January 20, 2025

Forest City Gear is proud to share that Manufacturing Engineer Mark Javurek was invited to serve as a guest panelist for Harlem High School’s engineering capstone class, taught by Chris Noble.

The class aims to lead third-year students through the entire process of engineering design. After student groups “design” a potential solution to a problem, they presented their mockup and specifications to panelists Shark Tank style. Javurek and his fellow panelists joined the class for two days to listen to student pitch presentations and provide feedback on their designs.

“We weren’t there to grade or judge the project, we were just there for feedback, and that made the event comfortable. It was a great opportunity for students to give a presentation in front their peers and adults, to help prepare them for real world situations,” says Javurek. “All groups did a great job, and I was surprised how most of the students were comfortable speaking in front of everyone.”

Forest City Gear is committed to fostering and investing in the next generation of manufacturers and engineers, in the Stateline region and beyond. Working with classes like Noble’s is just one of many ways the Forest City Gear family works to promote manufacturing to students.

“I appreciate what Chris is doing with this class because he is teaching the students formal engineering and having them find resolutions for real issues people deal with every day. This is a great opportunity to get the students involved and start deciding if engineering or manufacturing is something they are interested in for a future career,” says Javurek. “I was happy to meet with two students who expressed their excitement for manufacturing and one of them I encouraged to get in touch with Forest City Gear for a possible internship or apprenticeship after she graduates this year.”