Local Students Win State Award for CNC Air System Innovation

Students in the North Country Career Center engineering and digital fabrication program were recognized by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce on December 11 for a project that turned a routine maintenance task into an automated solution. Working with Built by Newport and instructor Hazen Converse, the students designed and built an automated air blow off system for computer numerical control machines. The system uses an electronically programmed valve that releases a burst of air every 15 seconds to clear wood shavings from beneath the machine, replacing a previously manual process.

The project required teamwork, iterative design revisions, and engineering problem solving. North Country Career Center was one of five schools honored statewide in the Coolest Thing Made in Vermont by CTE Students contest. Student Ben Warren traveled to the Vermont Manufacturing Summit to accept the award on behalf of the team. The recognition places a spotlight on regional career and technical education as a pipeline into Vermont’s manufacturing economy and the local workforce.

For Sullivan County residents the invention offers several tangible community level benefits. Automating the clearing process reduces the time students and operators spend on repetitive manual tasks, which may lower the risk of repetitive strain injuries. By reducing the need for hands on clearing under the CNC unit, the system also helps limit direct exposure to wood dust, an occupational respiratory hazard in woodworking and small scale manufacturing. Those improvements matter in school shops where safety and health practices affect young people deciding whether to enter trades as a career.

The project also illustrates how local partnerships can expand job readiness in a rural economy. Collaboration with a local manufacturer gave students real world experience in design, prototyping, and problem solving, strengthening recruitment pipelines for employers who report difficulty finding skilled applicants. The award demonstrates that investment in career and technical education can yield practical innovations that improve workplace safety and productivity while connecting residents to family supporting jobs.

As communities weigh school and workforce funding priorities, the NCCC project offers a concrete example of how hands on learning can support public health, economic opportunity, and equitable access to career pathways in Sullivan County.