14 • GCU TODAY
Starting early
GCU already was putting students in the workforce before the program
had even started. Case in point: sophomore Joel Conrad.
Growing up in Phoenix, Conrad developed his interest in engineering
by working on his family’s dirt bikes. He took parts off the Kawasaki
two-stroke and Yamaha 500 and dreamed of customizing his own
vehicles someday, perhaps as an engineer for an auto manufacturer.
Knowing GCU eventually would offer engineering degrees, the
19-year-old began as a freshman in the new computer science program
but looked forward to transferring into mechanical engineering.
“I was drawn to that since it’s a little broader (than biomedical or
electrical),” said Conrad, who was homeschooled through high school. “I
wanted to take my interests a step further, frommechanics into engineering.”
Before beginning his engineering studies, Conrad already had
worked with GCU faculty to land a summer internship at Phoenix Heat
Treating, an engineering firm with aerospace contracts that deal with
everything from airplane landing gears to satellite parts. The University
plans to funnel more interns into local companies to experience the real-
world applications of principles from their classrooms.
Conrad’s summer internship required him to test and calibrate
furnaces that run as hot as 2,300 F. But he learned how to run base tests
on systems, making sure the furnaces were accurately calibrated for
temperature uniformity. He also helped upgrade controls and bring new
GCU is training
tomorrow’s engineers
in an interdisciplinary
setting that replicates
the workforce
environment. Here’s
a snapshot of each
program emphasis:
Three branches
of engineering,
one goal:
workforce readiness
BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Also known as “bioengineering,”
this field produces technology
for medical devices and other
health care purposes. It’s where
engineering and medicine come
together to solve humanity’s
biological problems and improve
patient care through automation.
Innovations:
Implants that
regulate the brain’s response to
hunger and guide weight loss in
obese adults, optical scanners
that analyze the skin to potentially
reduce the need for routine
dermatological biopsies, and
microchips that alert doctors to
potential heart attacks
Major course topics:
Biomedical Design Elements,
Biomaterials and Biomedical
Instrumentation and Devices
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
From portable electronic devices
to robotic manufacturing systems,
engineers in this broad field work
on hardware that delivers data
for a range of everyday purposes.
The technology they build and
maintain keeps everything from
wireless networks to power plants
humming along at an optimal pace.
Innovations:
Renewable energy
delivery systems, such as high-
efficiency solar cell materials,
and microcircuit boards and
nano-electronics for biomedical
implants
Major course topics:
Advanced Circuits,
Electromagnetic Fields and Optics,
and Communications Signal
Processing
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Considered the broadest of all
engineering disciplines, mechanical
engineers often overlap in their
careers with electrical engineers.
Both deal inmechanical systems,
but mechanical engineers
specialize in how structures
andmachines withstand stress,
systems that convert energy into
power and the design of machinery.
Innovations:
Advanced computer-
assisted designmodeling programs
and alternative fuel systems, in
addition to 3-D printers that use
additive direct laser sintering and
microelectromechanical systems,
or MEMS
Major course topics:
Mechanical Instrumentation and
Devices, Structure and Property of
Materials, and Solid Mechanics
You think your summer was
hot? Engineering student
Joel Conrad spent his in an
internship where he tested
and calibrated fiery furnaces.
