Inspired by his high school graphics teacher, Noah Austin has always had a passion for technology engineering. Austin, who has been a teacher at Conestoga since 2006, has taught all engineering courses at Conestoga and has worked to design and implement new ones. He currently serves as the Department Chair for the Business and Technology department.
Q: What do you like about teaching at Conestoga?
A: Currently, the thing I like the most about Conestoga is the amazing support that I have gotten to create a program that focuses on engineering that our students can take advantage of. When I first got here, they were teaching traditional wood shop, and now we have a full-blown engineering program (and) a robotics program. We have a lab that rivals colleges in the fabrication area. I have been nothing but supported educationally for how I wanted to push forward and how I wanted to try to test waters or material. I’ve been supported from day one walking into this building.
Q: What is your favorite piece of machinery in the fabrication lab?
A: My favorite piece of machinery in the fabrication lab is the laser engraver. It’s like the workhorse of the space, and it’s used by a lot of the different classes. But just the fact that it can cut and engrave simultaneously is pretty cool. The second-most favorite which I need to mention as well is the ShopBot CNC machine. It’s a 4-by-8 foot computer numeric-controlled cutter head that subtractive manufactures.
Q: What do you enjoy about the clubs you advise?
A: I like the creativity of the clubs I’m in. The robotics club, it’s mechanics, but it’s also, “How can I creatively put these mechanics together to solve this problem?” I enjoy helping students through that problem solving process. On the stage crew side, it’s more the creativity of, “Hey, how do I make this look like this?” What’s cool there is we build downstairs, outside of school. Sometimes some of this stuff comes up to the lab and we get to use the CNC machine, or the screen printing or laser engraver to create aspects or parts of that. I like seeing that process go from idea all the way through to a completed project.
Q: What is your favorite project that your students work on?
A: I can constantly change the activities that we do. I have really enjoyed the 2D assembly projects that we make in the Engineering, Design, Production and Automation class currently. Last year they made birdhouses in that project. But basically they make a two-dimensional drawing of something that has to assemble once it’s off the machine. And I think that that project has been (a) really fun (way) to push students to think in a different way.
Q: Do you have a go-to favorite travel spot?
A: My family has a beach house, and I love traveling to the beach. I have a permit on my truck that allows me to drive up onto the beach and I surf fish with my two boys, and I basically am down there for most of the summer. Another getaway for me is kayaking on lakes in our general area. I like watching the sun go down over the water. It’s one of my favorite things to do. So being anywhere around water and the sun going down is my happy place.
Q: What is a piece of advice you hope to give to your students?
A: Push yourself with what you’re passionate about.
Rowan Chetty can be reached at [email protected].
