B.S. Mechanical Engineering,
University of Notre Dame, 1993
|
After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1993 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering,
I started a career in the information technology field. I soon realized that I missed applying
fundamental engineering principles to real-world problems. When I had the opportunity to join MPR
in 1996, I recognized it as a chance to work with highly motivated and capable people and to
learn to use my degree from the best in the business.
Not long after I started, I was asked to take responsibility for a governor (speed controller)
analysis system that we had developed for turbine generators aboard Navy submarines. We had
designed a portable data acquisition system that records signals from various points in the
governor system (representing, for example: valve position, governor voltage, and turbine
speed). The signals are then run through a dynamic model in order to find potential problems
with various components of the controller. With guidance from several senior engineers, I was
able to contribute to this project in a variety of ways. I prepared calculations that developed
dynamic models for new classes of submarines and wrote computer software to integrate the new
models into the existing data analysis system. This required an understanding (and more than a
little research!) of control system fundamentals, fluid dynamics, mechanics, and software
development. Throughout the project I had direct interaction with the client and other engineers
to help me find the best solutions.
Having worked at other companies both during and since college, I have a keen appreciation for
the unique advantages offered by MPR. In many ways, as a new MPR engineer you are your own boss,
while at the same time deriving all of the benefits of expert guidance. Your supervisor is
responsible for supporting your career development, which is a responsibility that is taken very
seriously at MPR. However, you will not necessarily be working on the same tasks as your
supervisor. Engineering teams form and dissolve as tasks are started and completed, and an MPR
engineer has opportunities to pursue technically challenging work from a variety of disciplines.
To me, this is an important advantage. It allows a young engineer to work on a variety of
tasks, often teamed with some of the foremost experts in the industry. You may eventually
demonstrate a preference and aptitude for a particular discipline, and develop a reputation as
an expert both within MPR and among our clients. In short, an MPR engineer is given the time,
the exposure, and the support to seek out his or her favorite technologies and become expert in
them. I truly believe we are unique in this respect.
|
