“I am aiming for continuous innovation, especially in the ag industry. I grew up on a farm, so I know the challenges that small farmers face every day. I want to improve the way we feed the world by making our agriculture more sustainable, while also helping farmers more easily accomplish their goals.”
Hometown: Nodaway, Iowa
Clubs and activities: Sergeant at Arms and Fundraising Committee Co-chair my junior year and Vice President my senior year in the student chapter of the American Society of Ag and Biosystems Engineers (ASABE), Tau Beta Pi, ASABE’s national Fountain Wars, intramurals.
Most influential mentor: I have to give a lot of credit to one professor in particular, Tim Shepherd, associate teaching professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering. Mr. Shepherd really helped me with being comfortable approaching my teachers as a freshman and sophomore – just by always being so approachable. He also really emphasized making assumptions to figure out problems where everything is not given. This encouraged me to think creatively about problems that were given, and really encouraged me to seek out resources for myself rather than just feeling like I simply couldn’t solve the problem.
Best Memory: Competing at the ASABE Fountain Wars in 2022 in Houston, Texas, was such a fun challenge. Our Iowa State team was assigned a task to accomplish using only pumped water, while also integrating an aesthetic design into our fountain. Brainstorming and building with the team and working on the fountain together was a great way for us to bond. and have fun while also applying everything we had learned through our engineering education. Everybody was able to work together to accomplish our goal, and we had a lot of success at the competition. The ASABE Annual International Meeting was also a great way for our team to network with other ag and biosystems engineers across the world.
Plans for after graduation: I will be working for Energy Panel Structures, Inc. They design and manufacture custom panels and buildings to optimize energy efficiency, cost, and structural stability in agricultural, residential and retail buildings.
Making my mark on the world: I am aiming for continuous innovation, especially in the ag industry. I grew up on a farm, so I know the challenges that small farmers face every day. I want to improve the way we feed the world by making our agriculture more sustainable, while also helping farmers more easily accomplish their goals.
Engineering like a Cyclone Engineer: It means focusing on innovation. It is our responsibility to always find better ways to do things. I feel that the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering department at Iowa State have made this a focus of their curriculum. And Cyclone Engineers have a responsibility to their clients and the public to ensure safety and to always consider ethical implications of what we design. It is paramount to consider the impacts of your design on the client, society, and our profession.