As a former English teacher and current Health and Lifestyle professional, my covering the latest Greening Detroit media sponsored event, Manufactured in America was a curious assignment but I as a lead correspondent who loves venturing into new territory, I was delighted and grateful to see the variety of workshops and information.

I assumed the event would be of interest only to industry insiders looking to network with or sell to other engineers, or professionals directly related to this very technical business, but I was wrong. While I understood little of the industrial applications, attendees at every booth went out of their way to explain to me exactly what their company built and its applications. I got to experience three of the most sophisticated virtual reality simulations of my life, even scoring the as-yet highest score on a wielding simulation. As additional bonuses, I ran into three friends I knew did something technical but, not until that day did I begin to understand exactly what it was they did, and the lunch Siemens generously provided all attendees exceeded my expectations.More