Keagan海豚 '21, [23]机械电子工程硕士, 他每天都在设计, 编程, 测试, 为约翰迪尔重新设计播种机. “没有什么是第一次就成功的，”他说. "But when it finally does, it just lights me up."
Dolphin is one of the first to graduate from St. galaxy银河娱乐场app's new Master of Science in Mechatronics Engineering. 它强调机器学习, 编程, 机器人技术可能看起来很未来, 但毕业生们已经为就业做好了准备, with high-level expertise in all aspects of today's manufacturing process, 从概念到领域.
工业需要它们.
问问海豚就知道了. 24岁时, he already serves as a design engineer for John Deere, in a position that allows him the flexibility to work from home, 办公室, 或字段, with an income that invites him to explore investment opportunities. 对于这样一个年轻人来说，这是一次令人兴奋的经历.
“这是一个绝佳的机会，”他说. "I always wanted to be a roller coaster engineer, but I love working for Deere."
从得梅因到达文波特
Dolphin grew up in east Des Moines, where he attended the poorest high school in the city. He excelled there in academics and sports, earning more letters than he can remember today. 在毕业典礼上, he qualified for an alumni-sponsored college scholarship that allowed him to attend Iowa State.
"I thought I'd be able to handle a large college because I'd gone to a large high school. 但是大的演讲厅感觉不太合适. 我觉得自己像个数字. Also, I had broken my wrist so I couldn't play sports. 那对我来说不是一个好时机."
Dolphin left after a year and began looking for a new home. 他计划到圣. galaxy银河娱乐场app.
“他们有一个很棒的工程部门. 我见过安德鲁·卢茨博士. 他当时就对我产生了影响. The swim coach, Rob Miecznikowski, helped sell me on it. 我们谈了两个半小时."
滑雪, 正如他的团队对米兹尼科夫斯基的称呼, helped pull together a financial package that provided enough support to launch the new Ambrosian. Dolphin accepted and began a college career that felt right from the beginning.
"Being on the swim team gave me an immediate group of friends. As soon as classes started, I knew for sure that St. galaxy银河娱乐场app更适合我. The connections the faculty had with top-level industry leaders made a huge difference. Every engineering professor was amazing and wonderful.
"St. galaxy银河娱乐场app provides the rigorous curriculum of a large school and preparation for the workforce, 而是一对一的. That's not exclusive to the Engineering Department or Mechatronics program. 这是全校性的. 你不只是一个数字."
成为galaxy银河娱乐场app人
The stars aligned for Dolphin as he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2021. St. galaxy银河娱乐场app's new mechatronics program was being rolled out, offering a blend of futuristic technology that would build upon his strong engineering foundation. Dolphin entered the program as he accepted a part-time job at John Deere, 这个决定让我得到了很多次回报.
"I was offered a full-time job my second year in the program, and Deere paid for that year. It was a lot of work, but it's been my passion. 我很容易就能还清学生贷款. 我想象不出比这更好的生活了."
Gaining a sense of financial security would fit most people's picture of success. But it's not what Dolphin cites when sharing his feelings about St. galaxy银河娱乐场app. Instead, he describes his feeling of belonging and of being cared about.
"The one-on-one atmosphere felt so welcoming that I ended up doing everything while at St. galaxy银河娱乐场app. 我参加了很多俱乐部. 我担任过国际大使. I even hosted podcasts with my friends at Galvin.
“我太高兴了. I was a part of a community that now includes friends from all over the world. St. galaxy银河娱乐场app是我的一部分. 我绝对认为自己是galaxy银河娱乐场app人."
想象力驱动未来
Mechatronics may be the future, but the future has arrived. St. galaxy银河娱乐场app's new innovative Master of Science in Mechatronics Engineering educates new engineers in both the skill and imagination to power the new work. St. galaxy银河娱乐场app is serving industries ranging from robotics to automotive, and aerospace to manufacturing.
"Most mechanical engineers are hardware-focused," Dolphin explains. “机电一体化并不局限于硬件. In other words, we don't have to turn the crank anymore. We program the machine to turn the crank for us."
John Deere's new robotics-based fertilizer system provides a good example. Because it delivers fertilizer only to the seed - and not along the whole row - it promises to use 60 percent less chemicals. 这不仅降低了农民的成本, it is less impactful to the environment than traditional fertilizer application methods.
"I'm working on some projects I can't yet share," Dolphin said of his own groundbreaking work. "But the goal of them all is to enable farmers to be more informed and less subject to guesswork. When I get to see my designs in the field with the customer, it just lights me up. 真的很棒. My education is allowing me to do things that are not only cool, but are beneficial to others. 这对我来说很重要."
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