Mechanical Engineering @ Iowa State University

College of Engineering | Iowa State University

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UPDATES FROM OUR ALUMNI

Ellen Brockmann, BSME’04
Handling Test Engineer, General Motors
Detroit, Michigan

What does your job entail?
I’m involved with testing vehicles to determine if they meet performance standards in specific areas. For example, to test steering, I hook up special instrumentation that measures how the car responds under various speeds and conditions. If there are any special conditions for a test like adding ballast or putting on different tires, I do it. Then I actually run the test. Read more here.....

Nick Mohr, BSME’02
4th-year Medical Student, University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

What undergraduate experiences did you have that have helped you as a medical student?
My experience working on the Solar Car Project really stands out. We were allowed the freedom to make decisions and solve problems. Having the freedom to fail doesn’t assure success, but it does guarantee that our skills in managing new and unsolved problems are better developed. Read more here.....

Megan Mohrfeld, BSME’04
Business Development Engineer, Burns & McDonnell
Kansas City, Missouri

What are some of the highlights of your education?
My favorite memory is the ME 170 class. We worked with a man named Gene who was severely disabled and confined to a wheelchair. He loved to garden and wanted to be able to water plants both inside and outside. Our project was to design and build an apparatus to attach to his wheelchair so he could water plants. We spent a lot of time working on the design, figuring out how to control it and attach it to the wheelchair, and then finding the materials. This project really got me interested in how to apply engineering to help people. Freshman engineering is tough, and this class really got me motivated and excited about engineering. Read more here.....

Brian Nash, BSME’02; JD’05, University of Texas
Attorney, Dewey Ballantine LLP
Austin, Texas

How has your ME education been helpful in studying law?
In ME, a complex problem is broken into manageable parts, and equations are used like tools to logically arrive at an answer. Legal issues are solved using the same logical approach—each issue is broken into parts and various legal rules are applied to arrive at the answer. The only adjustment that an engineer must make in adapting to legal questions is to know that in the law, there is rarely one clearly correct answer to each problem. The “right” answer to a legal question is often ambiguous and open to interpretation. Read more here.....

Brian Swanson, BSME’99, MSME’00
Manufacturing Engineer, John Deere
Waterloo, Iowa

What led you to major in ME?
Since I was young, I have always been fascinated with robots. My advisor at ISU orientation suggested ME as a field that would be applicable to robotics. I tried to tailor my tech electives to courses that applied to robotics, and I also took several computer science courses. Read more here.....

Kent Wedeking, BSME’04
Field Engineer, Schlumberger
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Recently began new position—Test and Evaluation Engineer, Fisher Controls, Marshalltown, Iowa

How did you get your job with Schlumberger and what did your position entail?
Schlumberger is a leading oil field services provider. When a company decides to drill an oil or gas well, they contract the work out to a company like us. We do the behind-the-scenes work involved in drilling wells and getting them into production. I interviewed with Schlumberger on campus. They look for engineers who have strong leadership and organizational skills and who can be trained for the specialized area of petroleum engineering. Read more here.....

News Archives

Newsletters !updated

News Article Archives

Undergraduates tackle important research

Updates from ME Alumni

Reinhart receives P&S CYtation award

To Build a (Safe) Fire

Three ME Graduate Students Awarded Teaching and Research Excellence Awards

Two Mechanical Engineering Professors Honored by ASME

Controlling a spacecraft all the way to Jupiter's icy moons

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