Page 13 - CEMS Summer 2022 Newsletter

SPOTLIGHT ON EDUCATION
Alumni mentors continued from page 12 Rewarding Mentor Experience
The CEMS alumni mentors often find their course experiences to be as fulfilling as the students’. “It was very rewarding to see how my small contribution of mentoring a group of students created such a valuable experience for them and the class. Not to mention, the final solution the students presented to me at the end of the class was very well thought out and a viable solution to the problem we presented,” said Jones.
For Hancock, his role as a mentor also includes the rewards of teaching. “I really enjoy being able to help bridge the gap between what you learn in the metals, ceramics, polymers courses and labs and how that all plays a really critical role in some innocuous looking tool components. Seeing that ‘aha!’ moment as you explain a materials problem and the students realize they just covered that in the materials processing lab is so cool.
It really helps solidify that bond between the theory and application and I appreciate being able to help in a small way in that regard. Some of the students’ final solutions have been implemented at my company, with hefty budgets allocated to them,” he said.
Broad Impact
The benefits of connecting students to industrial/ corporate alumni mentors cannot be overstated. Those interactions continue to develop students into well- rounded engineers and materials scientists. Reinforcing skills like teamwork, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, etc. mirrors the real-world scenarios that students will encounter as professionals.
Hancock compared the course to his own experiences. “Industry is very project-oriented. There are definitely day-to-day tasks, but for the most part my success is dependent on my ability to clearly identify problems, resolve them, and create preventative measures. This is done so often through project type work and the Senior Design course is really the best way to gain that experience,” he said.
Jaker agreed, remarking, “The course itself is highly valuable as it puts the technical work somewhat to the side and allows students a glimpse at the bigger picture of finances, strategy, and interpersonal relationships that are also very important in the corporate world. I hope that I and the other course mentors will be role
CEMS alumni bring real-world experience to their mentor roles for the Materials Science Senior Design course. Here, CEMS alumnus John Hancock works in the clean room at Seagate. Photo courtesy of John Hancock.
models and serve as examples for how CEMS alumni can go on to have really interesting careers and participate in developing cutting-edge technologies. I am continually impressed by the quality of students’ work and the engagement I see – each new group of soon- to-be engineers would be an asset to any corporate or academic institution.”
Please contact Vivian Ferry (veferry@umn.edu) if you are interested in serving as a course mentor.
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