- Name:
- Donald Eichman
- Major:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Year:
- Graduate, Spring 2006
- Home:
- Washburn, WI
I love the fact that I received so much one on one time with my professors as an undergraduate. I researched schools ahead of time and chose UWP very deliberately because I felt like the engineering program was far superior to other schools I was considering. The professors really care about teaching and I feel very prepared for my next step.
I’ll be going on to graduate school in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the fall. I plan to study autonomous underwater vehicles and visual augmentation. This is a pretty exciting field. Visual augmentation is the idea that a robot can see and navigate a room as humans do, with their eyes. This is a relatively new field, but its development could mean great advances for the many fields of robotics.
Everyone should try to find ways to get involved with something which sparks their interests. Not with too many things because you don’t want to lose your focus, but find something to enjoy outside of classes. I enjoyed being part of Tau Beta Pi, our engineering honor society. We have an excellent chapter at UWP, and it really promotes leadership, academic excellence and community service. Additionally our advisor, Dr. Joanne Wilson, can really make you feel at home at UWP.
Another great experience was the three years I spent as a tutor for Student Services on campus. Jong Soon Senn, the director, has been an amazing person to work for, very supportive of her staff and the students we tutor. This experience helped me realize how much I love teaching. Someday, I hope to be able to combine research and teaching with some sort of role in private industry.
A strange thing happened in my sophomore year. The resident assistant in my residence hall encouraged me to apply to be a ski instructor at the nearby Sundown ski resort. I resisted because I thought I really wasn’t a good enough skier. But when it came time to select instructors, they told us they were looking for people who had shown the most improvement and the most desire, so I got in – and what a great experience it’s been. Not only has it been a good way to make money, it’s been an excellent way to relieve stress, make new friends and have fun. I think that’s an important message. Push yourself to excel in school, but don’t forget to have fun.