. You start with ideation sketches, then create a 3D model, and then learn different ways to fabricate the product, such as a 3D printer and a CNC. Last year, I designed and built my own rocket and plane! It is a very rewarding feeling, especially when you see something you have been working on for the last few months come to life. As a second-year student, I do a lot more self-paced work than I did as a first-year student. One of the projects I will be doing later this year is collaborating with the environmental lab to create and engineer a zoo animal enrichment.

​This week at CART, I worked on a project known as the Automatic Raffle Randomizing Tabulator (ARRT). ARRT is a ping pong raffle dispenser that the CART staff uses during meetings to select prize winners. As a group of second-year students, we had to think of several unique methods to move the ping pong balls and make them easier to collect. I had to create 3D models of my designs and present them to the other second-year students. I also designed and programmed a circuit that could help the user turn on and off the machine.

​Overall, CART has taught me how to stand out in the workforce. I’ve learned how to write professional emails, give formal presentations, and conduct stand-out interviews. Here at CART, you get the chance to do some amazing projects, experiences, and activities. So if you get the opportunity, take it!

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