by Suzanne Howard

     Acareer in product testing was influenced by a college job Rodney Rohrer held while a student at the University of Nebraska. A 2000 mechanized systems management (MSM) graduate, Rohrer worked as a student technician for the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory doing machine testing and development.
     “My position there gave me a significant and distinct advantage,” Rohrer says. “I had the opportunity to work with company representatives and engineers and do actual test work on their products. Through that networking, I made contacts that helped me in my career and continue to do so,” he says.

Rodney Rohrer does prototype machine testing.

     Those contacts led Rohrer to the Caterpillar Tucson Proving Grounds in Arizona where he is a test engineer. Rohrer performs all aspects of prototype machine testing at the research and development facility. He also works with Caterpillar business units in their development programs.
     “Much of my work at the proving grounds has dealt with instrumented tests in the areas of structures and cooling, but I also have responsibilities for testing machine endurance and durability,” says Rohrer.
     “The proving ground is located next to an open pit copper mine, so I get to work with a lot of large mining equipment,” he adds. He says he mostly deals with track-type tractors or dozers and motor graders.
     Rohrer grew up on a small Nebraska farm were he operated, maintained, and repaired equipment. “I figured someday I would end up in the ag industry in production, processing, or machinery,” he says.
     “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I got out of high school,” he says. “I obtained a two-year degree in ag mechanics knowing that I would want to go on for a fouryear degree. I was looking for something practical and versatile when I transferred to the University of Nebraska, and the MSM major fit my needs.”
     “The MSM major provides a lot of practical information. The systems approach gives you a broad perspective of many concepts while providing adequate detail to understand the connections between them,” he adds.
     Rohrer says one of the key aspects of the MSM degree is that the major is very versatile. “This major can take you in a lot of directions from ag machinery to soil and water management to food processing,” he says.
     “I’ve had interests from employers involved in agronomy, food processing, and the machinery industry. I did an internship as a soil conservation trainee, and now I’m working in the mining and construction equipment industry,” Rohrer says. “You can do very well in every aspect of the ag industry with this major.”
     Rohrer says his experience at the University of Nebraska was fantastic. “The faculty in the Biological Systems Engineering department was easy to work with and allowed me to customize my degree to my interests and the career path I wanted to take,” he says.
     Rohrer, an ASAE member, says ASAE provided him the opportunity to participate in the quarter-scale tractor pull contest as a student. “It was very worthwhile,” he says. “It helped me develop skills that I use every day.”