ECE has partnered with Louisiana Technical College (LTC) in preparing Hayden LeJeune, right, for his quest to become a World Champion in the 2009 WorldSkills Competition to be held Aug. 26 to Sept. 7 in Calgary, Canada. This competition is widely viewed as the pinnacle of excellence in skilled trades and technologies training. This year, over 1000 competitors from 51 countries are expected to participate in the various categories.
LeJeune, now an electrical engineering sophomore, is no stranger to competition. A graduate of Port Barre High School, LeJeune earned gold medals in Electronics Technology during both the Louisiana SkillsUSA State Championships and the National SkillsUSA Championships at the secondary level. LeJeune was later selected to represent the United States on the National SkillsUSA WorldTeam.“Everything has been progressing well with Hayden's training so far,” said Joe Anding, Academic Chairman, Technology Services II (LTC - Region 4). Currently, LeJeune is working with ECE instructor Gabriel DeSouza on computer and robot-based exercises. With about four weeks remaining until the competition, ECE and LTC will be working diligently to ensure Hayden gets maximum exposure to the material and hardware. “Overall, the collaboration has been a good exercise,” said Dr. Jorge Aravena, ECE Interim Chairman.
Article by Tammy V. Abshire, LSU College of Engineering, 225-578-5478, tvabshire@lsu.edu