Engineering Quarterly Spring 2022

Engineering Quarterly VOL.IV. . . No.3

SPRING 2022

W ELCOME !

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James Jurek is graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. James is from Fridley MN. “I came to UMary because I had a lot of friends that were also going here, and when I toured the school it felt like James Jurek home, unlike the larger state schools that I toured. I chose engineering because I’ve always been the type of person that would take things apart just to see how they worked, and I’ve always been fascinated with building things and learning about different technologies. I was considering both mechanical and electrical engineering, but ultimately settled on mechanical because I wanted to work with more tangible things... then in my junior year I realized that when modeling systems, mechanical and electrical systems have nearly identical analogues to each other! I did a co-op at Bobcat between my junior and senior years. I worked on the attachments team, mainly doing sustaining work, working to document small changes for manufacturability of products, but I was able able to do a fair amount of product development work, mainly consisting of testing products in development and identifying issues that needed to be solved before they went into production. I loved living in Bismarck. It’s a great city and I wouldn’t mind living here long term. Contingent on where my job search takes me, I would like to move back to Minnesota to be closer to family. My professors were awesome. I love the smallschool atmosphere at UMary, and the fact that professors are easily accessible for anything from last-minute homework help and project advice to just a casual conversation. I’m currently browsing the job market to see what’s available. I think I would like to work in the aerospace industry, but I’m not sure exactly 2022 E NGINEERING G RADUATES what I would like to do in that field. On a personal note, I’m going to start working on getting my private pilot’s certificate, and I’m aiming to do my first flight with an instructor William Blewett is sometime this summer.” graduating with a deMatthew Bittner is gree in Civil Engineergraduating with a deing. William is from gree in Mechanical EnBozeman Montana and gineering.

Matthew came to UMary to play is originally from The football. “I chose enTwin Cities. “I came to William Blewett gineering because I UMary because of the wanted something challenging with adequate small class sizes, the Matthew Bittner pay and to serve society best. I started in Catholic culture, and Petroleum Engineering and changed to civil the relatively cheap cost. I chose engineering after that. I interned with AE2S for three because I gained a love of applied math in summers and I stuck with that same company my high school classes (math, physics, probecause of its great atmosphere and potential gramming), and I chose mechanical because for growth. Having teachers that designed the I have a pretty good ability to visualize physcurriculum was beneficial to learning the most ical systems in my head. However, I think important parts to being an engineer. My fu- I would have enjoyed Electrical Engineering ture plans are to continue work for AE2S, and as well since I enjoy doing electrical work end up in the mountains close to my family.” and programming whenever it comes up in

Harold Hamm said in a statement. “We believe Mary’s engineering program will provide some of the most well-prepared engiThe Engineering Quar- neers in the industry.” terly is published four “We are truly blessed by this donation times each year by the from Mr. Hamm and Continental Resources Hamm School of Engias it allows us to launch Phase 2 of our Vineering at the Universion 2030 Capital Campaign that will bring sity of Mary. In each about new programs, new facilities, new soissue, we try to include cial spaces, new classrooms, and much more, articles from each of the five engineering mawhile totally transforming the look and feel jors that we offer on campus: Electrical Enof our campus layout,” said Executive Vice gineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil EnPresident Jerome Richter. “More importantly, gineering, Computer Science, and ConstrucPhase 2 will help transform students’ lives tion Management. The intended audience of and provide a stronger sense of hospitality the Engineering Quarterly is engineers, engiand community – two Benedictine values near neering students, engineering alumni, future and dear to the Sisters and our late president engineering students, and people working in emerita, Sister Thomas Welder. This will unfields related to engineering such as science, doubtedly continue to honor their legacy that computing, and mathematics. we so cherish.”

In this issue of EQ we announce the namHarold Hamm founded Continental Reing of our school! We also showcase our gradsources in 1967 and is chairman of the board uating class of 2022, our engineering award of directors. Continental Resources (NYSE: winners, scholarship recipients, and some of CLR) is a top 10 independent oil producer the projects and activities our students and in the U.S. and a leader in America’s enfaculty have been working on this semester. ergy renaissance. Based in Oklahoma City, Enjoy!

Continental is the largest leaseholder and the Dr. Terry Pilling largest producer in the nation’s premier oil field, the Bakken of North Dakota and Montana. The company also has significant positions in the SCOOP and STACK plays of the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma and newly acH AMM S CHOOL OF E NGINEERING ! quired positions in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Permian Basin of Texas. With a focus on the exploration and production of oil, Continental has unlocked the technology and resources vital to American energy independence and our nation’s leadership in the new world oil market. This year, the company celebrates 55 years of operations.

The University of Mary School of Engineering is now called the “Hamm School of Engineering” following a $10 million gift from the Harold Hamm Foundation. Continental Resources has designated another $2 million to endow the “Continental Resources Monsignor James Shea Chair of Engineering.”

Shelly Lambertz, executive vice president of Continental Resources and daughter to chairman and founder Harold Hamm, and Blu Hulsey, also with Continental Resources, came to the University of Mary campus for the donation event. This occasion marks the largest single donation in the University’s history.

“Continental Resources is serious about oil and gas production in the Bakken, and to sustain that growth we need some of the best and brightest engineering graduates,”

University of Mary

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projects (which it does a good bit, my teammates are thankful I know how to use the stuff). I did an internship with Graco Inc., the paint sprayer company, not the baby item company (Same company name, the founders had the exact same names as well, but they’re two completely different companies founded by completely different people in completely different states). My favorite story about being in the engineering school? Just talk to AJ and ask him about the Thermo 2 exam. For the future, my plan is to get a job. I don’t have any responses from applications yet, but I know I’ll have security until I can find a job so I’m not too worried about finding one immediately. Obviously I’m still applying to jobs, just not with frenetic energy. I’m looking at Helena Montana (friends there), Twin Cities (family and friends there, plus more and diverse opportunities), and Bismarck (friends here too).”

Michael Storrick is graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. “I’m originally from Bismarck and decided to come to UMary because of the strong Catholic culture Michael Storrick here. I chose EE because I’ve always been interested in electrical circuits etc. and enjoy being able to create all the interesting things one can with knowledge of electrical circuits. I’ve had an internship at KMM and a co-op at Bobcat. I enjoyed Bobcat the best because I learned a lot about the industry through that experience. Bismarck is a great city and North Dakota a great state.

The professors have all been informative and straightforward with their teaching and helpful if I ever needed help with the curriculum. I plan to get a job within the Bismarck area initially, and after a few years potentially move out of state.”

Izaiah Bitz is graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is originally from Bismarck, ND. “One of the major reasons why I came to the University of Mary is because it is in Bismarck, ND, Izaiah Bitz which is where I am originally from. Initially I wanted to go into architecture, but I still had the question of how things like structures functioned and worked.

I decided to go into civil engineering, in hopes of being able to understand the answer to that question. I did an internship with the NDDOT as a construction inspector, and I also did an internship with Braun Intertec as a construction material tester. Both internships helped build my understanding of how the things that we have learned in school are translated over into the workforce, each in their own respective ways. I have found them as worthwhile experiences, and I think that having been involved in these internships has helped me to better understand what I would like to do as a career. Additionally, I would recommend students to pursue internships while they’re going through school, since internships can help to provide relevant knowledge to stu-

Engineering Quarterly SPRING 2022 dents in a multitude of ways. I have thought of Bismarck, ND, as a place where my home and family are, as well as a place where people work hard and help each other out. The engineering staff as a whole has worked very hard for the betterment of their students. The two primary civil engineering professors, Eric Garcia and Anthony Waldenmaier, have complimented each other’s teaching styles to really help us learn and grow in understanding the material involved in our field of study.

I have had multiple interviews and will be working for Sandman Structural Engineers (Moorhead, MN) beginning this summer.”

Andrew Heckaman is graduating with a degree in Construction Management. Originally from Dickinson, ND, Andrew chose UMary to be close to home and to play Andrew hockey. “Being close Heckaman to home allows my family to attend as many hockey games as possible. I chose engineering, and construction management in particular, because of my interest in residential construction. I hope to start my own company designing and building custom homes.

I didn’t do any internships but I worked in a few different construction fields to learn as much as I could in areas I would be involved in when building homes. The jobs I held were in concrete work, excavation, and working for a general contractor, mainly rough framing.

While growing up, I came to Bismarck all the time for sports and with my family, but living here has showed me how interesting the city is and how much there is to do. All of my professors were very knowledgeable and had a great deal of real world experience.

This allowed them to tell us how things will work post-graduation in the work field. After graduation I plan to continue to work with Legendary Homes, the general contractor I previously mentioned, to learn from him until I can start my own company.”

Karsen Meyer is graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Originally from Mandan ND. Karsen came to the University of Mary to keep his part time Karsen Meyer job and for the oneon-one engineering experience UMary has to offer. “I chose Engineering because I grew up building things with my dad and the satisfaction of completing a project has never left. Outside of working at Moritz, I took an internship at Aquatraction of ND the spring of my senior year. The primary focus of the company is to find different marine flooring solutions to the growing customer base. They deal with CAD work, advanced measurement tools, designing, CNC work, and exposure to what it takes for great customer service.

Not to mention the doors are open 24/7 so work can be done when students have the time. It can be cold in ND but there’s no other place more willing to help than the people in ND. The engineering faculty has always been helpful and will do anything for a student to

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succeed. Especially when COVID hit my engineering professors stayed and taught every class in person! Our professors care about our grades and well-being. I’m happy to have had the opportunity to be here. There are job opportunities everywhere, but I’m more interested in being my own employer!

Ben Wilson is graduating with a degree in Construction Management.

Ben was born and raised in Bismarck. “I chose UMary because of the close knit community Ben Wilson that the university has developed. I have always liked the practical side of engineering, specifically construction management and it’s been a good fit for me ever since. I completed an internship last summer as a project manager and estimator. I communicated with the architects, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers of multi-million dollar projects so that the projects would run as seamless as possible. Growing up here, I have always loved the community and the surrounding environment. It has treated me well and I am excited to call it home. There are a lot of great professors that I have been able to take classes from. I have learned a lot from them and they have done a lot to help me learn a lot of things throughout the years.

One day last year, a student showed up to Professor Garman’s class 10 minutes late with Taco Bell in his hand. Of course, the student didn’t bring any for anyone else and Garman let him know that it wasn’t acceptable to show up late without some for everyone.

A few weeks later, Garman sent us an email that he was going to be late for class. Sure enough, the student jokingly let him know that it wasn’t going to be acceptable unless he brought Taco Bell. We all showed up to class and were surprised with a giant bag of tacos provided by Professor Garman. It was an awesome treat for class and it was a great story that I won’t forget. I will be staying in Bismarck and am excited to be working as a project manager/estimator for Capital City Construction.”

Logan Mahoney is graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering. Logan is originally from Parkston, South Dakota. “The reason I decided to come to UMary was Logan Mahoney the engineering and wrestling program. The UMary engineering program was forward thinking, and I believed that it would prepare me to be a professional engineer in industry. I choose engineering because I enjoy problem solving and the challenges of being an engineer. The reason I choose civil engineering is I have always enjoyed the construction process and working in that industry. Secondly, I saw a problem in the country’s infrastructure, as much of it aging and in disrepair. I felt passionately about this problem, so I decided to study to help be apart of the solution. During, my time at the UMary I was an engineering intern at the Falkirk Mining Company for two

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years. I was also able to do several other smaller projects, including the CHI St. Alexius Memorial design, and independent design and project management work. I think Bismarck North Dakota is a great place. It has great culture, and the community of Bismarck is very welcoming and friendly. I believe UMary has some of the greatest engineering professors there are. They hold their students to a high standard, challenge us, are easy to talk to, and relate to. I have many funny stories with my professors over the years. My favorite story was in Mechanics of Materials with Eric Garcia. We were doing our usual problem at the board. The first one to get it done got a bonus point on the next quiz.

Peter and I that day were the first two done.

I had mine done a little bit before Peter. I look at Eric to confirm I had the right answer.

Eric said, ‘Not quite.’ I look over at Peter, he points to where I went wrong. I had missed one little unit conversion. Then I said, ‘Shit!’ right in the middle of class. I realized after I said it. Yeah, probably shouldn’t have sworn quite that loud in class. I look over at Eric thinking he was going to say something to me. I look at Eric, and Eric is just laughing at me. My plans are to get into Water Resource Engineering consulting. I would also like to get my master’s in civil engineering with a focus in water resources and become a P.E. I am currently working at Barr Engineering, as an entry level Civil Engineer in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Beau Skurdal is graduating with a degree in Construction Management.

Beau is from Oklahoma but has lived in Williston, North Dakota since 2008.

“I originally Beau Skurdal decided to come to UMary because I had an opportunity to play football and the ability to go to school close to home. I chose Mechanical Engineering, but quickly figured out that Construction Management was a much better fit. I have always been more interested in building things and making them work rather studying the math behind why they work.”

“I did not take on any internships during my time at UMary. Instead, I spent my summers working as a lead vegetation control specialist for four seasons at Jerry’s Services in Williston, ND. Bismarck is a great place to live.

There is so much more to do here than I am used to in Williston as far as restaurants, stores, entertainment, etc.

I also have Beau’s Catapult found many great landscapes around the outskirts of Bismarck that I thoroughly enjoy. The majority of my professors at the university have

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been incredible. The advantage to attending a smaller university such as UMary is the smaller class sizes. It allows the professors more time to work one-on-one with students who are struggling, which is incredibly helpful. After graduation I plan to accept a position in the environmental division of OneCor Services in Williston, North Dakota.”

that they have for their students is something that is unique at a university level, and I really appreciate their time and devotion to teaching us. I plan to continue living in the Bismarck area after college and working full-time as a Results Engineer for Minnkota Power. I will oversee the plant’s rotating equipment as well as turbine performance and vibrations.”

Casey Anderson is graduating with a degree in Construction Management. Originally from Minto, ND, a small town on the East side of the state about half an hour North of Grand Forks.

Casey Anderson “I choose the University of Mary because their Engineering and Construction Management programs were in the process of starting along with this being the same college my mother attended when she was younger. I chose Construction Management because it’s slightly more hands-on than an Engineering degree and I can spend a little more time outside of the office. I’m currently an intern at Miller Insulation in Bismarck performing several different tasks such as estimating jobs, setting up status reports, creating proposals and so on. The Bismarck atmosphere is great. Not too big of a city where you’ll get lost, but not so small you feel you have no place to go to do what you want. Great feel for a college kid. Most of the professors that I’ve had have been outstanding. Their ability to relate to students and help with the material is great. As of now, I believe my internship will run through the summer and hopefully lead to a full-time job will Miller Insulation. Though not guaranteed, this experience will greatly help with finding future opportunities.”

Mitch Oehme is graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is originally from Minnetonka, MN. “I decided to transfer from South Dakota State University to UMary Mitch Oehme to pursue a new baseball career opportunity. I ended up choosing civil engineering. I enjoy the math and sciences as well as having a positive impact in the community you work for. I had an internship last summer with IMO Consulting Group located in Minnetonka, MN. I was an engineering intern during my time there and received great office and in-the-field experience. My opinion of Bismarck has gotten better the more I live here. But the state and city is a bit too flat and windy for my taste. I enjoyed every professor I had the opportunity to learn from. Each have their own teaching style and its greatly benefited my learning experience. I signed with Bolton and Menk in their Chaska, MN office to be a Municipal Graduate Engineer.

Mark Sammons is graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is from Bismarck, ND and decided to attend UMary because of the affordable tuition. “I also Mark Sammons believed the quality of education I would receive here would be better than other universities. I chose engineering because I’ve always had an interest in the way things work and how they are made. I settled on Mechanical Engineering because I believed it was the type of engineering that would give me the most exposure to engineering, as a whole. During my time at the University of Mary I worked for three years at Finley Engineering designing fiber optic broadband layouts and as a field manager for one summer. I also worked a summer internship at the Milton R. Young Station for Minnkota Power Cooperative. I equally enjoyed both experiences and believe they both were beneficial in preparing me for post-college employment. I think Bismarck is a great place to live minus the few terribly cold days in the winter. I believe the professors here at the University of Mary provided me with the best possible engineering education. They were always willing to mentor, teach, and help us with any of our projects or homework. The flexibility

Daniel Turner is graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Daniel is originally from New Prague, Minnesota.

“One of my main reasons for choosing Daniel Turner UMary was due to the opportunity to continue my baseball career.

The other was that I wanted to go to a school with smaller class sizes, so that I could build connections with professors and other students that encouraged growth as a person and in my education. I grew up in a family with 4 other engineers, my dad and three brothers.

That helped form my decision to become an engineer. However, they were all electrical engineers, and I always found myself confused, bored about what they were discussing.

Therefore, I decided to become a mechanical engineer. I knew I always enjoyed problem solving and hands on work, but from there I was not so sure. Therefore, I went mechanical, to allow for the ability to learn parts of both civil and electrical and can narrow down my exact path towards the end of my education/while looking for a job. I had an internship during the summer of my junior/going into senior year at Terracon Consulting Inc in Bismarck, ND. I enjoyed my time there due to the people and the work that I was doing. They allowed me to experience every aspect of the job and to ask any questions to ensure that I was gaining the most out of my experience. I personally enjoy the Bismarck area. I believe it scares people due to it being farther away from home (7 hours for me). However, being farther away allows for growth as a student and more importantly as a

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person. Bismarck provides you with a variety of activities and weather that you might not get to experience in other locations in the US, but it also has everything you need. I think the Bismarck and North Dakota in general are an excellent place to explore and be during a college experience. During my time I have gotten to experience a variety of professors, and I have enjoyed each of them. Each professor wants to see their students succeed both in the classroom and in life, whether that is in sports, job, or day to day activities. Therefore, they do everything they can to ensure that each student is understanding the material and is put in a spot to succeed. As of right now my plans are to move back towards Minnesota. I am currently searching/interviewing for job opportunities around the south metro in Minnesota. That allows me to continue to play baseball (Town Ball) and have a variety of opportunities for jobs.”

Daniel Minor is graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Daniel is from East Bethel, Minnesota. “I came here because I was looking for a good Catholic Daniel Minor school that had engineering, football, and cheap tuition. I have always been interested in figuring out how things work and in high school I got into a lot of tech classes. I initially was going to go into Automotive tech but they didn’t make much money so instead I went with engineering. I chose mechanical because I have been working on cars and other mechanical things as I grew up. I like the smallness as well as how Catholic/conservative it is, but the wind does get old. I really appreciate how much my professors care about me as opposed to large universities with research-based professors. I really appreciate that all the professors are welcoming and are very reasonable if we have conflicts or other issues. I have a Design Engineering position lined up with Steffes in Dickinson so I will be living out there for the near future.”

Chandler Olson is graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Chandler is originally from Bismarck, ND. “The reason I chose UMary was because I heard Chandler Olson about the new program at the time and thought it would be a good way to save money as well as get a good education. I chose electrical engineering because I had a good background in math and I liked computers. I knew that I wanted to challenge myself so naturally engineering came into consideration. The only internship I did was for Bobcat in the embedded lab and I am currently doing it now. So far it is enjoyable and I have learned a lot. I don’t mind living here in Bismarck, but the winters are unforgiving.

I enjoyed all of my professors. I learned a lot from them and I am grateful that I chose UMary. I hope to get a position at Bobcat and learn at lot in the next few years in the embedded system space. Eventually, I hope to work for a car company (Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc.)

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because my interest is in cars, but that will be semester we pranked AJ in one of our classes down the road.” and all turned in fake exams while we gave the real ones to Carrico to later give to him.

Blake Rubio is gradAJ got us back by saying he collectively failed uating with a degree the class on the exam and threatened to fail in Civil Engineering. us for the whole semester. In the end we all Blake is originally got a laugh out of it. As of right now I am from Illinois from a either hoping to get a job in Bismarck or my town called Paw Paw. hometown or I am also considering going into “What made me come graduate school to further my education.” to UMary was the Peter Smith is gradrecommendation of a Blake Rubio uating with a degree good friend who heard about the school. Bein Mechanical Engicause of this I came and checked out the neering. Peter is from school and it was here that I met Dr. Pilling Lakeville Minnesota. and got to sit and have a conversation one “I came to the Univeron one with Dr. Pilling as he explained to sity of Mary because me what he wanted to make the school of of the cheaper tuengineering into, and it was this vision that ition and the Catholic grabbed my interest in attending the school.

Peter Smith Scholars Scholarship.

I choose engineering as my trade in life after having an interest in how machines worked I chose Mechanical Engineering because it is from an early age and it wasn’t until my time a profession that pretty much guarantees a job spent with IDOT that I found my passion at the end of college. I like random projects, for structural and Transportation engineering like making flame throwers, knives, guns etc., which led me to choose civil engineering. and figured mechanical engineering would be During my time with UMary I spent three the most useful in my side projects. My future years working with the DOT back in Illinois plan is to try to get a job at Tesla” inspecting bridges, putting together repair Davids Atelbauers is plans, and learning many of the skills needed graduating with a deto succeed as an engineer. At first sight I fell gree in civil engineerin love with the Bismarck area. I come from ing. “Originally, I am a small town and because of that I wasn’t from Ogre, Latvia and particularly looking forward to going to a big I transferred to Unicity school such as UIC or Urbana Chamversity of Mary from paign. I’m a big hunter and fisherman and University of North being able to continue those passions while I Davids Atelbauers Dakota, because of the was in school without having to drive far was civil engineering program here and the oppora major plus for me. The professors are amaz- tunity to play basketball at high level while ing in every aspect and it’s because of this getting my bachelor’s degree in civil engithat the school of engineering is continuing to neering. I chose engineering because I always grow at a rapid pace. I can’t recommend and liked science when I was younger, and my thank the facility in the school of engineering brother went into engineering which gave me enough but its thanks to them the quality of extra motivation to also study engineering. I education and learning experience is so high. ended up in civil engineering because civil enMy plans currently include working right of gineering is a broad profession covering many the gate and potentially going back to school specialties and at the time I was not sure what to get my master’s in structural engineering exactly I want to do, I just knew I wanted at some point. Currently I have three job op- to do engineering. I did an internship with portunities lined up back in Illinois with the AE2S, which was probably my best academic DOT, Fehr Gramm, and Reach Grow Exceed experience in college. I worked as a Resident Engineering.”

Project Representative and did construction Ethan Melder is grad- inspection. The first thing that comes up to uating with a degree in my mind about North Dakota is that it is cold Mechanical Engineer- here. But Bismarck is a place where I would ing. Ethan is originally like to stay for at least nearest future. I think from Billings, MT. “I professors are very helpful and pay attention decided to come to to each student progress. I love the fact that in UMary because of all University of Mary some professors are Prothe great things I had fessional Engineers. My plan after graduation Ethan Melder heard as well as the is to work for Apex Engineering in Municipal fact that the engineering school here was just Engineering department.” starting. I chose engineering because of the wide range of potential jobs and engineering degree offers and I chose mechanical engineering because it is hands on (and is not electrical engineering). Bismarck and North Dakota have a very welcoming atmosphere making it easy to live in a new place. If it weren’t so windy and cold it would be even better! Overall I really liked the professors, they are all really easy to talk to and communicate with. I really enjoyed being in classes with all of them and I’m glad we were able to learn under them. One funny story is last

Rami Douri is graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. “I am originally from northern Iraq, but I have been living in Bismarck since 2010.

I chose the University Rami Douri of Mary to do my studies because I desired to stay in town. I chose electrical engineering because of my father, an electronics technician, and my role model.

While observing his work throughout the

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years, I became very intrigued with electronics. I did a couple of internships throughout my years at the University of Mary. I was working as an IT intern at the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and I also worked at GE Healthcare as a Client Service Technician Apprentice. My favorite was the one at the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation working on a new highly technological security fence. I enjoyed my time there very much because I was able to do much handson electrical work. Because of my experience living abroad, I was able to see how lucky I was to be living in a town like Bismarck, with its calm and safe environment and tremendously nice and welcoming people. I can comfortably say Bismarck is the best place I have lived in. University of Mary professors are incredible and immensely knowledgeable about the material they’re teaching. Also, I observed that all professors tend to go above and beyond to teach the materials to the students. I plan to stay in town and take over my father’s electronic repair shop.”

O UTSTANDING S TUDENT AWARDS The Outstanding Student in Civil Engineering award went to Mara Dalton from Littleton, Colorado. Mara is a Junior in Civil Engineering who is one of the top students in the Hamm School of Engineering. Along with being a great student in the classroom, Mara is also a leader among her peers. She is involved in multiple groups on campus, including a variety of study groups, bible studies, and UMary University Ministry. Mara will be interning at CORE Consulting out of Englewood Colorado for the second summer in a row. We look forward to our classes with Mara and it has been a privilege to be a part of Mara’s education as an up-and-coming Civil Engineer!

The Outstanding Student in Mechanical Engineering award went to Benjamin Niemuth from Bismarck, North Dakota. Ben is a Junior in Mechanical Engineering and has been consistently at the top of the class, maintaining a 4.00 GPA during his time at the University of Mary. Ben is professional in his approach to his work: he is responsible and reliable, and he demonstrates a great work ethic.

The outstanding Student in Electrical Engineering award went to John Soupir from Lucan, Minnesota. John has really blossomed in our program and shown a wide range of talents. He has tremendous creativity, industry and perseverance in planning and executing design projects, with

Engineering Quarterly SPRING 2022 uniformly outstanding results. He is keenly interested in truly understanding laboratory assignments, frequently carrying an investigation farther and deeper than required. In addition, John has always been generous in helping fellow students, especially in debugging their code or troubleshooting problems with their projects. More importantly, he is humble. He makes use of his gifts to help his fellow students, and he does not seek to draw attention to himself.

The outstanding Student in Construction Management award went to Andrew Heckaman from Dickinson, North Dakota.

Andrew is a true leader in the classroom and, as an Academic AllAmerican member of the University’s national championship team, on the hockey ice. Andrew is one of our most upstanding students in the Construction Management program. He engages deeply in class discussions and strives to treat his classmates with respect. Furthermore, he is impeccably honest in the work he submits for his courses.

He is a humble student that always seems to be cheerful, which naturally spreads to everyone around him.

The Outstanding Student in Computer Science award went to Maya Wald from Minot, North Dakota.

Maya, who is a sophomore in Computer Science, is an extremely diligent student, who not only works very hard, but who is also careful with details. She applies herself with vigor and determination in all aspects of her studies.

Additionally, the Engineering Faculty nominated Izaiah Bitz and Mark Sammons for the University of Mary outstanding senior award which is given to the most outstanding senior across the entire university.

5 EPIC C ONFERENCE

Engineering faculty member and veteran machinist Leland Vetter gave a presentation entitled Machining-“For the rest of us” at the Energy Generation Conference in January this year. With mission statement: “Energizing industry and individuals in a competitive market through education, technology, and networking,” The EPIC conference originated in 1978 as a Power Plant Operations Conference held in conjunction with the ND Rural Electric Cooperatives’ Annual Statewide Apprenticeship Training & Safety Conference. Since then the conference has continued to grow in size and purpose and, now, it fills the Bismarck Events Center’s Exhibit Halls B-D and is an international event attended by over 2000.

ENR 203L PAPER T RUSS P ROJECT

By ERIC GARCIA

Sophomore level engineering students in their ENR 203L class tested their first project for the course, paper trusses.

S CHOLARSHIPS

The winners of the North Dakota Society of Engineers Scholarships this year were Sophomore Construction Engineering student Kolbe Raiche and Sophomore Computer Science student Maya Wald, and the winner of the Electrical Engineering Scholarship this year was Junior Electrical Engineering student John Soupir.

Teams were provided only one ream of printer paper and Elmers glue to construct their paper truss that had to span a gap of two feet.

Students were tasked to predict where failure would occur, using method of joints analysis, and achieve the highest load-to-weight ratio.

All six truss bridges weighed in between 1.8 and 2.5lbs. All six of the bridges held over 130lbs and four of them held that maximum weight available of 162.5lbs!

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Since moving to Bismarck I have been involved the Bismarck-Mandan Dance Group and UMary Social Dance Club, offering lessons in various dance styles. While offering dance workshops to the UMary Social Since several of the bridges held all the weight Dance Club, Joseph Cunningham (engineerwe had available for testing, some students ing student) jokingly asked if it could be done wanted to see if it could hold more so they for credit. Now I am teaching DRM 125 started testing some people! (soon to be DRM 130) Introduction to Social Dance. The class introduces Swing styles (West Coast, East Coast, Lindy Hop), Latin styles (Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha), and Country It starts with a drone. We went over CAD in Ballroom (Waltz, Country Two-step, Foxtrot). ENR 101 and I was intrigued by the things I could do with it. I made a handful of files and wanted to see them come to life. A buddy offered to buy me a 3d printer in exchange for some work. I went through a roll of filament just getting used to the thing. EvenS AFETY DOESN ’ T TAKE A HOLIDAY ! tually when I got good with it, I printed out

By RICHARD GARMAN one of my CAD files containing a drone I had designed over Thanksgiving. It turned out alright and I wanted to see it come to life. I researched online all the components I’d need to This semester we organized eight hours of get it up and flying and ordered them through OSHA Training on President’s Day for our amazon.com. After everything arrived it took DANCING E NGINEERS Construction Management students in their about 4-5 hours and a steady hand to solder

By ANTHONY GARCIA CMT 430 Construction Safety course. The all the small components together. I didn’t course is about construction safety and so I order a battery because they can get spendy, I started seriously Social Dancing back in decided it would be worthwhile to add an but rather, I found one that provided about 82015, invited by friends to a Salsa night at Vir- OSHA training session to the course so that 9 volts and would be able to power this thing ginia Tech. Prior to that I had briefly exper- the students would not only get the course for a few minutes in the air. It took some trial imented with break dancing back in my un- credit but also an OSHA certification as well. and error to get everything running in sync, dergrad at California State University, Long and the teachers in the engineering departBeach, and ‘Le Rock’ (similar to country ment were a huge help (Rodrigo specifically). swing) at Georgia Tech Lorraine (their France campus).

The OSHA training is done during regular office hours and so, given the already full course schedules of our engineering students, We were forced have to do some maneuvering to find days that we can accomplish this over a semester.

After that first Salsa event I started attending weekly lessons, and quickly trained to a level where I was part of the performance team and teaching beginner classes. Over the next years I became performance team captain and taught beginner to advanced classes in Salsa and Bachata.

Soon after starting Salsa, I was exposed to East Coast Swing, occasionally attending dances and lessons. A couple years D RONE M ETHANE D ETECTORS later in 2017, a friend invited me to a West

By GARRETT WALSH Coast Swing lesson at a local ballroom dance studio, where I discovered a new passion.

Soon I was intensively taking private lessons, teaching WCS lessons, attending nationwide This article was written by Freshman WCS dance events, and entering competi- Electrical Engineering student Garrett Walsh tions. Most recently I have learned country about some side projects in electronics he has ballroom dance styles as I hope to continue to been working on over the year grow as a social dancer.

During some down time I ended up developing and printing a much larger drone. I wanted to push myself to see what I could really do with these builds and what I could incorporate into them. I found a practical use for methane detectors and decided I wanted to build a drone with one inside of it. I did some research and it turns out there is a gas sensor that is compatible with the Arduino, and could be read off an LCD (liquid crystal display). I found the two components on Amazon and ordered them. once they arrived started to plug and play with the Arduino.

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Engineering Quarterly SPRING 2022 Levi contacted us afterward saying, “it was great seeing you and speaking with the class today, I hope they were able to relate to us a little bit and we were able to provide some insight on some of the things they can expect in their near futures. I have also attached a picture of Caleb speaking, maybe Terry wants to throw it in his Engineering Quarterly or something.”

I NSPIRATION F ROM THE S ISTERS

By DEACON DAMIAN OWEIS

I figured out a way to get the LCD to light up but I was not getting any readings and my code was not perfect. I met up with a buddy (Matthew Bowes) to spend some time in the engineering building work-shopping this project. He wrote a completely separate code from mine and we were able to take readings from the device, we brought it to the men’s bathroom to test it, and sure enough, we were able to detect small traces of methane in the bathroom. I’m currently working out some bugs in the code and printing out a housing to hold the device, I fully intend to incorporate it into my next drone. It is bound to have its fair share of hurdles to jump over but the great part about being an engineer is finding creative solutions to overcome these problems. I honestly would not have been able to do any of this without my education and the efforts of my teachers and peers.

A LUMNI E NGINEERS S PEAK TO OUR G RADUATING C LASS

By WES DICKHUT

Levi Clagett and Caleb Weisgarber, two of our Alumni who are Graduate Engineers with Apex Engineering Group, spoke to the students in our Contracts and Specifications class and gave very good presentations on being graduate engineers. They talked in general detail about their daily duties, and gave specific examples of projects that they were responsible for. We are so proud of them and the role that they are filling, and appreciate Apex for showing so much support for the program.

They were extremely prepared, comfortable in front of the group, and made the talk interesting.

Sister Agatha visited us in the engineering faculty office on Friday, Feb 4, 2022 for the first of a series of Fridays that we have planned. Sister Agatha and Sister Janet are welcomed as our liasons with the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery and our plan is to have Friday discussion sessions on the Rule of St. Benedict.

The Benedictine sisters came to Bismarck, then Dakota Territory, in 1878 and, in 1885, the sisters founded St. Alexius Hospital, adding a College of Nursing in 1915. In 1944, the sisters formed the Convent of the Annunciation, independent of the motherhouse in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The convent was renamed Annunciation Priory in 1947. In 1947, the sisters who started Mary College (now the University of Mary) were established as an independent monastery, Annunciation Monastery. The original Mary College was built to serve western North Dakota by providing nurses and health care professionals which were needed in the west.

We in the Hamm School of Engineering feel a close affinity to the sisters in the sense that our school was founded for very similar reasons. We built the engineering school to serve the need for engineers in western North Dakota.

The prayerful presence of the Sisters on our campus strengthens us and instills in us the Benedictine values by which they live.

Several Sisters have served on the faculty and staff of the university and the Annunciation Monastery is a short walk from the campus buildings. The prioress of the monastic community served as a Chemistry professor, she and a number of the Sisters serve on our Board of Trustees, participating in the governance of the university.

The Rule of Saint Benedict has been the foundation for Benedictines’ lives for 15 centuries, and thus St. Benedict is sometimes regarded as the founder of Western monasticism. St. Benedict’s Rule was written as a guide for individual and autonomous communities and is a guide for cultivating tightly bonded communities and contemplative lifestyles. The rule contains numerous insights on how people can live together in fairness and harmony and is therefore useful for anyone to read – not just Benedictine monastics.

Our engineering faculty enjoy an open office environment where all of us share a single room rather than separate individual offices. We love this arrangement for the close relationships that it promotes among faculty and the ease with which issues are discussed

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and solved. However, living in a close environment can cause conflicts periodically if the members of the community were not united by the same spirit and work for the same goal.

Having the Rule of St. Benedict as our solid foundation for our community makes it the ideal source of inspiration, strengthens our relationship together, and helps us all come together as one. Having different ideas in fact enrich our community rather than create conflict since we listen carefully to each other as we all serve the same purpose.

Having the sisters guiding us through the Rule is a blessing to us and will doubtless aid our understanding the Rule and our implementing the insights found there.

2022 S PRING C AREER AND I NTERNSHIP FAIR

Every spring the University of Mary hosts a career and internship fair where companies come to campus and talk to our students about opportunities with their firms. Our students arrive with resumés and prepared to interview with each potential employer. This year we had the following engineering related companies speak to our students.

Description: Apex Engineering Group provides consulting services in drinking water, wastewater, water resources, transportation, municipal, and electrical engineering, and land surveying to the region. Our staff has a passion for providing engineering solutions and believes it’s only the best solution if it’s also the best experience. Great experiences happen by being true to our core values – listening, trusting, and working together – beliefs that help make life easier for our clients, the community, and our employees.

Description: Basin Electric’s core business is generating and transmitting wholesale bulk electric power to customers, primarily to our member rural electric systems. Our largest subsidiary, Dakota Gasification Company, owns and operates the Great Plains Synfuels Plant near Beulah, ND, which gasifies lignite coal and captures some of the carbon dioxide emissions and sends them to depleted Canadian oil fields for geologic sequestration.

Description: Braun Intertec is a 100% employee-owned award-winning consulting firm offering geotechnical, environmental, and testing solutions in the private and public sectors. Founded in 1957, the firm now has over 30 offices located across states in the Midwest and Texas and has consistently

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Engineering Quarterly SPRING 2022

been recognized as a Top Workplace by Star Tribune and a Best Places to Work by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Description: Corval Group, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a fully integrated construction, fabrication and business solutions company with over 100 years of experience.

Corval is building a presence in the Fargo, North Dakota market and looking to expand with new talent. Building confidence in our client relationships through the talent of our employees has led Corval to be a leader in the construction industry.

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serve their communities.

Description: Knife River is a people-first construction company, focused on building strong teams, building strong communities and Building a Strong America. We have 5,600 team members, who work hard every day to make us the leader in safety and one of the Top 10 aggregate producers in the country.

Description: Originally called the State Highway Department, the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) was established in 1917. The NDDOT strives to build and maintain as efficient transportation system. It oversees the development of surface transportation including highways, bridges, rail, transit, pedestrian and bicycle paths across the state.

Description: MDU Resources is Building a Strong America. A strong infrastructure is the heart of our economy. It is the natural gas and electricity that power business, industry, and our daily lives. It is the pipes and wires that connect our homes, factories, offices, and stores to bring them to life. It is the transportation network of roads, highways and airports Description: More than 60 years ago, our Description: Civil Engineering, Architecture that keeps our economy moving. founders rocked the equipment industry by in& Building Design, Bridge Design & Inspecventing the first compact machine and transtions, Airports, Construction Services, Surforming the way the world works. Since then, vey. we’ve never stopped breaking the rules and reimagining what could be. While others follow our lead, our teams are focused on what’s next, busy creating the vision and the tools of Description: Moore Engineering is a 100% tomorrow. Powerful, efficient products. Intel- employee-owned Civil Engineering and Land ligent, connected technologies.

Surveying firm with locations throughout Description: We’re designers, engineers, sciNorth Dakota and Minnesota. entists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. With our global network of opportunities and local focus, we have both the breadth and dedication to positively shape the communities around use, while bolstering the people in our comDescription: HDR partners with clients to munity. shape communities and push the boundaries Description: Mountain Plains, LLC was of what’s possible. From our seven offounded in 2009, since then, our team has fices across South Dakota, North Dakota, and grown to over 40 professional members. We Wyoming, we provide engineering, environstrive to provide our clients with unsurpassed mental, right-of-way and construction serproject management utilizing our extensive vices to communities, creating a foundation range of services. Our projects are executed for progress. for clients such as electrical cooperatives, Description: Steffes is a lean-operating pipeline companies, municipalities, govern- original equipment manufacturer headquarment agencies, land developers, and private tered in Dickinson, North Dakota with additional manufacturing facilities in Grand landowners.

Forks, North Dakota. We specialize in steel fabrication and electrical services for a variety of diverse industries, including oil and gas, contract manufacturing and electric therDescription: Killdeer Mountain Manufacturmal storage. ing, is a company committed to excelling in realms of our operations as well as commit- Description: Are you ready to love your ment to community, country, and family. A job and the place you work? For over 50 cornerstone principle for our company is re- years, National Information Solutions CoopContact Information sponsiveness to customers. This responsive- erative (NISC) has worked to develop technolness has opened many doors for KMM on ogy solutions for our more than 840 Members Email: Engineering@umary.edu world-class platforms in support of our mil- (mainly utility and telecommunication coopNext issue: August, 2022 itary and commercial aerospace. eratives) to help them operate efficiently and