Worker Retraining Program Graduates First Class From: University Currents Date: June 16, 2000 By: Chris Curran Phone: (513) 556-1806 Photos by: Dottie Stover and Chris Curran Archive: General News Losing your job is bad enough, but the first graduates of the new Computer Integrated Manufacturing Certification Program at UC lost their instructor as well. Ohio Eminent Scholar and UC engineering Professor Abe Soni died in February, midway through the nine-month course. "Dr. Soni was one of those rare educators with a vision and purpose. He was committed," said Jerry Brown, head of the City of Cincinnati's Career Resource Center which handled recruiting for the program. Today, the graduates celebrated their accomplishments and paid tribute to the man who convinced them they could tackle the tough stuff and succeed. "He gave me the courage to try something I knew nothing about," said Wanda Methena, a 54-year-old mother of three and grandmother of one who said she never thought she'd ever get to go to college. "It's so wonderful to find out you can learn at any age." Methena was joined at the ceremony by fellow student Gregory Johnson and together they delivered a brief valedictory address. Johnson asked those gathered to spend a moment in silence remembering Soni. "It didn't take long to get to know him," said Johnson. " He got to you real quick. Let us take a moment to recognize the goodness of this man and his spirit. Long live his spirit." Methena and Johnson also thanked Professor Sam Anand who took over as the head of the program, department head Urmila Ghia who served as co-PI, and Professor Tom Huston who taught the final computer courses this spring. Several graduate students in mechanical, industrial, and nuclear engineering were also singled out for special mention: Kedar Soman, Kedar Godbole, Vikram Shrowty, Vinayak Kaujalgi, Girish Deshmukh, and Vishal Agarwal. "Had it not been for you, we would not be here today," said Johnson. "You kept us together as a class, sharing with us everything you knew," said Methena. The nine-month course took students through computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) from the shop floor during field trips to the offices where quality control and inventory problems are handled. They learned advanced software packages from the Access database to Auto-CAD and SDRC's IDEAS program. "The training was intense," said Anand. "The material is very close to what students learn as juniors and seniors, but this is accelerated into just nine months." The program is funded by a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and managed by the City of Cincinnati Employment Training Division. City Manager John Shirey thanked the UC College of Engineering for committing the time and resources necessary to run the program. "You didn't have to do this, but you fit it into your schedules and worked together with us to make this possible." To the graduates, Shirey offered his congratulations and admiration. "What took me four years, you accomplished in only nine months! We need people who have your skills, your background, and most important...your desire." Most of the graduates will now go on to internships before seeking full-time employment. Others will continue at UC seeking associate or bachelor's degrees. Another training class begins in September, and the lessons learned during the first year's program will be adapted in the next pilot session and eventually into other training programs funded by the federal government.