Student Excels in Point Park's Electrical Engineering Technology Program Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Melissa Englert is pursuing her dream to be an engineer
Electrical engineering technology student Melissa Englert has been interested in math and science for as long as she can remember. She got her first taste of engineering after attending the Society of Women Engineers' high school day at Carnegie Mellon University, an annual event designed to introduce young women to educational opportunities and careers in engineering and the applied sciences.
"Throughout high school my father encouraged me to pursue engineering," said Englert. "I decided to go the route of electrical engineering after learning about it in physics class."
"I wanted to attend a school where the teachers know the students and vice versa," she said. "I also really liked the financial aid and scholarships that Point Park offered."When it was time to pick a college, Englert chose Point Park University for a variety of reasons. She liked the University's small class sizes, its Downtown Pittsburgh location and its strong connection to the arts. Englert was also impressed with Point Park's engineering technology professors, whom she met at an open house for prospective students.
Based on her high G.P.A. and S.A.T. scores, Englert received a presidential scholarship from Point Park.
"Melissa leads by example. She is a straight-A student with a solid work ethic," said Electrical Engineering Technology Professor Donald Keller, Ph.D., P.E. "She can really see the long term benefits of applying herself."
Point Park's engineering technology programs place a strong emphasis on laboratory classes, which offer students with hands-on experience, explained Keller. "Students begin taking laboratory-based classes the first semester of their freshman year," he said.
Keller teaches classes in direct current circuits, alternating current circuits, basic electronics, digital electronics, microprocessors, communication electronics, field theory and microwaves and control systems.
"Point Park is providing me with a well-rounded education by exposing me to other disciplines such as civil and mechanical engineering, which I will see in my field," said Englert.
This fall Englert will enter her senior year. She has already begun a paid internship this summer at GAI Consultants, Inc. Gary DeJidas, P.E., president and CEO of GAI and a member of Point Park's Board of Trustees, offers an internship each year to an outstanding student from Point Park's Department of Natural Sciences and Engineering Technology.
"At GAI, I am on a rotating schedule. Basically every week I intern for a different department, which I really like," explained Englert. "I learn about the environmental aspects of engineering, the electrical work associated with waste water treatment and the engineering field as a whole."
According to Keller, there are plenty of job opportunities available in engineering. "Companies are always looking for great engineering graduates."
"Engineering is a very rewarding and challenging field," remarked Englert, who takes time to tutor students in chemistry, AC and DC circuits, calculus and algebra. "It is a field in which you are learning new things all of the time, so you really never get bored."