Northland Pioneer College photo courtesy of Wes King

Northland Pioneer College/Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology welding students took second place for Best Welded Fabrication in the 2015 Welding Thunder competition. Proudly displaying their award are (front row, left to right) Keeshaun Yazzie, Cody Runyan, Delano Anaya and William Wilbanks, as instructor Wes King, American Welding Society District 21 Director Sam Lindsey, (back row) Head Judge Kevin Westfall of CAID Industries and Jerry Siko of Lincoln Electric Co. offer their congratulations to the students.

The fabrication and culinary skills of four Holbrook Northland Pioneer College/Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) students captured second place for the Best Welded Fabrication Project at the 2015 Welding Thunder held at Mohave Community College’s Kingman campus.

Sponsored by the American Welding Society and Welders Without Borders, the competition featured 10 teams of Arizona and California high school and collegiate students. Teams work for a total of 12 hours to fabricate a predetermined project, using a mobile welding rig. After the project is completed, their culinary skills are then put to the test, cooking on their newly fabricated grill and providing samples for the judges.

Competing for the NPC/NAVIT team were Delano Anaya of Holbrook High School, Cody Runyan and William Wilbanks of Joseph City High School, and Keeshaun Yazzie of Winslow High School.

“I am super proud of my students’ efforts and dedication in preparing for the contest, and executing their welding skills and knowledge in a real life setting,” said Wes King, NPC/NAVIT welding instructor. “I’m looking to bring more students to this event in the future, as I feel it really prepares our students for real life welding situations.”

Students demonstrated leadership and organizational skills in creating a plan for their project. They also designed, set up and operated their mobile welding rig for a safe and efficient operation. Team members were also tested on creation and interpretation of industry compatible welding blueprints, symbols and standards. Computational and quantitative skills were also challenged in the measurement, layout and preparation of materials for the fabrication project.

Welding Thunder included a tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding contest, demonstrations on blacksmithing and welding titanium, a car show and other events for the spectators and competitors to enjoy.

“It was a fun, exciting and exhausting weekend, but a great learning experience,” noted King.