Page 13 - ME Newsletter Fall

WELCOME TO ME Associate Professor
ERIC SEVERSON
1. Where are you from originally, and where have you lived other than Minnesota?
I grew up in Chanhassen, MN, on a hobby farm, where we had horses. I have been living in Madison, WI for the last six
years. During my PhD I spent one year in Trondheim, Norway studying at NTNU.
2. When were you hired at the U?
August 28, 2023
3. What University-level committees do you serve on, and what do they do?
I serve on the ME department’s fellowship committee, which is responsible for reviewing graduate school applications of prospective graduate students.
5. What do you like most about teaching?
I enjoy coaching students and helping them
have those light bulb moments where new
material suddenly clicks. I’d have to say that supporting students to advance on their own learning journeys and discover meaning in engineering is the most rewarding aspect of teaching. I love when students circle back to me years later and share how something they learned in one of my courses helped them figure out direction in their careers.
6. What are your favorite places in the Twin Cities?
The Stone Arch Bridge and Minnehaha Falls.
7. What are your best tips for surviving Minnesota winters?
Dress warm and embrace the snow! Find a winter activity that you like to do. I cross-country ski, and have discovered that with all of the trails throughout the cities, it is a great way to get outside and enjoy nature during the coldest months.
8. What is your proudest moment as an engineer?
I’d have to say that it was probably the first time I got a microcontroller to blink an LED. It felt so cool and powerful to be able to write code that made something happen in the real world.
9. What is your engineer origin story? When/how did you know you wanted to be an engineer?
For me, this was a gradual process. I grew up in a family of engineers, on a hobby farm, and was active in 4-H – so I was constantly involved in “projects”
of one sort or another. I enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work, and sometimes getting them back together again. In high school, I discovered that I really liked creating things and became interested in sustainability. The idea of studying engineering, that you would get to learn theory to allow you to create things that really matter and impact the world, was very exciting to me.
10. What question do you most want to answer during your career?
I am really about figuring out how to create new types of electric motors and generators that can help us solve our pressing energy and sustainability challenges.
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