Andrew Detar
My name is Andrew Detar and I’m from Oil City, PA where I graduated from high school in 2001. I gra
duated from Behrend with a B. S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2005. I am currently employed in Connecticut by Westinghouse Electric Company where I conduct safety analyses on Nuclear Power Plants. I utilize many of the skills I learned throughout my education, specifically calculus, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics.
As a mechanical engineer, the greatest challenge of my job is understanding the relationship between the overall thermodynamics of the plant and the nuclear reactions within a nuclear core. Due to the large push for clean energy production, nuclear plants are again scheduled for construction, both nationally and abroad. The growth provides many opportunities within the industry including government relations, project management, and on-site assignments, both in the United States and overseas.
I chose to attend Penn State Behrend because of the class size and the opportunities that a small student-to-teacher ratio offers. Unlike many larger programs where emphasis is on the graduate programs and research, the faculty at Behrend has a vested interest in the undergraduate students, providing them many opportunities to expand their learning beyond the classroom. I worked as an undergraduate research assistant where I examined alternative control methods for aircraft by twisting the wing instead of using flaps. Many students get involved in research, internships, co-ops, and professional organizations such as ASME or IEEE. Seniors must conduct a year long Design Project where they work as part of a team of students on an entry-level industry sponsored project. These experiences, combined with the Penn State degree, provide the students all the tools necessary to be a strong candidate for employment or further education.
[ View Other Success Stories ]