CMD Electrical Engineer, Chris Schlies, spends his days immersed in electronics; reconciling software issues; providing motion-control finesse; and developing new solutions to enhance equipment reliability, user-friendliness and productivity. In his off-hours, Schlies is also an advisor for the Wrightstown, Wisconsin High School Robotics Team. So, here's a guy who's either really passionate about electronics, or very enthusiastic about mentoring youth. In Schlies' case, it's both.

"I wanted to be a mentor so I could inform these kids early on (before college) what is all involved in an engineering career. There are so many things that they have not, and will not learn at an institutional level unless someone from industry actually gets to be involved with them and tells them about it," said Schlies. He pointed out that it is not just about a fun tinker toy and winning a competition, but that there are many things like design documentation, program flow charts, and operation manuals that need to accompany the “toy” for it to be a machine that others could use. 

"As we progressed through the build, they learned from other teams' mistakes and their own to evolve their robot into a machine that took 2^nd place at the state competition. It gave me the opportunity to give these guys a jump on what the manufacturing industry in the area is all about, something they would have never known about until they hit the real world.  The more they know now, the better prepared they will be to decide how they will use their talents to benefit the future engineering community," said Schlies.

Schlies' journey with the WHS robotics team began when CMD Facilities Manager Mark Heindel learned that the group needed a corporate sponsor. Heindel approached management, and secured CMD as a corporate sponsor. He went a step further and convinced Schlies to mentor the group, which included Heindel's son, Willy, a junior at WHS. "I am trying to get kids exposed to industrial careers and develop a passion for manufacturing," commented Heindel.

With his passion for electronics, CMD Electrical Engineer Chris Schlies is an
integral part of the CMD technology team. In his spare time, he mentors
high school students in a robotics competition.

Most of the area schools started working on their projects in October. The WHS team had only a few weeks to prepare. Yet, under Schlies' tutelage, they came in first place and earned a spot among the contendors at the State Championship.

Schlies does not yet have children in the Wrightstown School District, but still plans to work with the team again next year.

"I am going to mentor this team as long as the team is around," he simply states.


For another example of CMD's advancing skill set, read about our Manufacturing All Stars