In what may be a first-of-its-kind partnership, Magnum Systems is working with Parsons High School (PHS) to give drafting students a direct look at how engineers collaborate to design and deliver complex systems specific to customers’ needs worldwide.
“I don’t know that anything has been done quite like this before, where students get to see engineers actually working through the processes of a project,” said Bruce Rea, who returned this year to teach drafting at PHS part-time before heading to his second job each day as an engineer at Magnum Systems.
Magnum Systems acquired ESC Solutions last spring, and Rea is currently working on a project with engineers from both companies, including local Magnum manufacturing engineer Kim Fentress. As part of the project, PHS drafting students joined a weekly Teams meeting with engineers in Spain, Ohio, and Parsons to hear updates on the project’s progress.
The project lead, mechanical engineer John Parraga, took time during the call to walk students through his design process. He explained how he began with multiple concept ideas, then narrowed them down through evaluation and iteration.
“Good ideas come from a bunch of bad ideas,” Parraga told the students. “Don’t be afraid to say, ‘Let’s start again.’”
He shared how engineers weigh different considerations when making design decisions, how they moved through evaluations, and where the team currently stands in development. At this stage, Rea is building a test system that will generate analytics to measure performance and determine whether further design changes are needed. The test run is expected in September — and students will have the opportunity not only to follow the process through weekly meetings, but also to be present for the test itself.
Rea said he hopes students take full advantage of the privilege of being included in a live engineering environment as an educational platform, especially since projects like these are usually kept confidential until designs are patented.
“This is an exciting opportunity for students,” Rea said.
In addition to sharing their current project, engineers offered broader insights from their years of experience. One recurring theme was the importance of communication. Parraga explained that while engineers are often strong designers, they sometimes struggle to sell their ideas. He encouraged students to learn how to effectively present their work to customers.
He also cautioned that “expectations are almost always the root cause for disappointment.” Clear communication with clients, he said, ensures customers fully understand what a system will do — and what it won’t. That includes performance capabilities, costs, product quality, return on investment, and overall benefits. “Essentially customers want to know, is it worth it?” he added.
Parraga closed with one last piece of advice: “Don’t think you have to know it all. Different people have different strengths. We need all kinds of people on a project. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”