On Monday, October 28, 2024, engineering students from Dublin High School took a field trip to the Clorox Company Pilot Plant. There, they were exposed to the different engineering fields they could apply to, informed of where to find internships, and given college advice from recently graduated employees at the Pilot Plant.
This visit was only one of the many field trips offered by the Engineering Department at Dublin High to help students plan out their high school career and apply to colleges with an engineering major. The department offers, too, a mentorship program that aids students in connecting with people with a variety of engineering majors. One of the mentors from this program, Kristen Speck, actually helped organize this field trip so that students could attend the Clorox Company Pilot Plant.
“I never had any idea that a company like Clorox could hire people with such broad engineering majors. The board of employees that we got to ask questions to at the end about college opportunities helped me prepare for college and what I should expect in the future. Overall, I felt that this field trip was beneficial to my engineering career,” added Jasmine Yeung, a junior who attended the field trip.
The students began the field trip with an introduction to what really goes on in the Pilot Plant. Before new inventions can make it to the factory line, they must go through a pilot plant. At this plant, engineers from a variety of fields test the product and design its packaging. After clearing the product, the designs for the product are sent to large-scale factories, where they are mass-produced and distributed all over the world.
Afterwards, they were introduced to the mixing room, which is mainly used to mix different chemicals to create Clorox products, such as bleach and cleaning wipes. One of the employees working there shared that a major problem they encounter when using the mixing room is when two mixtures are immiscible unless put in a certain condition. This problem was solved by adding heating and cooling systems to their tubs, which created an environment that encouraged the creation of the mixtures.
Next, the students went to the designing room, where they were introduced to many different machines that use shadows to measure precise measurements of packaging design. After collecting this information, the plant sends it to factories, where these design specifications may be taken into account and built with their precise dimensions.
The students continued through the pilot plant, where they were able to view many rooms. Some such rooms are held at specific temperatures, allowing students to test how certain materials react with the conditions they are held in. The students also discovered many new machines at the plant, such as the capping machine that, as the name suggests, places a cap on their products.
Once their tour ended, the students were able to meet with a panel of newly graduated engineers from diverse engineering backgrounds, such as mechanical, chemical, and packing. These engineers offered insight into different topics and answered questions about their own college experiences; provided advice for seniors writing college applications; and explained the process of securing internships and jobs after college.
After conducting an interview with Tim, an employee at Clorox, the students learned more about his experience with his job. When questioned about his favorite part about working at Clorox, Tim responded, “I think my favorite part of the job is working with some exciting people. There are some people that come and aren’t psyched; it’s their job… But the ones that are excited and they want to learn, they make up my favorite part of working here.” Additionally, when asked about which project impressed him most, Tim answered, “Well, we [Clorox] used to own Armor All—and I am a car guy, so I loved Armor All. In fact, I used to go outside and watch cars and test them with different products. So that was awesome, but I loved Armor All.”
All in all, the students were exposed to many different fields of engineering, learned about the workplace as an engineer, and gained an understanding of what life after college looks like, creating a worthwhile and stimulating experience for engineering students.
