Sam Ratvasky and Alec Vanderbilt have become quite adept at engaging with heavy hitters from the academic and industry worlds. That’s because the Ohio State Mansfield seniors have had an abundance of practice due to their time in the engineering technology program.
This fall alone, Vanderbilt and Ratvasky have traveled to Ireland and to the Lima campus for presentations to higher education leaders from around the globe and industrial partners from Ohio to discuss their insights into how Lean Six Sigma methodologies can improve campus settings.
Meanwhile, internships, coursework and their current capstone project have seen them learning from and working hand-in-hand with industry pros.
“The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology degree really shapes you into a leader,” Alec says. “The professionals we talk to are very interested in what we have to say and the skill sets we’re building through this program.”
Ohio State’s engineering technology program, available on the Mansfield, Marion, Newark and Lima campuses, is preparing students to excel as business-oriented engineering leaders in the rapidly expanding manufacturing industry. That industry is thirsty for employees (with estimates that nearly 4 million employees will be needed in the next 10 years) and engineering technologists in particular (it’s projected there will be a 13% growth in jobs in engineering technology by 2026).
The program is offered at regional campuses because they are located in industry hubs, providing students access to hands-on learning and mentorship, while providing seamless transitions into internships and employment opportunities.
In fact, Ohio State partners with manufacturing leaders to mold the engineering technology program so students like Sam and Alec understand industry needs.
Because of that, Sam and Alec are well-versed in a variety of engineering specialties due to the program’s holistic and practical coursework.
Alec: “I like the hands-on nature of engineering and how versatile it is. Most engineering students may specialize in one area, and many of them describe it as a lot of theory. Whereas here, we get a lot more hands-on and, with engineering technology, they teach you a little bit of everything. We’ve learned facility layout mechanisms, automation, electronics, even the business and mechanical side. It’s just very practical, action-based, and a lot of projects to get your feet wet.”
Sam: “It’s definitely hands-on, and that’s why I got into it. As freshmen, we did a manufacturing class with actual heavy machinery to give us a taste of that. I assumed that’s what we’d do throughout, but then we got into the business side where you can develop leadership skills, to show you how to lead a team.
“The reason it works so well is because with the smaller classes, and being physically there with each other, there’s a lot of teamwork development, which makes a huge difference. That was very impactful for me. There’s personal interaction, you can always talk to professors and ask questions openly. It really helps you understand the content. It becomes a mini community, which is very cool.”
“With AI and robots changing the game, this degree’s versatility and big-picture scale is invaluable.”
As Sam mentioned, leadership development is a major aspect of the program.
Sam: “In high school I started my own lawncare business and enjoyed managing my own employees, so I wanted to combine business with engineering. And because this program develops a wide array of engineering skills, we know how to lead a team because we know the background of so many different disciplines — mechanical, electrical, you name it as far as engineering goes. There’s a lot of pieces and parts to it, if you’re interested in mathematics or physics, or if you like business skills, you want to lead a team, that’s the engineering technology program for sure.”
Alec: “I took a course during my junior year centered around project management and the whole course taught us how to efficiently work in large teams and stay organized.
“When we talk to different employers who understand what engineering technology is, they love what they hear because of the practical assets we have, but also what we offer in terms of large-scale facility management. As an engineering technician, we’re capable of looking at an overall process and deciding how to boost productivity and reduce waste, for example. And with AI and robots changing the game, this degree’s versatility and big-picture scale is invaluable.”
Those employers Alec mentioned are hyper-interested in what the program is producing. Therefore, many representatives attend presentations, mentor students and welcome them in through internships.
Alec: “I was an engineering intern last summer with Michael Byrne Manufacturing here in Mansfield. I was able to use the facility layout aspects of my degree, using 2D AutoCAD software, to work on a big project. We mapped out new and old facilities, where all the equipment was, where the electrical was running, things like that.
“But I was also put in charge of a lot of designing tasks for different machinery, maybe they needed new blueprints or needed to re-engineer or reconstruct it. We were able to do that and make designs to send them out to engineers to get processed. I was really grateful for the opportunity.”
Sam, meanwhile, spent the past two summers interning as an associate consultant at MAGNET in Cleveland, near his hometown. This past summer, he was the lead intern, supervising others.
Sam: “I enjoyed consulting work. I was representing my company, having direct conversations with executives and understanding their objectives and what we could do to come up with solutions. Often, I had to be a mentor to the other interns because I already knew a lot about what we did.
“Essentially, I was doing a lot of what we do in engineering technology with facility layouts, and I did that for different plants we had clients for. The other aspect was a lot of Lean and Six Sigma went into this position, so while I was working there, they paid for my classes to get my Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt. It was just a great opportunity.”
Their senior year culminates in a capstone project. Sam and Alec are partnering to design a manufacturing exhibit for the Buckeye Imagination Museum, a “hands-on, play-based children’s museum.”
Alec: “It’s such a unique opportunity and it’s a chance to use all the skills we’ve learned through the program. We’re designing a machine and working with companies that will potentially build it for us. Essentially, it will be a team game where kids gather around a conveyor belt system and build things together in a race against the clock.”
“It’s always fun to do these projects, interacting with companies and designing a product. Seeing all your hard work play out in a physical form in real time is a good feeling.”
Sam: “The (capstone) class is the biggest conglomerate of everything we’ve learned, it’s taking bits and pieces from all our classes and putting it into a design project. It’s been really cool.
“A lot of manufacturers in the Mansfield area are trying to get kids interested in the industry and they’re being very generous on this project to make an interactive exhibit for families. It’s a long design project but it’s exciting that two Ohio State students are creating an exhibit and putting it on display for the whole Mansfield community.”
