The Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC), Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, BLaST Intermediate Unit, Advance Central PA and The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce the award recipients for the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) Central Susquehanna student video contest awards.  The ceremony was held April 16^th at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville, PA.

The WSCM contest partners students from middle schools in Central PA with local manufacturers.  Each student team scripted, shot, edited and promoted a short video that documents their experience highlighting what is “cool” about manufacturing.  Two videos in the region will be moving on to represent Central Susquehanna at the annual statewide competition being held in Harrisburg next month.

The video with the most votes, during three days of online voting in March, received the “Viewers’ Choice Award.” A panel of judges reviewed the videos for awards in three other categories including Outstanding Overall Program, Outstanding Team Spirit and Outstanding Brand Placement.

“We had a really great contest this year with students and their manufacturing partners working together to highlight what’s so cool about manufacturing in Central PA. In our fourth year of this contest, we had a record number of votes for the Viewers’ Choice award of over 71,000 votes,” said Lauri Moon, Manager of Outreach & Special Projects with IMC and Co-manager of the Central Susquehanna contest. “The students, teachers and manufacturers put in so much hard work, and it definitely showed in their final videos.”

This year’s awards and their winners are:

1. Outstanding Overall Program: Mount Carmel Area Middle School & Great Dane
2. Viewers’ Choice Award: Central Columbia Middle School & Bloomsburg Carpet
3. Outstanding Team Spirit: Mount Carmel Area Middle School & Great Dane
4. Outstanding Brand Placement: Bloomsburg Area Middle School & GAF

Congratulations to the Mount Carmel Area Middle School/Great Dane and Central Columbia Middle School/Bloomsburg Carpet teams who are moving on to the statewide competition in Harrisburg next month.

Partnering with the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center on this regional contest are Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, BLaST Intermediate Unit, Advance Central PA and The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce. Funding for this program is made possible by these organizations and, in part, by EITC, PASmart and PA Department of Labor & Industry Business & Education grants.

To check out this year’s Central Susquehanna What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? videos, visit https://www.whatssocool.org/contests/central-susquehanna/.

Visit WhatsSoCool.org for more information and follow on Facebook.com/WSCMCenSusq.

Mount Carmeel & Great Dane: 2024 WSCM Outstanding Overall Program and Outstanding Team Spirit Winner

Central Columbia & Bloomsburg Carpet: 2024 WSCM Viewers Choice Winner

Central Susquehanna Region Expands the Popular Contest in Five New PA Counties

Williamsport, PA – October 16, 2019 – The Innovative Manufacturers’ Center (IMC) is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Central Susquehanna student video contest for the 2019-2020 school year.

The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) student video contest pairs student-teams with local manufacturers, providing middle school students a unique opportunity to learn what makes modern manufacturing cool and produce, shoot and edit a video that documents their experience. The program was created to generate excitement that draws students to consider manufacturing career paths.

“We are really excited to pilot this program in our school districts this year, and help it expand across the state” said Dan Manetta, Executive Director/CEO IMC. “STEM education is vitally important and our students will get a great opportunity see how cool our local manufacturers really are, and share their videos with the community.”

“What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Central Susquehanna Region, produced by the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center, the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit and The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, will join 16 other regions across Pennsylvania this year, and students from seven schools will partner with seven manufacturers in Columbia, Northumberland, Snyder, Union and Montour counties.

The students’ videos will compete in the regional contest, culminating with public voting for Viewers Choice and an awards show April 2, 2020. WSCM Central Susquehanna will choose one video to represent the region in the 3^rd Annual “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” PA Statewide Awards on April 29, 2020 in Harrisburg.

The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Central Susquehanna inaugural season is funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and was created and initiated by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC) in the Lehigh Valley in 2013. Innovative Manufacturer’s Center partners with eMediaWorks and Sahl Communications, Inc. to produce the program. For more information, visit whatssocool.org.

About “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing”:

Developed by Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC), WSCM program is a video based educational tool that increases awareness of career paths in manufacturing. MRC developed this innovative career awareness program that at its core is “peer marketing” (kids telling kids what’s so cool about manufacturing jobs).  The contest is showcased on the What’s So Cool Website, and shared nationally through the Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership platforms. The Lehigh Valley contest is expanding across the Commonwealth and the country. Inside Pennsylvania there will be 17 regions conducting contests this year.

This contest gives students the opportunity to connect with local manufacturers, document their experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students towards manufacturing career paths, and CTE and STEM education.

For more information or to get involved in the Central Susquehanna region, contact Lauri Moon at laurim@imcpa.com or 570-329-3200×8085.

About Innovative Manufacturer’s Center

Founded in 1988, the Innovative Manufacturers’ Center assists in connecting manufacturers in 12 Pennsylvania counties with the most effective regional, state and national resources to help companies innovate, grow and prosper. An affiliate of the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership and supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, IMC is one of seven industrial resource centers in Pennsylvania and serves manufacturers in Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Union, Snyder, Clinton, Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Huntington, Blair and Bedford Counties.

About Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit

The Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) is a regional education service agency that prides itself on serving the needs of schools, students, families and communities. CSIU’s many programs and services reflect our mission to provide quality education services that help students learn, support teachers in bringing best practices to the classroom, and offer valuable services to school districts.  The CSIU’s primary service area consists of Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties in central Pennsylvania which includes 17 school districts, 3 career and technical centers, and 69 nonpublic schools.

About The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce

Since its inception in 1996, The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce has evolved, remaining focused on goals which can be summed up in its mission statement: “Working together, the educators and employers of Columbia and Montour counties will ensure that lifelong learners obtain the academic, technical, and employability skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century workplace.” Through The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, educators and employers in Columbia and Montour counties work together to provide educational opportunities for the purpose of workforce development. Our educational programs focus on K-12 students as well as continuing education for adults.