In honor of Engineers Week, IMEG posed the following questions to five of the firm’s recently-hired engineering graduates. To read each person’s answers to all the questions, click the hyperlink embedded in their name.
Q: What motivated you to become an engineer?
A: I was always interested in math and chemistry and have a passion for it. I knew in high school I wanted to become an engineer because of having those strong skills. Knowing that a lot of women are not in engineering, I also wanted to prove some people were wrong in telling me I should change my major and what I want to be because I wouldn’t be able to do it. All that motivated me to become a chemical engineer. — Carley Schaar, Chemical Engineering Designer
Q: What excites you about your chosen career?
A: What excites me about structural engineering is being able to see your work come to life. It takes a lot of time, effort, and teamwork to be able to design and draw up a structure. Being able to see the finished product is such a rewarding feeling and it allows you to appreciate all the hard work and dedication that went into creating the structure that stands before you. — Huy Nguyen, Structural Engineering Designer
Q: How do you see engineers playing a role in shaping the world of tomorrow?
A: As engineers, we are stewards of progress today, in the world we shape for tomorrow. As opportunity for innovation emerges, it becomes our responsibility to sculpt that innovation into a form that fulfills the needs of the everyday changing world. These become monuments in our timeline and beacons on the horizon, illuminating a pathway for the explorers who come after us. — Rebecca Finneran, Mechanical Designer
Q: What does innovation mean to you?
A: To me, an innovation is simply making a better revision of something that already exists. As innovation has been growing exponentially, I hope I get to experience what it’s like to drive a flying car in my lifetime. — Abby Coleman, Innovation Specialist
Q: How do you see yourself benefiting from the use of AI?
A: As with any other invention, the usage stems from a need to make our current work more efficient. I see myself utilizing AI in its current state to further modeling and drafting work, by simplifying certain tasks, while making larger tasks more manageable. — Kidar Arjune, IMEG Mechanical Designer
Q: What advice do you have for those considering a STEM-related career?
A: My advice is to go for it—you never know what you are capable of until you try. A saying of Walt Disney, which is one I go by every day, is, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Because the impossible is possible if you believe you can do it. — Carley Schaar, Chemical Engineering Designer
Learn how to apply for an IMEG Engineering Scholarship and find additional resources for engineering students on the NSPE website.