Andesen Ande

EE 494 Cumulative Education Essay

October 18, 2019

Here at Iowa State we are given ample opportunities to become a great engineer. Each
engineering journey begins with creating a solid foundational knowledge to build from. Thus, the
first two semesters are dedicated to general studies and introduction to electrical engineering. I
felt like this step prepared us well to take on the rigorous courses that would come.

During my freshman year I had the amazing opportunity to join the PRISUM electrical team.
PRISUM is a student organization that designs and builds a fully functional solar car and
competes globally with top schools in the nation. This was an opportune time to join because that
year was the first year of building P14 Penumbra. Penumbra was a unique car in that it was
designed for both performance and with a consumer in mind.

PRISUM was an invaluable experience for my development as an engineer. It exposed me to

design and development process of complex system. I remember being in electrical team
meetings while the experienced members assessed technical tradeoffs. At first this was an
overwhelming experience. I dealt with it by writing down every concept I didn’t know. Given
that this was freshman year that was pretty much everything. This process forced me to learn
about real world engineering terms before I learned them in class. This allowed me to put a lot of
what I was learning into the classroom. As a result, I made a lot of connections throughout my
learning that created an even stronger understanding. I knew about circuit fundamentals and
design software such as Altium before taking EE 201 and EE 230. In addition to working with
the electrical team I also got to see how interdisciplinary teams work together and developed an
appreciation for communication early on.

During my time at Iowa State University I was exposed me to workplace software’s such as
Trello. An application to sort work that showed me how to run a meeting effectively and to keep
group members accountable. I got to take a trip to Rockwell Collins to discuss technical aspects
of our project with senior engineers. It was my first experience in a professional engineering
environment. This gave me an idea of how much experienced engineers were so much better at
asking questions and identifying potential problems.

Another aspect of becoming a successful engineer in industry is being able to work in groups.
Most practical engineering work will require a team to make possible. Iowa State does an
excellent job at giving us plenty of experience with working with a diverse group of engineers.
Through this experience I am able to adapt to different types of people to create a productive
partnership. This has been extremely difficult, but worthwhile in preparing us for the workplace.
Some key lessons I learned was to remain patient with whomever I am partnered with. I always
give my partner the opportunity to be heard and feel appreciated. Instead of outright critiquing
people I have learned to respond with questions in a curious tone that leads a person to self-
evaluate their idea. This helps convey that I am only interested in the best results versus my own
ideas. I do this process with myself and encourage others to feel free in questioning my ideas.
In summary Iowa State has done a fantastic job in providing an environment that supports my
development as an engineer and a life-long learner. Reflecting back on my four years has put
into perspective my growth as a learner. I find that my confidence to tackle complex matters has
improved as well as my ability to ask questions. This journey has exceeded my expectations.