What I Do I am a mechanical engineering consultant, so I get to travel all over the world looking at various mechanical systems to figure out why they broke and how to keep them from breaking again!
School Days I got my undergraduate degree (B.S.) from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and my doctorate (Ph.D.) from Virginia Tech, both in the field in mechanical engineering.
Best Part The best part about being an engineer is that as long as you learn and understand the underlying physics and concepts of basic mechanical systems, you can apply them to an incredibly wide range of problems to solve across all sorts of industries, from utilities to consumer products to energy generation to transportation and more.
Proud Moments I am proudest of my engineering credentials, which include a PhD in mechanical engineering, professional engineering licenses in multiple states, and the highest level of vibration analyst certification from the Vibration Institute. The continuing education requirements that I have to fulfill to maintain my credentials mean that I am constantly learning and staying up-to-date with the cutting edge technology in my field.
Want to be an Engineer? There are an incredible number of supportive people out there - if you're not in a situation where your classmates, colleagues, or coworkers value your contributions and help you become a better engineer, find a position where they do!
Hobbies My hobbies are riding and racing; I ride my horse, Hemingway, just about every day when I am not traveling for work, and I have a Z06 Corvette for Time Trials and a Stohr F1000 open wheel race car for wheel-to-wheel racing.