Barbi Wheelden: Going global

December 2, 2010 by

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Barbi Wheelden, Missouri S&T alumna. Photo by B.A. Rupert

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Barbi and the Missouri S&T Engineers Without Borders team construct a water-holding tank in Bolivia. Photo submitted

In the classroom, Missouri S&T students learn the basic skills that form the foundation of their degrees. It’s the hands-on learning — often outside the classroom — that sets S&T students apart from their peers. Organizations like Engineers Without Borders (EWB) give students a chance to learn real-world skills while improving conditions in developing countries.
For Barbi Wheelden, the experience has been life changing.

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Valarie Boatman: Adrenaline junkie

December 2, 2010 by

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Valarie Boatman. Missouri S&T alumna. Photo submitted


All her life, Valarie Boatman, a 2006 mechanical engineering graduate, has been interested in two things: racing and cars.

At Missouri S&T, she spent 40-50 hours each week in the Formula SAE shop designing and fabricating the race car.

Today, as a performance integration engineer for General Motors, she spends her days at Milford Proving Grounds, testing some of the electronic chassis controls in the electric-powered Chevrolet Volt and working to improve a driver’s experience and safety behind the wheel.

“Even though the software is already in the car, my job is to drive it and make any necessary tweaks to fine-tune its performance,” she says. “That way, once the car is in the customer’s hands, it will run as seamlessly as possible.”

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Paul Nam: Saving the world with green slime

December 2, 2010 by
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Dr. Paul Nam. Missouri S&T professor of chemistry. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Several glass containers filled with algae-stained water sit on a table in Paul Nam‘s laboratory. Next to the big green bottles are two much smaller vials containing an oily substance. At first, the amount of potential fuel in these little vials doesn’t seem too impressive. But Dr. Nam says algae could play a big role in the unfolding dramas associated with finding alternative sources of energy and reducing greenhouse gases.

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Samantha Filla

December 2, 2010 by

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Samantha Filla, Missouri S&T student. Photo by B.A. Rupert

English and secondary education student Samantha Filla says she came to Missouri S&T because, here, she’s a name and not just a number. When she was a little girl, she liked to play “school,” pretending she was the teacher.

“I know I want to be a teacher. I have always known that.”

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Phillip Mulligan: Master blaster

December 2, 2010 by
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Phillip Mulligan, Missouri S&T Ph.D. student. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Ph.D. student Phillip Mulligan is trying to make improvised explosive devices more powerful with the idea of eventually making them less deadly.

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Markell Mills

December 2, 2010 by

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Markell Mills, Missouri S&T student. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Architectural engineering student Markell Mills plays the drums in a band and is involved with Voices of Inspiration, a student choir. He is also the drawing expert for the Solar House Team at S&T.

“I participate in research with the Solar House Team. I’m working on design modeling and energy efficiency.”

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Jennifer Hoffman

December 2, 2010 by

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Jennifer Hoffman, Missouri S&T student. Photo submitted

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If it involves flying, count Jennifer Hoffman in. Since coming to S&T, this aerospace engineering student has worked with the U.S. Air Force on its B-52 and F-10 engines, traveled to Bolivia to lead an Engineers Without Borders team, and helped the Miners in Space team prepare for experiments in micro-gravity.

“I’ve been fascinated with spaceflight since I was 8 and it’s great to learn the things that engineers have done in the past and, hopefully, one day I will do myself.”

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John McManus: In praise of ‘grunts’

December 2, 2010 by
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John McManus, Missouri S&T historian. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Today’s military relies on a lot of technology to fight battles. But troops – not technology – win the wars.

So says Missouri S&T historian John C. McManus in his new book about America’s ground forces, Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II Through Iraq.

The foot soldier has been the most indispensable – and most overlooked – factor in wartime victory, says McManus, an associate professor of U.S. military history.

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Garrick Johnson

December 2, 2010 by

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Garrick Johnson, Missouri S&T student. Photo by B.A. Rupert

Garrick Johnson has always been fascinated by how things work. It’s an interest that led him to major in mechanical engineering at Missouri S&T and helped him land an internship John Deere & Company in Waterloo, Iowa.

“Understanding the development behind these incredible machines as well as driving various models really made the summer worthwhile,” he says. “I learned how to manage my time, and I realized that I have to be prepared to resolve technical issues both efficiently and quickly.”

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Amy Cervantes

December 2, 2010 by
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Amy Cervantes, Missouri S&T student. Photo by B.A. Rupert

A first generation college student, Amy Cervantes is already using her education in environmental engineering to make the world a better place. During the past two summers, she has helped clean up hazardous waste sites. She loves to make hazardous or barren sites productive again. In fact, she likes to make productive use of everything in her environment.

“My favorite place to hang out on campus is the yearbook office. I love the painted walls – mostly because I painted them.”

Explore additional student opportunities at Missouri S&T.

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