College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Summer program opened door to nuclear industry for alum

While some high school students attend summer camp to enjoy the great outdoors, one Iowa State University alum attended a different kind of summer camp to learn about nuclear engineering and it ended up having a profound impact on her professional development. Lora Drenth grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa. As a junior …Continue reading “Summer program opened door to nuclear industry for alum”

Inspired by Batman’s ingenuity, Cyclone brothers team up to start their own company

In “The Dark Knight” movie trilogy, Bruce Wayne (i.e. Batman without the mask) ventures into the Applied Sciences division of Wayne Enterprises. This is where he develops his unique, innovative tools for fighting crime in Gotham City. As major movie buffs and aspiring entrepreneurs, this served as the inspiration for the Jensen brothers when they …Continue reading “Inspired by Batman’s ingenuity, Cyclone brothers team up to start their own company”

Q&A with Cole Jensen

Cole Jensen graduated with his B.S. in mechanical engineering in 2020 and now co-manages the company he and his brother founded, Jensen Applied Sciences. Why did you choose to attend ISU? I have always heard about Iowa State’s good engineering school and really liked the tour I went on, so I ‘Chose my Adventure’ at …Continue reading “Q&A with Cole Jensen”

Engineering alum strives to make college more accessible for disenfranchised students

As a collegian, Tina Akinyi remembers often being the only student of color in her classes and the sense of isolation she felt because of it. Now in her professional capacity, she hopes to remove that sense of isolation for future students by bringing more people of color and other disenfranchised students into higher education. …Continue reading “Engineering alum strives to make college more accessible for disenfranchised students”

Big research advancements at the nano-scale

A strong foundation at Iowa State University has helped to set up a mechanical engineering alum for success at his next adventure as a researcher at Northwestern University. Bowei Zhang grew up in Jingshan, a city in central China. He attended Wuhan University of Science and Technology where he graduated with an undergraduate degree in …Continue reading “Big research advancements at the nano-scale”

From refining to distilling: ME alums fulfill a vision 

Century Farms Distillery in Spencer, Iowa was founded by Amanda and Ryan Bare in 2017. The Bares journey to starting a distillery can be traced back to their time as students in mechanical engineering (ME) at Iowa State. 

From Nicaragua to Senegal, ME alum is helping around the world

Helping people has always been a personal mission of Iowa State alum Patrick Ward. It was part of the reason he chose to study mechanical engineering. It was part of the reason he traveled abroad to Nicaragua as a student. And now it is part of the reason he left his full-time engineering job to …Continue reading “From Nicaragua to Senegal, ME alum is helping around the world”

Naval experience paved the way for ME alum

While many college students gain first-hand engineering experience through internships and co-ops, Ryan Williams was gaining this experience before he even stepped foot on campus. Williams served as an aviation structural mechanic for the U.S. Navy after high school which taught him how hydraulic systems and flight control components work together to put an aircraft …Continue reading “Naval experience paved the way for ME alum”

Medical mechanical engineer

Emily Alexander credits an Engineering and Beyond summer camp she attended in high school as one of her most influential exposures to engineering and the Iowa State University campus. Having grown up just a half hour away in Des Moines, attending Iowa State was the easy decision when it came time for college, but she …Continue reading “Medical mechanical engineer”

Bringing research expertise in fluids and energy

Incoming mechanical engineering faculty member looks to establish a research niche combining fluids and energy at Iowa State University Returning to Ames and conducting research at Iowa State University will be something of a homecoming for incoming mechanical engineering faculty member. Todd Kingston grew up in North Bend, Nebraska, about three hours west of Ames. …Continue reading “Bringing research expertise in fluids and energy”

Generating power and leadership

Armed with a fresh bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, Cynthia Lord headed east, joining Consolidated Edison of New York as a rotational engineer, where she worked with aspects of engineering and operations as well as marketing and finance. An early internship with Iowa Power and Light piqued her interest in the electric generation industry, …Continue reading “Generating power and leadership”

Liggett Family Legacy – Part IV: Ian Liggett

A 1999 article in Visions magazine, produced by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, informed many aspects of the reporting in this four-part series Even though he was the fourth generation from his family to attend Iowa State, Ian Liggett did so because he liked the university, not because he wanted to be carry on …Continue reading “Liggett Family Legacy – Part IV: Ian Liggett”

Liggett Family Legacy – Part III: John M. Liggett

A 1999 article in Visions magazine, produced by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, informed many aspects of the reporting in this four-part series Though his father and grandfather’s interest in mechanical engineering may have played some role in his decision to attend Iowa State, John M. Liggett admits he was attracted to the school …Continue reading “Liggett Family Legacy – Part III: John M. Liggett”

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