(WACO) – The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched in early February included a little touch of Texas State Technical College.

TSTC alumni Ryan Allen, 29, of Whitney and Russell Kent, 29, of Robinson were among several SpaceX employees who built the rocket that the private company has called the most powerful operational rocket in the world.

Kent and Allen are welders and have worked at SpaceX for four years. The men are based at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor but also travel to the company’s other facilities to work.

Allen, Kent and other co-workers in McGregor watched SpaceX’s live feed of Falcon Heavy’s launch on Feb. 6 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“It really put it all in perspective in what a group of people can accomplish,” Kent said. “I found myself thinking that this is what it must have been like in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I tell people all the time SpaceX is making space cool again. SpaceX is bringing it back with people dreaming about being an astronaut again and working in the space industry.”

Kent graduated in 2007 from Hubbard High School in Hill County. His family’s Hubbard donut business is where Kent, then a high school student, first learned about TSTC.

“A customer came in one day and told my mom that I should do the welding program in Waco,” he said. “The rest is history. The donut thing was not for me – it is a third-generation business. I love it and it’s my family tradition. But, I wanted to do something different but I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Kent said he naturally took to welding. He spent a few years doing power plant maintenance before joining SpaceX.

“I strive to be the best at welding that I can be,” Kent said. “I didn’t want to fall in with the crowd. I want to be a little bit different. Don’t be scared to be different.”

Allen is a graduate of Bynum High School in Hill County.

Allen and Kent both graduated from TSTC in 2009 with Associate of Applied Science degrees in Welding Technology from TSTC.

Cody Musia, lead instructor in TSTC’s Welding Technology program in Waco, said Kent and Allen’s work is an example of being able to do welding project work close to home.

“There is a broad variety of things that can be done in welding, including structural or X-ray-quality welding,” Musia said. “There is clean-room welding, which a lot of females are better at. There is also TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding, along with robotics and automation. There are different places in the world for the welders. It’s all about the type of lifestyle you want to live.”

Carson Pearce, TSTC’s statewide transportation division director, said TSTC alumni are working to help advance space travel in other ways.

“We currently have three graduates working with Virgin Galactic on the first commercial spacecraft, Spaceship II,” Pearce said. “SpaceX has hired several graduates as well. Another huge growth area is commercial aviation. The airlines are begging us for pilots, mechanics, dispatchers and avionics technicians. The Federal Aviation Administration is hiring our graduates as they finish their air traffic control classes, and at the FAA Academy, they are almost always in the top 10 percent of the class.”

For more information on SpaceX, go to spacex.com.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Two students who were the only representatives of their high schools were the top winners in the Central Texas Science and Engineering Fair held Tuesday and Wednesday at Texas State Technical College.

Caleb Chakmakjian, 15, of Live Oak Classical School and Remi Labeille, 15, of Midway High School were the overall winners and are eligible for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Pittsburgh.

Chakmakjian tested different methods of making potassium nitrate for small rockets for his project. This work was a continuation of what he did for last year’s science and engineering fair.

“Caleb has unending tenacity and a tremendous amount of fortitude,” said Melinda Johnson, a Live Oak Classical School science teacher who has taught him in the past. “He is methodical and analytical. He could at some point send a vehicle of his own into space.”

Labeille genetically engineered yeast for biofuel production for his project. He said his goal was to find a better way to produce biofuel.

“He was self-motivated and worked with someone from Michigan State University who has done similar research,” said Kathy McMillan, an Advanced Placement biology teacher and science instruction support specialist at Midway High School.

McMillan said Labeille continues Midway’s winning tradition at the science fair. While this is Labeille’s first time at the top, Midway alumnus and Harvard University student Edward Kim won three consecutive times.

There were more than 100 projects from Brownwood, Cameron, Corsicana, China Spring, McGregor and Waco students on topics such as animal science, biochemistry, mathematics and robotics.

“Don’t stop experimenting and don’t stop playing and having fun,” TSTC Provost Adam Hutchison told students before awards were presented Wednesday morning. “Keep asking the questions that are helping us to build a better tomorrow.”

A team from Live Oak Classical School won the Junior Science Bowl held Tuesday at TSTC’s IDEAS Center.

Live Oak Classical School swept the junior divisions in biochemistry, microbiology and plant science and C.H. Yoe High School in Cameron won the top three spots in the senior division’s plant science category.

The first-, second- and third-place winners in junior and senior divisions are eligible to attend the Texas Science and Engineering Fair on March 23-24 in San Antonio.

For more information on the Central Texas Science and Engineering Fair, go to ctsef.org.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – If you have never seen pigs fly, double-check next time you are at a local HEB.

Waco Beef and Pork Processors’ Holy Smoked Sausage is a local savory treat that will send your tastebuds to hog heaven.

Founded by Wallace Wright in 1995, the company started as a small butcher and meat processing plant that served restaurants in the Waco area. Now the family business is continued by friends Michael Landsfeld and Mike Linder, both of whom earned associate degrees and taught in Texas State Technical College’s Meat Processing and Marketing program before it was discontinued.

“I started in this industry when I was 11 years old with my father. Sausage making and the meat industry is something I’ve just always enjoyed, and you should enjoy what you do,” said Landsfeld, the company’s managing partner.

Recently, the Waco company donated sausage to feed students competing at the Area 5 and Area 8 FFA Tractor Technician Competition hosted by TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program.

“I’ve always kept in contact with my old teacher friends and old students who come by and see me,” said Landsfeld. “And anytime TSTC comes calling, I try to help.”

In 1978, Landsfeld graduated from Ennis High School in Ellis County, and around that time he heard about TSTC at a local trade show.

After graduating from TSTC, he continued practicing his skills in Dallas before returning to teach at TSTC.

“I came back to TSTC in ’89 and was asked to teach in the Meat Processing and Marketing program, and that’s when I first got to work with my friend Mike Linder,” said Landsfeld.

Landsfeld and Linder were both TSTC graduates who returned to teach and always talked about working together in a business environment.

“Linder and I have been friends for 30 years. We never thought we’d get to work together, but we dreamed about it back in the office days,” said Landsfeld.

After teaching for some time, Linder left to work at Waco Meat Service and Landsfeld started his career at Waco B&PP.

“Waco B&PP has been here for 23 years, and our main business is sausage making,” said Landsfeld. “We serve mainly HRI — hotels, restaurants and industry, but you can find us in small grocery stores too.”

Linder later joined Landsfeld and the Waco B&PP team as sales manager and now says he truly enjoys his workday.

Waco B&PP has expanded beyond Waco and now serves multiple businesses within a 120-mile radius.

“You know we’re growing, and it’s a good feeling to have when you’re with a company that’s continuing to grow,” said Linder.

The two friends attribute their success to their time spent at TSTC.

“TSTC made a good impact on me, and it was due to the teachers,” said Linder. “They were really good, knew their stuff and were well-driven. TSTC helped me to learn and be ready to continue learning.”

As with many trades, meat processing technology continues to change, encouraging the industry to adapt along with it.

“The technology has evolved quite a lot, and the emphasis is on the science as opposed to the art, both in sausage making and the meat preparation,” said Landsfeld.

Since the friends’ time at TSTC, parts of the Meat Processing and Marketing program have been integrated into the Culinary Arts program.

“We teach basic butchery skills, and meat fabrication is taught in all savory classes, where students learn the codes and regulations,” said TSTC Culinary Arts Department Chair and Chef Mark Schneider.

As Landsfeld and Linder continue their time together, they encourage the younger workforce to consider meat processing and the affiliated fields.

“We need younger workers; this business is very hands-on, and these young people are wonderful. And we do hire TSTC graduates,” said Landsfeld.

Landsfeld and Linder agreed that in a time when jobs are not guaranteed after a four-year education, TSTC serves as a viable alternative.

“Our time at TSTC was valuable for both of us. I’ve always been a hands-on type person,” said Linder. “I like working with my hands, and I worked in construction before I went to TSTC. But we went to TSTC to step up our education.”

There is evidence of the company’s success in the numerous awards and prizes received from the Texas Association of Meat Processing and other organizations.

“I think TSTC opened the doors to a lot of people, and I can vouch for them — I’m one of them,” said Landsfeld.

Waco B&PP specializes in sausage making but also provides specialty meets, spices and cheeses. These can be purchased directly through Waco B&PP or through local grocery stores.

For more information on Waco Beef and Pork Processors, go to holysmokedsausage.com.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – A Texas State Technical College instructor in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology program recently received a nationwide scholarship to attend a professional development conference later this spring.

David Brannen, lead instructor of the Waco campus program, was one of two recipients of the D. Brian Baker Memorial Scholarship, which covers travel, lodging and registration for the 2018 National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference on March 26-28 at the South Point Hotel Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. The scholarship is sponsored by the Council for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators and HVAC Excellence.

This will be the first time Brannen has attended the conference, the largest gathering of HVAC instructors in the nation.

“I want to talk to educators and see what we are doing well and what we need to do better on,” he said.

Brannen said he would use the trip to tell as many conference attendees as possible about TSTC’s mission of strengthening the Texas workforce. The HVAC program on TSTC’s Waco campus has more than 100 students, with 25 of them starting their first semester in the program this spring.

“We always have more jobs than students,” Brannen said. “We have to figure out how to get them in here.”

The scholarship also covers a one-year membership in the Council for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Educators.

The other recipient of the scholarship was a Delaware high school teacher.

Lance Lucas, TSTC’s statewide HVAC program chair, said he was proud of Brannen’s selection.

“We want to learn from David how HVAC teachers are teaching throughout the nation,” Lucas said.

Brannen, 39, grew up on farm in Axtell and is a graduate of Axtell High School. During his junior and senior years of high school, he took automotive technology classes at Connally High School. He worked for several years and graduated in 2010 from TSTC with an associate degree in refrigeration technology, which is now part of the HVAC program.

Brannen has taught at TSTC for four years and is also a licensed HVAC contractor and certified master electrician.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Several Bosqueville High School students received scholarships to Texas State Technical College at the recent McLennan County Junior Livestock Show’s Ag Mechanics Competition.

Bosqueville FFA students were the contest’s overall grand champions with team members receiving $1,000 scholarships and reserve grand champion winners getting $500 scholarships.

“This is an awesome opportunity for the students in our county, as well as those from Bosqueville High School,” said Charles Prause, a Bosqueville agricultural science teacher and superintendent of the agricultural mechanics show. “Many of our students might not have the financial resources to attend college after graduation to pursue a career in a desired trade skill. TSTC has made that possible by awarding scholarships. We appreciate the partnerships we have established with TSTC.”

Division grand winners received $500 scholarships and division reserve winners were given $250 scholarships. Students from Bosqueville, Gholson, Lorena, Midway and Robinson high schools and the University of Texas – University Charter School at the Methodist Children’s Home placed in these divisions.

All of the scholarships are only for use at TSTC.

“We want to support local McLennan County agriculture programs, student projects and the agriculture industry,” said Trey Pearson, a TSTC recruitment coordinator.

The event was held Friday, Feb. 9, at the Extraco Events Center in Waco. More than 120 students from several county high schools entered 47 projects for outdoor cooking, livestock, farm machinery and other areas of agriculture. All students who attended the event received TSTC bags, and all counselors received an upscale TSTC bag.

This is the third year the mechanics show has been held, though the junior livestock show has operated since the early 1980s.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – A group of Belton High School alumni who won gold medals at last year’s national SkillsUSA contest in Kentucky are now students at Texas State Technical College – and they want to touch gold again.

Allen Harlow, Joseph Hermann and Andres Zapata were part of the high school’s Teamworks construction group that placed first nationally. The team was the first from Texas to get this achievement.

“We had our hopes up high and felt we did our best and gave it our all,” Zapata said. “When they called Belton out for first place, we couldn’t believe it and were speechless.”

Now, they are TSTC Building Construction Technology majors working each Friday preparing for their first collegiate-level SkillsUSA Teamworks contest in April at TSTC. But first, the group will practice against Belton’s 2018 Teamworks group at the Texas SkillsUSA District 10 Leadership Development and Technical Skills Competition taking place Feb. 2-3 at TSTC.

“I am so very proud to see our former students competing on the college level,” said Belton High School construction technology instructor Craig Sullivan. “I think they will do very well, if not win it all again. They have a superior understanding of how the contest is run and judged and what is expected. They have all been cross-trained in all the skills. TSTC is taking them to the next level and polishing their craft.”

Harlow, 19, said Sullivan convinced him to go to college though he thought about joining the military.

“Allen was my team finisher,” Sullivan said. “He could do all aspects of the build. When needed, he would help each team member finish their skill. He was also my second mason on the team and was key in our finish last year at nationals.”

Zapata was involved in SkillsUSA construction most of his high school career. His favorite parts of construction are learning building codes and plumbing. Last summer, he was an intern at Cooper and Bright Plumbing in Harker Heights, where he worked alongside employees on projects ranging from pipe installation to troubleshooting water leaks.

Attending TSTC was always in his post-high school plans, Zapata said. He said it felt like home with so many Belton students at TSTC. He is a 2017 recipient of the Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation’s Work Ethic Scholarship.

“It has helped me out to pursue my dream,” Zapata, 19, said.

Twins Joseph and David Hermann, 20, did SkillsUSA construction at Belton. Joseph was on the national championship team and two state championship teams and David was on a Belton team that finished second in the state.

Joseph Hermann said he chose to do SkillsUSA in high school to stay out of trouble. Masonry has become his strength in team construction. His brother said he enjoyed learning the full range of construction through the organization.

“The Hermann twins were a joy to teach,” Sullivan said.

Another Belton High School alumnus who has SkillsUSA experience hopes to make an impact in the Building Construction Technology program. Zach Henderson, 20, a 2016 Belton Teamworks member, is in his second semester at TSTC. He came to Waco with encouragement of BCT instructor Michael Carrillo and his classmates.

“I knew I wanted to do school,” Henderson said. “I told myself it was something I had to do.”

Henderson said he also wanted to be on another Teamworks team with his Belton classmates.

“I’m hungry for a national title,” Henderson said.

Harlow, Joseph Hermann and Zapata’s victory last year continued a winning SkillsUSA tradition at Belton High School.  Under Sullivan’s tenure, the high school has won four consecutive state Teamworks titles, four teams have placed in the top 10 nationally and last year’s team won first place.

“Students that have gone through our program here at Belton have bought into our motto,” he said. “I keep it posted in our classroom: ‘Excellence is not an act, but a habit. We are what we repeatedly do.’ That motto has served us well.”

TSTC is also hosting Texas SkillsUSA’s District 5 for its leadership and skills contest on Feb. 9-10. District 4 will visit for its contest on Feb. 23-24.

“Hosting these district contests on our campus allows us to have direct access to high school students that are driven to excel in technical-related fields,” said James Matus, TSTC’s statewide SkillsUSA manager.

For more information on SkillsUSA in Texas, go to skillsusatx.org.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Students in the Automotive Technology program at Texas State Technical College are getting a simulated real-world experience working with customers and their vehicle repairs in a Friday automotive service class.

TSTC students, faculty and staff members can fill out work order forms at the Kultgen Automotive Center on campus. A schedule is developed and customers are told when to bring vehicles in for service. Customers are responsible for buying the parts, which are given to students to install. Students working in the Friday class have already gone through at least three semesters of program study.

“The students are involved with interacting and calling the customers and passing on parts needs and lists to them,” said Jon Dawe, a TSTC Automotive Technology instructor.

The students work on oil changes, tire rotations, starters, electric diagnostics, brake systems and other vehicle issues that can be done between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on most Fridays during semesters. Due to time constraints and the complexity of some problems, vehicles can be held over until the next service class day if customers agree to it.

Benjamin Hernandez, 21, and Cody Small, 20, both of Waco, worked Friday morning on an issue with a car door.

“When I started here, I knew nothing about cars,” said Hernandez, a 2014 graduate of La Vega High School. “My old car broke down so much, and I got tired of being charged for labor and service. I wanted to fix it on my own.”

Hernandez said the students do not know what problems they will deal with until work orders are handed out. But, he has a challenge in trying to read some customers’ minds.

“Sometimes we are told it doesn’t run and we have to figure it out,” he said.

Small said he enjoys the diverse problems vehicles have and how to do auto shop paperwork.

“What I’ve learned is a lot of the problems are not that complicated,” he said.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.