John Adams Academy , founded in 2010 , teaches K-12 classes based on the Socratic method . It has campuses in Lincoln and Roseville and is planning expansion in El Dorado Hills .
PHOTO COURTESY OF John Adams Academy
Learning Potential
Job skills and leadership are priorities for Placer educators
By Bill Sessa
In the surreal stagecraft of a Las Vegas show , acrobats dive from a trapeze high in the air into a deep pool where , moments before , dancers appeared to be splashing in water only ankle-deep .
The modern world of illusion may be more complicated than pulling a rabbit out of a hat , but the mystery and amazement it creates is timeless . Still , people ask , “ How did they do that ?”
If they were willing to spill their secrets , graduates of the mechatronics program at Sierra College who work as technicians for Cirque du Soleil could take the magic out of the act . The razzle-dazzle of show business is run by the same mundane mechanical automation that makes and fills ketchup bottles on an assembly line .
Mechatronics , a combination of mechanical engineering , electronics and computer science , is an invisible influence on almost every aspect of daily life in ways big and small , from regulating specific tasks on an assembly line to injecting the “ smart ” in our appliances . The trend began with the downsizing of computers , explains Sierra College mechatronics professor Tony Osladil . “ It ’ s in everything from the space shuttle to the microwave on the kitchen countertop ,” he says . “ Pretty much everything we do is automated more than people know .”
That universal application of mechatronics makes it a widely-sought job skill and reflects the philosophy behind Sierra College ’ s vocational classes .
106 comstocksmag . com | July 2022