UNDER THIRTY - Society of Manufacturing Engineers

Catherine RossAge: 30National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS)Fairfax, VAShe may not be an engineer and she may nothave a role in building any actual parts orproducts, but Catherine Ross received a flurryof nominations for her work in helping to attractand develop a competent manufacturing workforcefor the future.Importantly, she is a strong reminder that importantmanufacturing work sometimes happens far from thefactory floor.Catherine holds a degree in sociology from GeorgeMason University and is director of accreditationfor the National Institute of Metalworking Skills.She joined NIMS in 2008 with some old (dirty,dangerous) ideas aboutmanufacturing that werequickly turned on their head.“It has been one long learningexperience,” Catherine saidof her time at NIMS. “All year long, there are newadvances.” She describes the modern manufacturingfacilities with which she is now acquainted as “someof the cleanest, safest facilities I’ve ever had theopportunity to experience.”Catherine now promotes the field of advancedmanufacturing to students, teachers and parents,and helps to connect education to industry inimportant ways through a variety of programs andoutreach efforts.Her primary role at NIMS is overseeing the nation’ssole accrediting body for training programs inprecision machining. Under her direction since 2009,more than 120 training programs have been accreditedand no less than 135 training programs haveapplied for accreditation.One of the Catherine’s important projects is marketingand organizing the three national-level SkillsUSA"A close tie to local industry andemployer and trade associationscan make a world of difference."UNDER THIRTYcontests for CNC milling, CNC turning and precisionmachine technology. “We’re seeing more and morestudents in the national contests,” Catherine said. “It’sdefinitely growing.” She enjoys seeing an increasingnumber of women at the national level, which meansthey beat out their male peers at the state.She also coordinated the AMT-sponsored StudentSummit at IMTS in 2012, where attendance exceeded9,000. The event was designed to introduce youngpeople to STEM-related careers in industry. Similarly,she coordinated Student Day at PMTS.Catherine also participates in industry’s educationalevents, through efforts such as Haas HTEC Network Regionaland National Conferencesand Sandvik Coromant’s Bridgingthe Skills Gap series.She believes this is importantwork that can make a differencelong term. “A close tie to local industry and employerand trade associations can make a world of difference,”she said. “Employers can tell educators exactly whatthey need.”Through her varied efforts, Catherine sees a wholehost of things that can be done to improve the imageof manufacturing and make sure it’s a career path thattalented students at least consider. Students, she said,seem most engaged by 3D printing, robotics, manufacturingsoftware and computer-aided design. If you canget a student to design something in CAD, she observed,you can attract them into learning how to makeit with a combination of technical and theoretical training.Catherine said her goal for the future is to continuestrengthening ties between education and industry. SaidCatherine: “I do plan to stay in this industry and withNIMS. … The longer I’ve been here, the more capableI’ve become.” METHIRTY UNDER THIRTY PROFILES2 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | July 2013