- Name:
- Greg Gauerke
- Major:
- Industrial Technology Management
- Minor:
- Metals Processes, Business Administration
- Year:
- Senior
- Home:
- Appleton, WI
The great engineering program Platteville offered drew me here. I came to UWP interested in a metallurgy program and thought that industrial engineering would give me the best shot at obtaining a degree in that field. I was also interested in playing college football and participating in the men's choir (which has a great reputation) here on campus. Although I didn't continue my kicking career, I did participate in choir for four years, touring Wisconsin several times with the group.
There are several strengths of the Industrial Technology Management program here on campus. The small classes allow for plenty of time with lab equipment and keep in-class discussions on a personal level. The second big difference the ITM department has from other departments is the outstanding professors. Being a "metals guy," I work with Dr. Kyle Metzloff, professor of the metals department, several times a day. He takes us to AFS conferences and tours industry sites with us. This helps us learn how the industry functions on a day-to-day level and gives us a great glimpse at what working in a foundry, or related industry, is really like.
Actually, I think one learns more about life while attending college than one actually learns about the subject they are studying. Living on your own forces you to get your own food, do your own laundry, and clean up after yourself before your own junk buries you in your dorm room. Then, you have to figure out how to budget your time as soon as school starts. The most important lesson I've learned at college, is how to communicate with people and work in groups. Be it people you live together with in a dorm room, other students in class, or talking to teachers on campus, you really need to learn how to effectively communicate with each other.
The two experiences I got the most out of were working at Perfect Patterns over the summer breaks and working in the metals lab as a lab assistant. While working at Perfect Patterns, a foundry tooling supplier in Appleton, WI, I learned how the real world works. While working in the industry, you must quickly pick up how to work with others to complete the task given to you. Working as a lab assistant, I basically had to help and teach processes that I had gone through in classes earlier in my college career. This was a great learning tool for me that allowed me to keep my mind fresh. I found that teaching others helped me learn the process that much better.