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Fourteen Montana State University-Northern students recently returned from Norfolk, Virginia, where they applied their knowledge and skills repairing diesel engines for Coltec Industries. Jennifer Henderson, Program Assistant at MSU Northern's Career Center, said, "When Coltec called us, they needed help, and they needed it fast." Gail Reynolds, Career Center Director, Greg Clouse, Diesel Professor, and Carol Green, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs worked quickly to arrange for the students' departure. "We were contacted Thursday, had a meeting with students on Friday, and they were on a plane by Sunday," said Henderson. Once in Norfolk, some students worked on the U.S.S. McFarland, a dredge owned by the Army Corps of Engineers while others worked on the Navy ship U.S.S. Lamour. The students repaired 8, 12, and 16 cylinder engines. Along with other repairs, the students replaced bearings, liners, pis-tons, heads, and installed new, updated camshafts. "We definitely benefited from the experience," said diesel Stu-dent Willie Wegner. "We received a great deal of exposure to larger diesel engines than we have available in Montana." Aaron Kidder added, "It was quite an exer-cise in teamwork. We worked very closely together and coordinated our efforts. We really had to utilize our organizational skills." The students worked twelve hours a day,
seven lays a week and were paid $12 an hour, time-and-a-half for anything
over forty hours, and double-time for Sundays. Each day, Coltec paid
them $35 for meals and rented them a van to commute to and from their hotel.
The students were Jed Fulbright, Jason Hofman, Aaron Kidder, Keith Kingsolver,
Dan Scott, Willie Wegner, Lance Wickum, Ryan Deskins, Brandon McKinley,
John Knierim, Jack Boon, Chad Wendland, Robert Reynolds and Travis Hille.
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