Over the years, ASABE has
profiled college students and engineers who are improving quality
of life and the sustainability of our earth's natural resources.
Here are some of their stories. To learn more about their work or
to arrange an interview with an ASABE member, contact: Dolores
Landeck, ASABE Director of Public Affairs.
Also, enjoy our "Take Five!" series of online interviews
with ASABE members.
Helping Amputees "Walk Free"
A heart-changing trip to an orphanage in
China inspired Chelan Pedrow to use her biological systems
engineering major to design an award-winning prosthetic leg that
would grow as the child grew. That design experience has shaped her
goal to work with U.S. military personnel and Middle East civilians
whose lives and limbs have been changed by war. Full
story
Greening Antarctica
A crop of fresh vegetables grows on a
continent locked in darkness six months of the year. Outdoor
temperatures are a bitter -100 o F. The unlikely garden means the
64 people at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station eat fresh salad
daily. But this isn't just a story of survival in one of Earth's
harshest environments; it's the makings of ecological life-support
systems that one day may be used on the moon or Mars. Full
story
Preventing Catastrophes
Hovering over a grain elevator dust
explosion in a helicopter, Jerry Wille must determine how much of
the concrete structure can be salvaged. He's also analyzing how to
prevent future explosions. In his life's work, Wille designs
agricultural structures and safety is always at the forefront of
his mind. Full
story
Making Smaller Footprints in the Woods
Raised on a small hobby farm in Minnesota,
Nicholas Johnson had dreamed of being an engineer since seventh
grade. Today he's designing monster machines used by the logging
industry. His challenge, design them to reduce the environmental
impact … not an easy feat when they weigh in at 40,000 to 80,000
pounds. Full story
Seeing More than Meets the "Eye"
Open a bag of Frito Lay® potato chips and
the first thing you think of isn't computer chips. Yet they play an
important role in the "can't eat just one" potato chip story. Keith
Tinsey uses his background in agricultural and biological
engineering, as well as electrical and computer engineering, to
store potatoes in good quality for as long as nine months before
they're shipped to Frito Lay® Full
story
Going from Inner City to Ag
Lynda Cabrales grew up in the inner city of
Chicago. Not until she attended a summer program in high school did
she realize milk came from cows not the store! That experience led
her to an unlikely education path in ag engineering at the
University of Illinois (she's a Ph.D.) and a job in R&D with
Kraft Foods. Full story
Designing for Humanity
Malia Appleford has always had a desire to
make life better for people, animals and the environment. So when
the University of Illinois initiated a chapter of Engineers without
Borders, she didn't hesitate to sign up. And when that turned into
an opportunity to bring electricity to three villages in India's
poorest state, Appleford was on the plane. Full
story
Conserving the Land
"The urbanization and destruction of prime
agricultural land in the United States is the largest challenge we
will face in the future," said Ken Householder, an agricultural
engineer with the USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. His
job is to help landowners and ranchers protect the long-range value
of their land. Full story
Saving More Lives than M.D.s
Tom Hess, a professor in biological and
agricultural engineering at the University of Idaho, often tells
his students, "If you want to save more lives become an
environmental engineer, not a M.D." A team of students took up his
challenge, determined to bring clean drinking water to a Kenyan
village. Full story
Removing the Band-aid
One thing Kristen Hughes learned in college
was there are no silver bullet solutions to water pollution issues
throughout the world. But that didn't mean she couldn't use her
engineering education to go beyond the band-aid responses to
real-world environmental problems. A journey to Egypt gave her a
new career crusade. Full story
Improving Your Chances
Josh Lovecamp always had an interest in
medicine and engineering. So he combined his two passions when he
majored in biological engineering with a medical emphasis. Now he's
a project specialist responsible for the safety and efficacy of
cardiovascular medical devices that ensure that patients get the
best possible treatment. Full story