News
Students make the most of the CECS Experience
Oregon's leading supplier of young engineers to companies such as Intel and Tektronix - the PSU College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) - just added more than 300 graduates to the workforce in the Northwest.
PSU graduates are viewed as well prepared for their new assignments, according to a recent employer attitude survey. In fact, the involvement of industry professionals with CECS at several levels enhances the quality of engineering education at Portland State. The Class of 2003 benefited from CECS' emphasis on providing its students with distinctive, hands-on learning experiences such as industry-relevant internships and Senior Capstone projects.
"These are students who took advantage of PSU's great access to companies in the Portland area and made the most of their opportunities to work closely with professional engineers and faculty," says Robert D. Dryden, CECS Dean.
A few of this year's outstanding graduates include:
Katherine Bailey earned a B.S. degree in electrical engineering along with a degree in physics. Katherine received a student award in May for Outstanding Undergraduate Service in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
She attended classes while working her way up from being a secretary at TriMet, the Portland-area transit district, to becoming one of the engineers responsible for light rail vehicle fabrication and fleet expansion. Katherine came to PSU as a transfer student from Portland Community College. "It was the best option for me. Portland State University allowed me to get an education while still being able to stay in Portland and work almost full time."
Mikhail Pivtoraiko immigrated to the United States from the Ukraine in 1995 and came to PSU from David Douglas High School in Portland. He also completed two undergraduate majors - computer engineering and physics, as well as a minor in French.
Two experiences stand out for Mikhail as he reflects upon his experience at PSU.
He served as the President of PSU's Robotics and Automation Society, where he applied what he learned in class directly to "really fun and innovative projects."
And, Mikhail made ample use of his PSU education to land two internships. "The work I did at Intel and the Goddard Space Flight Center were real eye-openers. I really saw how my classes prepared me for professional work."
Eskender Said received his B.S. degree from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He was named the department's outstanding senior during this year's CECS student awards. He came to PSU from Portland's Jefferson High School in 1997, where he was class valedictorian.
Eskender spent the last two summers as an intern with TriMet, where he also was given the opportunity to work on the $350 million Interstate Max (IMAX) construction project. He laid the foundation for his professional career through activities in the PSU student chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, the Association of African Students and the campus Black Cultural Affairs Board.
He will finish working at TriMet this month [July] and then he's off to start work on a masters degree in structural engineering with a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley.
Craig Jurs is this year's Outstanding Graduate Student in the Mechanical Engineering Department. After Craig graduated from high school, he became a licensed paramedic and joined the ski patrol at Mt. Hood Meadows resort. He experienced plenty of ambulance and emergency room work.
Wanting more, Craig enrolled as an undergraduate at Portland State in 1995, earning a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 2000.
Craig's research project in pursuit of a master's degree is something professional baseball players might study. He developed a novel way to model impact dynamics using a softball bat and ball. By predicting a bat's behavior on a computer, bat designers could identify the optimal performance characteristics and avoid developing costly prototypes. He maintained a 3.95 grade point average while completing a rigorous curriculum of advanced courses in preparation for his research.
Andrew Southworth was selected 2003 Outstanding Senior in the Department of Computer Science because of his strong academic performance. He maintained a 3.77 grade point average at PSU.
Andrew grew up in Southeast Portland and worked as a technical writer in San Diego, CA. before transferring to PSU in 1999. He also worked for Hewlett Packard testing printers. While a student, he worked for Intel Corp. providing computer support.
He was involved as a member in the Computer Action Team (CAT) and served as chair of PSU's chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
"The computer science program here at PSU is outstanding, and I am very proud to have made it through," Andrew says. "I have a lot of great memories from my time here, and I am sad to be leaving."
These students are just five of the success stories from the CECS Class of 2003.
Are you interested in enrolling in PSU's College of Engineering and Computer Science? Check out Why Choose CECS and see what recent graduates and others say in What People Say.
