Taking a peek into the future

Deirdre Newman

More than 100 freshmen from Newport Harbor High School’s Da Vinci

program got an in-depth lesson about fuel-cell technology Wednesday.

But the lesson wasn’t at school -- it was at the offices of

Orthodyne in Irvine, an electronics manufacturing company that makes

a robotic machine that welds wires. Those wires are then used in

things like automobiles, pacemakers and even the land rover that

explored Mars for NASA.

Orthodyne also has the privilege of being the first company to use

an electric/hydrogen-powered SUV that UC Irvine is leasing from

Toyota.

The field trip allowed the students to see up close some of

Orthodyne’s machines, which company officials hope will create sparks

in the students’ minds for possible high-tech careers.

“The way we involve ourselves in the community is, the tech jobs

keep leaving the country, and education is the most important thing

we can do to stop that reversal, especially at the high-school

level,” said Gregg Kelly, chief executive and Newport Harbor High

alum.

Once at Orthodyne, the students divided into five groups and

toured the company offices. One group met outside in the parking lot,

where a variety of electric and hybrid vehicles were on display.

Kevin Geehr was impressed with the Ecom -- a two-seat,

environmentally friendly commuter car.

“It’s amazing. It’s so compact,” Kevin, 14, said.

Kevin said the Ecom -- which can only travel at about 30 mph -- is

not really fast enough for his tastes, but it would make a nice beach

cruiser.

Geoff Partain, product planner for Toyota, was also on hand to

teach a mini-lesson on fuel-cell technology. He discussed how the

fuel-cell technology is an evolving field that still requires a lot

of research and experimentation.

“So please study science and math because we don’t have all the

answers,” Partain encouraged the Da Vinci students. “We’ll need you

in the future.”

The students learned fascinating details about fuel-cell

technology -- including that platinum now serves as the catalyst for

the hydrogen breakdown that powers the car. Since platinum is very

expensive, scientists and engineers are looking for a cheaper metal

that can act as a catalyst.

The students also got to see the daily activities of some

employees, including Michael Ice, who works in failure analysis, and

Jim Warren, who is the in-house software trainer.

Many of the students said the tour piqued their interest in

science.

“How they can make things so small makes me a little more

interested in science,” Meghan Louvier, 14, said.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Deirdre Newman visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa

area and writes about her experience.