The Mason Mechanical Engineer

In a recent episode, Alex Sprintson and I started chatting about the benefits of bachelor's to accelerated master's programs (BAM).  With that in mind, Rachel Cameron, Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing graduate recruitment coordinator, joined me on the podcast to talk in more detail about BAM programs.  If you have been considering getting your master's degree, listen on for how you can make this process as efficient as possible.  A few links we mention in this discussion include:George Mason University, College of Engineering and Computing Accelerated Master’s Admissions: https://cec.gmu.edu/admissions/accelerated-masters-admissionsGeorge Mason University, Mechanical Engineering Accelerated Master’s options: https://catalog.gmu.edu/colleges-schools/engineering-computing/engineering/mechanical/mechanical-engineering-bs/#acceleratedmasterstextGeorge Mason University, Financial Aid Services: https://www.gmu.edu/financial-aidGeorge Mason University, Graduate Education Financial Support: https://graduate.gmu.edu/financial-supportGeorge Mason University, College of Engineering and Computing, Fast-Track Graduate Admissions: https://cec.gmu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/fast-track-graduate-admissions

When I learned that Mason's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chair Alex Sprintson has a mechanical engineering degree, I had to get him on the podcast! Give it a listen to hear his perspective on multi-disciplinary collaboration and the future of student recruitment and retention (spoiler: he's not only pro-bachelor's degree, he's pro-master's degree).

Grant Miller was a student leader during his time on campus, exemplified by his work to grow Patriot Motorsports.  After graduation, he landed at RoviSys Building Technologies doing automation and controls work for new construction projects. He’s been back on campus recently to recruit and talk to seniors working on their culminating design projects.  This episode provides a snippet of the wisdom he’s been sharing about his entry into the workforce during those visits. If you’re interested in learning more about careers at RoviSys, visit: https://www.rovisys.com/careers/.

Lauren Hanyok, former Director of the Capital Tech Bridge came on the podcast to talk about her career trajectory starting as a civilian engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, her metal band, and her cookbook. Listen on to hear how she connects the dots between work and play to make her a better engineering leader and performer. Since the time of this recording, the Office of Naval Research dissolved NavalX, but the Tech Bridges continue to operate at their respective warfare centers.  Lauren has since moved into the Innovation, Foresight  & Entrepreneurship Lead role at NSWC Carderock and Major Jake Godfrey is the current Capital Tech Bridge Director.

Greg Opas from Oceaneering recently joined me on the podcast to talk about model-based systems engineering, digital twins, and the future of naval engineering. If you like what you hear and are interested in pursuing a career at Oceaneering, visit: https://www.oceaneering.com/careers/.

Mike Briscoe (Ph.D., GMU CEHD, 2024) sat down with me the other day to chat about STEM activities hosted by the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) including the FLEET program, a gamified approach to teaching naval ship design, and the hands-on Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) competition, which has enabled speed world-record setting college teams. Mike’s attitude toward outreach is filled with authenticity and creativity, so listen in to learn more from his holistic approach to STEM education.

Philip and I particularly enjoy getting to catch up with alums doing great things, and we’d been trying to get Daniel Scott Mitchell on the show for a while.  Between stints at Form Labs, Tesla, Rivian, and now launching his own startup, Daniel’s career trajectory is inspirational.  He chatted with us to share some words of wisdom on perseverance, hard work, creativity, and making things happen.  Looking for more from him? Check out his podcast The Next Byte at https://www.thenextbyte.com/, his startup Takton.com, or connect with him by email at [email protected].

In this episode, we feature Rachel Yoho from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. She invited Philip and I to be on her podcast, Keystone Concepts in Teaching, and in the process we were fascinated to learn more about her engineering background and how she uses the skills she developed as an engineer in her day-to-day as Assistant Director of the Stearns Center, helping faculty improve their teaching and classroom effectiveness.

In this episode I caught up with Brooke Mayer from Marquette. Water is essential for our survival. Prof. Mayer is doing high impact research on water quality and working closely with industry to make sure that research finds its way into improving access to safe, clean water. In this conversation we chat a bit about her research and also about the importance of communicating science research effectively. (For any listener interested in the book I mention in this chat, the full title is Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Joseph Aoun.)

Phil and I recently had the opportunity to chat with Edwin Wallis from Maritime Academy Charter School in Philadelphia.  In this episode he shares some tricks of the trade for recruiting and coaching a rookie SeaGlide underwater robotics team. (Spoiler alert: they did really well!) Listen on to learn about the bright, future naval engineering workforce.  

Capstone Day 2025 was held in conjunction with the Department of Mechanical Engineering's 10th Anniversary Celebration on May 5th. As icing on the cake, the festivities took place in George Mason's brand new Life Sciences and Engineering Building, which is home to numerous instructional laboratories that provide our students hands-on learning experiences. Listening to this episode will give you a glimpse into the day; more information on our capstone design program can be found at: ⁠https://mechanical.gmu.edu/hands/senior-design-capstone⁠.

In this episode, Phil and I chat with Zach Lenkay from Ulliman Schutte Construction to learn about construction of water treatment facilities.  You’ve probably seen news coverage of water supplies gone wrong; in this episode we’re shining a light on water treatment done right.  Zach shares with us his excitement for enabling access to sustainable clean water and the future opportunities for students pursuing careers in this industry. 

It’s always a great day when we can spotlight a former student on the podcast.  For today’s episode we are joined by alum Mohammad Khogiani, who seems to be loving his time at MTSI. To make it all the more special, he brought with him Senior Principal Engineer Nick Francis. Collectively we had a lively conversation about the past, present, and future of the aerospace industry, from the F-15 to autonomous aircraft and artificial intelligence to hypersonics. 

I am so honored to chat in this episode with Farrell Davis, a scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, and fisherman. Listen on to learn a bit about his background and what's led him to his position as a Fisheries Technologist at Coonamessett Farm Foundation, as well as the work he's doing to improve commercial fishing safety and ergonomics funded by the Northeast Center's Ideas That Work incubator.

On the day of Mason’s career fair, Phil and I caught up with a favorite alum Dhiambi Otete as she was back on campus recruiting for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division.  In our chat we covered everything from job hunting, to life after D1 sports, to how to make the perfect pizza (hint: no pineapple).  Listen in for this exceptional role model’s words of wisdom.

Philip Wilkerson and I had the opportunity to chat with CAPT Brad Baker, USN (Ret.) about his Navy career, his transition to the private sector at Energetics Technology Center, and building the naval engineering workforce during his service at the United States Naval Academy. Did he train additive manufacturing's Rickover? Listen in to find out! If you’re interested in learning more, the article CAPT Baker mentions is linked here.

Angela Moran joined us last week to talk about naval STEM outreach, and we could not contain our enthusiasm, jumping right into conversation before we even got to introductions! Her story is so inspirational, it is no surprise she's been dubbed the 'Mother of USNA STEM Outreach.'

For this episode, RJ Santucci invited me to visit him at the Naval Research Laboratory. Before embarking on a lab tour, we chatted about materials science as an enabler for “stuff you do work with” – whether it’s “sailing from one place to another…or bringing electricity to people.” Listen on to learn more! For information on the Pathways Internship Program that RJ mentioned, visit: https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Careers/Students/Pathways-Internship-Program/.

Tristan Wolfe, from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, joins us for this episode to talk about biologically inspired design (owls!), plasma flow, and pathways to knowledge from internships into a career of lifelong learning.  For more information on the programs he describes, check out: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Philadelphia/Partnerships/STEM-Programs/. 

Philip Wilkerson, Tim Diggins, and I checked in with each other to reflect on the 2023-2024 academic year, and discuss how both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Career Services are gearing up to support our students this coming academic year. If you're looking for more information on the DEEP program that Philip Wilkerson mentions, details are here: https://careers.gmu.edu/deep-employers, with the application at: https://careers.gmu.edu/deep.

In this episode I interview members of four capstone design teams, plus one sponsor, during capstone day 2024. Learn all about the amazing design-build activities of our students to get a glimpse into a day in the life as a Mason Mechanical Engineer. To read about these projects, check out: https://mechanical.gmu.edu/hands/senior-design-capstone, and the interview with Maureen Foley mentioned in this episode can be found here.

In this episode of the Mason Mechanical Engineer, Jacqueline Johanas shares insights from leveraging her mechanical engineering background in her career pathway with the US Patent and Trademark Office. To apply for the jobs she describes, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/.

While the scientists developing cures for disease get much of the publicity, behind the scenes, teams of critical facilities engineers keep the biosafety labs those scientists work in operational. In this conversation with Cecelia Wright Brown and Brian Vickery from the National Institutes of Health, we learn more about the engineering involved in this type of critical facilities engineering.

For the 20th episode of The Mason Mechanical Engineer, we are thrilled to share our first video episode, an interview with Dr. Andre Marshall, Mason’s Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Development.  Listen or watch to learn about Dr. Marshall’s holistic vision for technology in society, drawing off his experiences in industry, government, and academia.

Phil and I sat down with Career Services GOAT (listen in to hear why Phil calls her that) Zakeyah Frazier. She wowed us with her insights tying theory to practice in how she mentors STEM students to find their dream jobs.

Podcast co-host Philip Wilkerson bumped into recent alum Jensen Schram recruiting for her employer M.C. Dean at Mason's Fall Career Fair, and a quick conversation led him to conclude we had to have her on the podcast! In this episode Jensen talks us through being on both sides of the recruitment table and has powerful lessons learned on self-advocacy in academia and the workforce.

We had a fantastic time today chatting with Dr. Shweta Kumar, Managing Member and Technical Director of RGBSI Aerospace and Defense. With Dr. Kumar's depth of technical knowledge and leadership experience, she provides fascinating commentary on the engineering industry in this era of rapid innovation.  From her day-to-day at the interface of developing technology solutions for defense industry customers while managing with business and personnel savvy, Dr. Kumar has terrific insights for engineers at all stages in their careers. 

Student leaders Kevin and Morgan Rose join me in this episode to talk about how their academic paths have been shaped by involvement in professional societies like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). If you're a current Mason student, learn more at: https://mason360.gmu.edu/home_login.

Brian Fitzpatrick, Chief Technology Officer of Maritime Applied Physics Corporation, joins us to talk about careers in naval engineering, what the industry looks like today, where it's going, and what he looks for when recruiting new engineers. To learn more about MAPC and see their current openings, visit: https://mapcorp.com/careers/.

Ningshi Yao and Daigo Shishika came on the show to talk about blimps, lighter than air robots, including the biologically-inspired blimp known as "Flappy" which their students use for what is essentially a robotic version of quidditch. To see Flappy in action, check out their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@blimpsquad6747. And to learn more about swarming, check out https://blimp-robotics.org/curriculum/a-day-in-the-life/collective-behaviors-computer-simulation/.

Julie Sorensen, Director of the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing joins me for this episode to talk about the role of engineers on multidisciplinary teams developing solutions to make farming, logging, and fishing safer. To learn about the funding opportunity mentioned, visit: https://necenter.org/portfolio/r2p_incubator/.

In this episode I chat with Kammy Sanghera, Executive Director of Mason's Institute for Digital InnovAtion, and Tolga Soyata, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, to learn about their work supporting high school students eager to learn more about artificial intelligence. Their program is an excellent model for high school STEM engagement and is nurturing the roboticists of the future. Listen to learn more!

They're in your phone, in your car, and in your computer; semiconductors are everywhere. In this episode, Mason's Department of Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board chair Kevin Hicks walks us through a day in the life of a semiconductor manufacturing engineer.

Welcome to the Mason Department of Mechanical Engineering's 2023 capstone day! Today I sat down with members of Team Hiss II, Team Buoy, and Green Stack, to learn more about their college experience. To read about their projects and those of their classmates, check out the Department of Mechanical Engineering's Annual Report and Capstone Brochure at: https://mechanical.gmu.edu/connections/senior-design-capstone.

In this episode of the Mason Mechanical Engineer, Dr. Maureen Foley shares how she and her team are using composite materials and additive manufacturing to save sailors time and the Navy money on ship maintenance.

In this episode, I chat with Ann Garner and Philip Wilkerson from Mason's Career Services. Listen in on their tips for students entering the job hunt, as well as for employers looking to recruit mechanical engineers.  Links referred to in this episode include: Handshake, https://gmu.joinhandshake.com/login LinkedIn Learning, https://www.linkedin.com/learning/ , http://lil.gmu.edu Mason Career Services, "Career Readiness Guide," https://go.gmu.edu/careers-guide NACE, "What is Career Readiness?" https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/

This episode is a recording of the 2021-2022 Academic Year ONR Lecture at George Mason University by Dr. Knox Millsaps. 

To learn more about the projects described here and our capstone design program, check out the Department of Mechanical Engineering's Capstone Brochure and Annual Report at: https://mechanical.gmu.edu/connections/senior-design-capstone.

Do you understand what quantum technologies are?  Me neither, at least not until I had this conversation with Profs. Pilgyu Kang and Patrick Vora, both members of the leadership team for Mason's Quantum Science and Engineering Center, QSEC.  In this episode they give examples of quantum science and engineering applied to materials, sensors, and computing, explain what quantum researchers do, and discuss how to prepare for a career developing quantum technologies.  

In this episode, Kariann Vander Pol and Regan Alex describe how their undergraduate experiences competing at the International Submarine Races, a biennial event in which students design, build, and race human-propelled submarines, led them to careers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division.  For more information on programs and places referred to in this episode, check out: - International Submarine Races: https://internationalsubmarineraces.org - Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP): https://navalsteminterns.us/nreip/ - Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Carderock/

In this episode hear from Jazzmin Robinson, Mason alum and student leader, on her pathway to a Navy civilian career, along with Theresa Shafer for her tips on how to land the job of your dreams with the Navy.

In this episode, we discuss DoD Summer Faculty Research Programs with Mehdi Amiri from Mason’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, who spent a recent summer in the Air Force Research Laboratory program with their Materials and Manufacturing Division, and Chi Yang from Mason’s Center for Computational Fluid Dynamics, College of Science, who has worked with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division's Center for Innovation in Ship Design over multiple summers.

Interested in a sampling of life as a Mason Mechanical Engineering student?  Tune in for capstone day interviews with graduating seniors on teams High Rollers, PIT, and Glide Walkers.