[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro Text” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
If you want to make things, break things, and figure out how to\u00a0improve them,\u00a0you could turn that\u00a0drive\u00a0into a career as a composites\u00a0engineer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I became a professor of Composite Materials Engineering because it\u2019s still a relatively new field and there are so many ways to branch out within it.\u00a0<\/span>You aren\u2019t limited in what you can do and research, so anything is possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Composite engineers\u00a0are the ones who\u00a0<\/span>make products better. <\/span>They make heavy things lighter and inefficient designs more efficient. They make life easier and, in a way, improve our world\u2014a<\/span>nd now I get to watch students do just that.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let me tell you\u00a0more about WSU\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Composite Materials Engineering (CME)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0program.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/11\/Eric-Kerr-Anderson-375.jpg” title_text=”Eric-Kerr-Anderson-375″ admin_label=”Kerr-Anderson Headshot” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Kerr-Anderson Author Creds” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial admin_label=”Kerr-Anderson Testimonial” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n I think I can effect more change in the world by inspiring students to go after what drives them than what I can do alone.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”passionate” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”20px||||false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb title=”Why I’m Passionate about This Field” image=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/11\/CME-Prof-Pop-Up-1-1280.jpg” content_max_width=”1100px” admin_label=”Why I’m Passionate about This Field Blurb” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h3″]<\/p>\n It all started with one of my professors when I was a mechanical engineering undergrad.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I was interested in research, and he took me on as one of his research students.\u00a0That same professor later taught a class\u00a0where he told us that the field was wide open for research.\u00a0I really liked the fact that I didn\u2019t have to pigeon-hole myself into something super specific.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When designing anything in engineering, you generally design either with a load in mind\u2014meaning you select a material that can withstand a desired amount of weight or pressure\u2014or with a material in mind\u2014meaning you figure out how much of that material you need for it to not break.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For Composite Materials Engineering, there\u2019s an added layer to this way of thinking, which is you can build the material you want from the ground up and engineer it to withstand a desired load. I found this fascinating.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I could make something, break it, analyze the data, and that\u2019s a thesis.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I thought it\u00a0would be cool to join the field when it was relatively new and fill in some of the knowledge gaps in research.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I was always told by others that I had\u00a0a knack for explaining concepts that get through to people, regardless of their educational level, so becoming a professor seemed very natural for me.\u00a0Before returning to teach,\u00a0though,\u00a0I knew I wanted to go off into the industry to gain experience after my doctorate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My interest in Composite Materials Engineering ultimately came down to my professors who had industry experience and were more knowledgeable about the real-world ramifications of what we were learning\u2014and I wanted to give all that back to my future students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Shoutouts Section” module_id=”shoutout” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/11\/CME-Prof-Pop-Up-2-1280.jpg” content_max_width=”1100px” admin_label=”Shoutouts Preview Blurb” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h3″]<\/p>\n I could talk about how great our program is all day, but don\u2019t just take my word for it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hear\u00a0from one of our\u00a0alumni who\u2019s now the owner of two startup businesses and one of our current students who\u2019s already showing promise of becoming an even greater engineer than I\u00a0could imagine for myself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Alumni Shoutout” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Sethu Munusamy ’10” job_title=”Founder and CEO of Midwest Composites and Compositecniq” portrait_url=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/11\/Sethu-Munusamy-300.jpg” admin_label=”Sethu Testimonial” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n The Composite Materials Engineering program at WSU has such a <\/span>local legend vibe<\/span><\/b>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When I went on to pursue my master\u2019s degree at a different university, the students there\u2014even ones working on their\u00a0Ph.D.\u2014<\/span>saw me as an expert<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and would ask for help.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a reputation for\u00a0a WSU\u00a0undergraduate student. In the composites industry, we\u2019re almost looked at the\u00a0<\/span>same breath as a Harvard or Stanford student<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My WSU degree has been instrumental to becoming the successful professional that I am today.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=”Learn More about Sethu Text” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n\n
Eric Kerr-Anderson, Ph.D.<\/h4>\n
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Alumni Shoutout: Sethu Munusamy<\/h3>\n