About UD Engineering
University of Delaware
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Business and Careers Conference
Overview of the Day
Excellent. Unique. Worthwhile. Informative. Germane. These are just a few of the adjectives used by attendees to describe ME’s Business and Careers Conference, held at the John M. Clayton Conference Center on Friday, April 28.
Others commented that the event was a very good resource for networking with companies and should be included in the undergrad curriculum. “I was very pleased to see the growth in student participation,” said one attendee.
An effort to increase student participation was part of the motivation for changing the name of the event this year. While the conference was the second in what is now an annual series, in 2005, it was referred to as the Alumni Career Celebration.
“Alumni and their careers are still a major focus of the event,” says ME Alumni Relations Coordinator Nate Cloud ’64. “There are many active alums in this area, and they have a tremendous amount of knowledge and other resources to share with our current students and recent graduates, in terms of mentoring, providing career advice, serving as role models, and making connections.”
“We want students to be able to tap into these resources,” he continues, “and this event is a way to facilitate networking, share knowledge, and showcase our most-accomplished alumni. But we feel that the new name of the conference better conveys the actual content and has helped us to generate student interest.”
Cloud credits Janelle Konchar ’06 and Khenya Still ’07 with promoting the event among their ME classmates and also with playing a pivotal role in planning and carrying out the event. Of the 220 people who signed up for the event, more than 80 were students. “Janelle and Khenya did their jobs,” says Conference Chair Jim Hutchison ’78. “Making the program more focused helped attract more students. Our goal was to achieve a balance with a wide variety of seminars.”
“It took someone like Jim [Hutchison] to have the vision and put in the time to make this happen,” says Cloud. “He sees that there is so much potential for interaction between the engineering community and the University.”
The dual-session program was an effective route to the goal of balanced offerings. Track A, Business and Technology, was geared toward alumni with several years of work experience, while Track B, Career Planning, was aimed at current students and recent grads. However, attendees were encouraged to craft a program meeting their own needs by either staying in a single track or crossing from one to the other.
“Why didn’t I come last year?” asked one satisfied attendee. For those who didn’t attend this year—plan to come next year. And in the meantime, you can read about what you missed in this issue of ME News.
Track A: Business and Technology
Strategic Planning: Managing Business Success
Bill Mavity ’72 is President and CEO of Paracor Medical, a company focused on developing device-based treatments for patients suffering from heart failure. He spent the first 21 years of his career with the 3M Company and the next 12 with a number of smaller companies.
While a strategic plan is commonly referred to as a “road map,” a more correct analogy, according to Mavity, is “total trip planning.” Questions to be asked include Where do we want to go and why? Can we access appropriate means of travel? Who else is trying to get there? What are alternative routes? At the end of the journey, is the trip worth taking? Can we apply the process to our next trip?
The strategy chosen will vary according to the size and position of the company. “Strategic planning defines the opportunity,” said Mavity, “and answers the question ‘What sandbox are we going to play in?’” Important elements of the process include identifying resources and assessing the competition.
Mavity’s experience, in addition to his work for major corporations, includes launching a start-up company based on the development of a new laparascopic access device. He entered a $300 million market dominated by two billion-dollar companies, with a product that offered some attractive features, including less risk, time savings, and better healing.
“We had to achieve profitability with less than a 10% market share,” Mavity said. He succeeded in the face of high risk and stiff competition.
“Mavity is a very successful person,” says Hutchison. “He was very modest in his presentation, but he launched a start-up that did exactly what he set out to do, and now he’s doing it again. His topic was strategic planning, but I think his personal story is what’s really interesting.”
At least one attendee agreed, commenting, “Insights relative to the presenter’s own business were the most interesting and helpful.” Mavity was referred to as “fascinating” and “clearly an expert with vast experience.” Another participant said, “He really makes you think.”
A self-professed mediocre student while at UD, Mavity found success after graduating by having a firm strategy and carrying it out. His advice on this topic was apparently taken to heart by at least one attendee, who said, “It’s time to re-evaluate my strategic plan.”
Financial Planning: Tools for Business Management
With her wry sense of humor, Jodie Morgan ’85, President of SPI Polyols, came to the conference to convince mechanical engineers that they need to get comfortable with financial statements.
“A degree in mechanical engineering provides a good analytical foundation that can be leveraged,” she said. “Adding knowledge of finance greatly improves your career opportunities.”
“An engineering education opens doors, gives you credibility, and provides technical knowledge and problem-solving skills,” she continued. “But money impacts all decisions in business. The language of finance is a bridge between business functions and will increase your credibility.”
Morgan came to that realization as an engineer, when some of the products she designed didn’t make it past the design stage for financial reasons. “I wanted to close that gap for myself,” she said. “I realized that being educated in finance would enable me to navigate between the disciplines.”
Part of Morgan’s goal in speaking to the ME audience was to demystify financial documents, such as balance sheets and cash flow statements, which can be as daunting as reading a story written in another language. “It is like learning a second language,” she admitted.
But according to Morgan, learning this second language doesn’t require a major change in the undergraduate curriculum, nor does it mean that every ME grad should go on to earn an MBA. Seminars, short courses, and on-the-job training can provide an effective financial education with a relatively minimal time investment.
One participant summed up the effectiveness of Morgan’s talk: “This subject should be made mandatory for all engineering students… an excellent, relevant message that the presenter packaged and communicated in a concise, effective manner.”
Sustainable Energy
ME Professor Ajay Prasad provided a comprehensive overview of sustainable energy, with one attendee referring to his presentation as “a good laymen’s primer on fuel cells and wind power.”
“We always find that our alumni respond very positively to Ajay’s style,” said Hutchison. “They’re amazed at how well he speaks to a lay audience.”
According to Prasad, sustainable energy is hot news because of two pervasive concerns: (1) energy security and (2) environmental issues, including global warming and greenhouse gases. Fuel cells and wind energy are potential solutions to these problems.
Prasad used statistics about vehicle travel, oil prices and consumption, and vehicle size, performance, and fuel economy as support for the validity of these concerns.
Fuel cells, which combine fuel and oxidants electrochemically to produce electricity, are two to three times more efficient than internal combustion engines. “A fuel cell stack is quiet, has no moving parts, and produces zero emissions,” he said.
Several companies, including Honda, Toyota, and GM, have developed concept vehicles based on fuel cell technology, and fuel-cell buses are actually on the streets of some European cities. In addition to powering vehicles, fuel cells can be used for stationary power in such applications as telecommunications, small businesses, and residences, as well as provide portable power for laptops and other small electronics.
At UD, fuel cell research has taken several directions, with ongoing projects addressing water management, fluid transport, durability, and materials characterization. In addition, ME is collaborating with other research groups in the University of Delaware Fuel Cell Bus Program. The goal of this project, funded by the Federal Transit Administration and carried out in collaboration with a consortium, is to research, build, and demonstrate a fuel-cell-powered transit vehicle in Delaware.
Prasad also provided an overview of wind energy efforts throughout the world, including the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City, which is the first coastal wind farm in the United States, and Cape Wind, located offshore on Nantucket Sound.
At UD, wind energy research is multi-faceted, focusing on composites manufacturing and structural testing, experimental and computational fluid mechanics, vibrations and control, and resource assessment.
Prasad’s presentation ended, appropriately, with a slide featuring Earth Day 2006, which had taken place just a week before the ME Conference.
Track B: Career Planning
Engineering Your Future: Starting/Improving Your Career
Marie DiDaniels, R&D Human Resources Manager at Dade Behring, got high marks for providing an interesting and informative seminar for students and other potential job seekers. “It was a very good treatise on an important subject,” said one attendee. “She gave good advice, including information on interviews and etiquette,” commented another.
The presentation included tips on writing effective resumes, information about the various types of interviews companies typically use, and resources for job hunters. DiDaniels urged interviewees to research prospective employers and ask good questions. “It’s a good way to differentiate yourself from the competition,” she said.
“This is a major life decision,” she continued. “Don’t take a job just on the basis of the money. The personality of the job is very important, and the culture of companies varies a lot.”
A lively discussion followed the presentation, with participants not only asking questions but also sharing their insights and experience with each other. One valuable resource in the audience was Alex Bourdon ’80, Vice President of Global Manufacturing for Dade Behring.
At the 2005 alumni conference, Bourdon was a formal presenter. This year, he shared his experiences informally. His main message: Show interest in and knowledge about the company during an interview, and accept the position only if you feel it will be a good fit.
Navigating Your Career Path: Stepping Up to Leadership
Terri Kelly ’83, CEO of W.L. Gore and Associates, opened with some background on Gore, where she has spent her entire career, and then shared her key learnings and reflections with the audience.
“You learn a lot being thrown into a crisis,” she said. “You will surprise yourself regarding what you can achieve. As an engineer, almost all career paths are open to you.”
“Tap into the resources and the expertise available to you,” she continued. "Meeting your commitments and operating with integrity is crucial.”
However, Kelly cautioned that while an engineering background provides a grounding in applying good science and effective problem solving, it’s not enough.
“People skills do matter and do impact your effectiveness,” she said. “Being an effective leader requires different skills. Taking control of your own career and development path is important… and a little luck doesn’t hurt!”
Kelly showed a video of ME grads who commented on what they originally thought they would do with their degrees, what they started off doing right after graduation, and what they’re actually doing several years into their careers. Many are working in customer relations, some are in strategic sales, while still others are doing straight engineering. “The talk really demonstrated the breadth of mechanical engineering,” said Konchar.
One attendee referred to Kelly’s presentation as “awesome,” while another credited her with having an “excellent approachable style.” A third participant found the details of her transition from engineer to CEO “most interesting.”
Diverse Road Maps to Success: Panel Discussion
Moderated by senior Janelle Konchar, this panel discussion presented the points of view of six young ME alumni. The career paths of the panelists covered a broad range of areas, including land development and homebuilding, the chemical industry, the entertainment industry, equipment and process optimization, and architectural management. The sixth participant was a current master’s degree candidate.
“The fact that the session was organized and run by students was viewed as a real plus,” said Cloud. “Attendees seemed to feel that the session complemented the other presentations well, both in format and in content.”
Pat Reynolds ’67, co-founder, President, and CEO of PoolPak Technologies Corporation, was very impressed with the panel discussion. “From the start of the session, Janelle set the course with her lead-off questions,” he said, “addressing what to expect during the first couple of years in the work world and in graduate school. This topic is probably on the mind of every senior. I know it was on my mind when I was a senior—and even a junior. Unfortunately, my peers and professors couldn’t shed light on this subject.”
“The panelists addressed the expectations they thought their employers had,” he continued, “and shared their nervousness that they might not live up to these expectations. As the graduates moved from job to job, some learned what they didn’t want to do, and others found things they liked to do. I think these mini-war stories gave a lot of insight into what life would be like on the other side of the diploma.”
Distinguished Career Alumni Presentations
After dinner, five alumni were honored for their distinguished careers:
- Carl Hall ’50, Dean Emeritus of Engineering and Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University; Member, National Academy of Engineering; former Deputy Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Engineering (retired).
- William Mavity ’72, President, CEO, and Director of Paracor Medical, Inc.
- Terri Kelly ’83, President and CEO of W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
- Alan Flenner ’86, attorney with High, Swartz, Roberts & Seidel in Norristown, PA, and Commander in the Navy Reserve Civil Engineer Corps.
- Kaushal Kurapati ’95, Senior Product Manager at Ask Jeeves, Inc.
Keynote Address: Returning to Flight
Dr. Jerry Kegelman ’78, Deputy Director for Research and Technology Test Operations at NASA-Langley, spoke about the Space Shuttle Program following the Columbia disaster.
Unraveling the mystery of the Columbia accident was a lot like solving a criminal case, and, as with any forensic investigation, it involved a lot of repetitive, time-consuming, and tedious work.
Starting with a tribute to the seven astronauts who lost their lives in the accident, Kegelman said “This is always emotional for me, we either knew them personally or were ‘one degree away’. That’s why we work so hard to get it right.”
“The search crews had to look for debris over a 2,000-square-mile area in Texas,” Kegelman said. “The swath was four times as long as the state of Delaware.” Team members combed the area, walking side-by-side six feet apart, through the east Texas wilderness, including swamps and thorny forests, collecting small pieces of the shuttle that might provide clues to the disaster.
That was a tedious, but essential, part of the investigation. The high-tech part involved many engineering disciplines, including wind-tunnel testing, computational fluid dynamics, stereo lithography, impact dynamics testing, and non-destructive evaluation to name a few. As Columbia was the first shuttle built, the ship had extensive instrumentation, including an on-board data recorder that enabled the team to decode key data about the vehicle.
Information from all of these sources was pieced together to show that the cause of the shuttle’s failure was a chunk of insulating foam that separated from the external tank and struck the wing. It may seem unlikely that a 1.67-pound piece of foam could do so much damage, but Kegelman pointed out that with the vehicle traveling at Mach 2.46, the foam struck the wing at about 550 MPH, which has the same kinetic energy as a 167-pound object at 55 MPH!
Solving the technical mystery, however, was only the beginning. “The Agency had to ask, ‘What do we do for the next time?’” Kegelman said. “We don’t want to talk ourselves into flying again without really knowing what went wrong and why.”
So NASA created the Engineering and Safety Center at Langley, which began to address the root physics issues that can determine whether or not a mission is safe. “Since then,” said Kegelman, “we’ve solved a number of challenging problems. For example we’ve characterized the fracture mechanics of pieces on the shuttle, put that information into structural mechanics models, and now can accurately simulate the impact of foam on the leading edge.”
When Mission 114 was launched last summer, and foam unfortunately came off during that flight as well, NASA began “rethinking foam from the ground up,” said Kegelman. Recent investigations show that most of the foam at a thickness up to two inches is “fairly well behaved,” but when extra foam is sprayed on for insulation or aerodynamic fairing, temperature gradients can cause cracking.
“We’ve become much smarter since the Columbia flight,” Kegelman said. “The Agency has learned to simulate any number of ‘curve balls’ that might occur during a flight, using all of its resources to quickly figure out what’s going on. Even before a flight we rehearse the process of quickly developing answers to questions.”
The space shuttle will be retired in 2010 and replaced with the Crew Exploration Vehicle and a Crew Launch Vehicle. “While this may look like Apollo, it will be like Apollo on steroids,” Kegelman said, “carrying up to six astronauts and orbiting the moon for up to six months at a time.” The plans for the new vehicles are part of the new “Vision for Space Exploration.”
As captivating as Kegelman’s keynote address was, it would be difficult to top his personal story. He is one of 10 children, nine of whom graduated from the University of Delaware. And they all paid their own way through school.
Tom started at UD but finished at York with a degree in biology. The 9 UD degrees include John, computer science; Matthew, physics; Jerry, mechanical engineering; Joe, electrical engineering; Mary, art; Christine, journalism; Bernadette, biology; Jim, mechanical engineering; and Dan, math.
Not only did the family grow up in Delaware and go to UD, but nine out of the ten never left Delaware—all but Jerry still live in the First State. Six family members (four of his brothers, one of his sisters and her husband, and his father) reunited at the ME celebration to hear Jerry’s talk.
His mother missed the event because she was out of town. But she had a good excuse, according to Jerry’s brother Jim, who works for Dade Behring in Glasgow. Named Delaware Mother of the Year (MOY) and National MOY in 2004, she still has speaking obligations.
In addition to raising her own 10 children, Mary Kegelman touched the lives of thousands of other children through her work as a math teacher. In an interview about the MOY award, family friend Nancy Keiper said of Mary Kegelman, “All of her kids have done well—they have all gone on to accomplished careers as teachers, scientists, and computer experts.”
Jerry Kegelman’s personal success story is one chapter is what is obviously a family success story. “We all owe everything to our parents,” said Jim. “They are not only well educated but also very nice people who are very humble.”
The Extras: Networking, Posters, and Resume Book
In between the formal seminars, participants had the opportunity to peruse the Mechanical Engineering Research and Technology Displays and network with other attendees. A resume book, including resumes of any interested students and alumni, was distributed to all event participants.
The Research and Technology Displays featured posters on selected research projects in the department, including work in composites and materials, clean energy and fuel cells, biomedical engineering, and robotics and controls. The work was displayed by graduate and undergraduate students of the department. (See sidebar for a complete list of posters.)
And…the Wrap-up
“We had a number of goals for this event,” said Cloud. “We wanted to recognize alumni for their career achievement and impact and to celebrate unique and interesting alumni careers.”
“We also wanted to offer educational opportunities to alumni and students regarding current business and technology topics and career strategies,” he continues, “and, at the same time, provide an annual networking event to expand career opportunities for alumni and recruiting for students.”
“Finally, the event is a way for alumni to stay in touch with Mechanical Engineering faculty and current happenings at the University. I think we were able to do all of these things with this year’s conference, but we’re always looking for feedback, and we welcome ideas for how we can do better in the future.”
“We’re very grateful for the support of Dean Eric Kaler and ME Chair Tom Buchanan,” Hutchison said. “We also couldn’t have organized and hosted this event without the support of the Planning Committee and the ME staff.”
Darlene Gorton ’96, now with Gore, stopped by Clayton Hall after work to reunite with fellow ME alums at the conference and learn about what is going on in the department. Gorton also had a mini-reunion with a high school classmate: She and Assistant Professor Jill Higginson were classmates at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
You never know who you’re going to meet at the annual ME conference, but it’s definitely worth attending….
by Diane Kukich
