Student Spotlights

Adam Russell is an excellent student and mentor in the Electronics Engineering Technology program.  He has been employed by the Engineering Technology department as a lab assistant for the past two years, helping faculty and students in the EET labs.  Adam has worked for UCAID, developing a control system for a solar energy display panel.  During the summer of 2013, Adam worked for NUCUR as an apprentice electrician in an internship position.  Adam has been teaching the CEET 1110 Basic Electronics course as an adjunct instructor spring semester 2014.  For his capstone project, Adam developed the LED Cube project that is now used in the CEET 2130 Printed Circuit Board Design course.  He is a member of the Weber State University student branch of IEEE, serving as the student vice-chair in 2013-2014. He has just accepted a full-time Engineering position with SMK in Bountiful, Utah.
 
 
Cassandra Olson began attending Weber State University in fall of 2009. She began to attend night and summer classes at Bridgerland Applied Technology College while still in high school which sparked her interest in architectural and 3D design. Cassandra has received numerous scholarships while attending WSU which have allowed her to focus on her studies. She is a member of the National Engineering Technology Society Tau Alpha Pi, and has served as a member of the Honors/BIS Area council. Cassandra is the current Science Technology and Engineering Programs (STEP) club secretary and the section vice president for the WSU collegiate Society of Women Engineers (SWE).  Cassandra is very involved in reaching out to the community through service activities such as helping out at St. Anne’s Homeless shelter and the Ogden Nature Center, and volunteer outreach activities such as Parent Daughter Engineering Day, FIRST Lego League, and FIRST Tech Challenge. She will be graduating with both Departmental and University Honors in spring of 2014 and will begin working at Nucor Building Systems after graduation.
 
Justin Whitten graduated from Fremont High School grew up in Plain City, Utah and in 2002.  He has spent many years working in industry as an NC Machinist for Williams International fabricating components used in jet engines. His major is Mechanical Engineering Technology. Justin has recently accepted a full-time position with Williams as a Manufacturing Engineer.  While a student as Weber State, Justin has maintained a very high GPA and has always been an excellent student in all his coursework.  As a senior, he was part of a capstone team that designed and built a portable power generating station that can be transported in the back of a pickup truck or small trailer.  The power plant collects solar energy and stores it in batteries for use where conventional power hookups are not available or are temporarily out of service.  Justin is the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college, and has a sister who is not far behind him, also studying here at Weber. 
 
Adam Whitaker, a Design Engineering Technology major, began attending William Penn University in 2003 on a football scholarship.  He was later recruited to play for PIMA in Arizona.  He returned to Utah in 2005 to continue his studies at Salt Lake Community College, while working full time at Million Air, a “fixed-base operator” at the Salt Lake City airport. In 2009, Adam began attending classes at Weber State University while continuing to work full time at Million Air, where he expects to earn a Bachelor of Science in Design Engineering Technology in the Spring of 2014.  Adam has achieved Weber State’s Honor Roll for the past three consecutive semesters and has maintained an overall GPA of 3.2.   In 2011, Adam enlisted in the Air National Guard. Immediately after completing basic training in San Antonio, Texas, he attended Military Tech School where he graduated as a “Distinguished Graduate” for completing all courses with a 90% score or better.  He received a National Guard Scholarship to assist in continuing his engineering studies at Weber State.  He has been relentless in pursuit of his engineering degree while managing to excel in his demanding professional career.  Adam is well-liked by his peers, and respected by his employees and management alike.  Adam exemplifies a spirit of hard work and achievement, setting a fine example for others to follow.

Stuart Talbot, who is majoring in Manufacturing Engineering Technology with an emphasis in Welding, is a transfer student from Idaho State University, who started at Weber State in Fall 2010.  Besides attending classes and maintaining a high GPA, he has been an active member of the American Welding Society (AWS) student club as well as the national organization.  Stuart also served as a committee member for welding competitions for SKillsUSA. As part of his senior project, Stuart helped develop the curriculum for a new welding robotics course.  Stuart completed two internships, the first was in Louisiana for Zapp’s Potato Chips and the second for John Deere Seeding Group in Moline, Illinois. Working as a welding lab aide for the Engineering Technology department, Stuart set a great example for new students in the welding program.  After graduating with honors, Stuart will start full time position with John Deere at their Harvester Works Facility in Moline, Illinois. Stuart said “My wife and three kids have been a great support while attending school. We are excited to move on to our next phase of life.”
 
Jeff Bateman was managing production for an Apparel company for 14 years when the opportunity presented itself to go back to school for a Manufacturing Engineering Technology degree. This field has been a passion of Jeff’s for many years. Jeff is the project lead for the Aquaponics Senior Project. This team designed and built an Aquaponics system for a company based in Japan and will be traveling to Hawaii to present their project. “This has been enjoyable and a lot of work. It’s been an incredible learning experience working with such a great team of students and advisors” says Jeff.  He will graduate with department Honors and is a member of the Tau Alpha Pi honor society.  Jeff currently works as an intern at Autoliv and he looks forward to all the opportunities that await him after graduation. Jeff said “Every professor has had a tremendous impact on me and I have learned so much from all of them. I would like to express how much I appreciate the entire faculty.”
 
Tyler Sorenson started attending Weber State University Spring of 2012. In April 2013 he received an A.A.S in Manufacturing Engineering Technology, with an emphasis in Plastics and Composites. He is now graduating with a Bachelor’s in the same field of study.  Both degrees were received with high honors. He was awarded the Rio Tinto Scholarship for 2 years in a row, as well as being recruited by Rio Tinto as an intern for the summer of 2013 at their mine located in California, where he excelled in demonstrating Lean and Six Sigma principles. Tyler has maintained a 4.0 GPA while attending Weber State for the past 5 semesters. His capstone senior project was the Enteral Feeding and Intravenous Pump Arm; a medical device to increase the safety and efficiency of intra-hospital transport of intensive care pediatric patients. Tyler is passionate about a career in the medical device field and has plans to acquire an MBA and then a PHD, thereafter he would like to build his own medical device manufacturing company and become a professor at a university. He has loved his time at Weber State and has made many great friends from both students and faculty alike. He would like to thank his wife for being his best friend and biggest supporter while getting through school, and looks forward to start this next chapter in their lives.

Written By Elaine Cope