Denny Esterline
Denny Esterline is currently a senior in SVSU’s Electrical Engineering program. He works on campus in the Mechanical Engineering department as the assistant lab technician. Although mechanical engineering is not his major, the job gives him great opportunity to interact with areas of engineering not covered within his major. The job allows Denny to get great experience for the future, wherever that may take him.
“The support from the department is astounding. The small size of the university allows the student to significantly interact with faculty.” This was the first thing that Denny said when asked what was so special about the Electrical Engineering program. “The fact that the university is smaller is also a great advantage to its students because of the people you can encounter. In a larger university, you will not meet your dean or other important people. I have met the dean and numerous others, have shaken their hands, and am on a first name basis with many of them. I would never have gotten this experience at a larger university.”
Denny chose SVSU initially because of the convenient location but “stays for the outstanding facilities.” SVSU is not a research university but Denny believes this is a good thing. “The focus of SVSU is not on grants or research, as it is with a research university. The undergraduates in a research university are less important than the grants and research. The focus here is on the students and providing them with the absolute best experience possible.”
“The senior design section of the Electrical Engineering program was the most beneficial course for me by far.” This course is a two semester capstone course in which the students have to take a project from concept to prototype. Denny and three others created a robot that was able to fight fire. The students entered their robot in an international competition in Connecticut, where they received first place. “Dr. Russell Clark is the instructor for the senior design course and was our mentor for this project. His leadership was invaluable to the process. I do not believe we would have placed nearly as well without his involvement.”
Denny has also been involved with the Cardinal Formula Racing Team. A team of SVSU students spends several months designing and building an Indy-style race car for the international competition that features race cars completely designed and built by college students. There are more than 120 colleges and universities from around the world that compete. The SVSU team has finished in the top ten twice in the last five years. “I have been working with the electrical systems of the race car. It is an awesome experience. Through daily interactions with the team’s sponsors, students are able to meet and establish personal relationships with significant industry professionals. That’s an enormous benefit when you start looking for a job.”
“If you’re here, you can get involved in so many different areas and have the opportunity to personally meet so many important people within the university; it is just a great experience.”