Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Presidential Scholars

Tyler Johnson not only wants a career as a mechanical engineer, but he also wants to share his love of design as an educator in the future.

Currently, Johnson is an engineering intern at FEMA Corporation and plans to work there as a full-time engineer after graduation. He plans to also pursue a master’s degree in the future.

“I hope to use my engineering skills to design new valves at FEMA,” says Johnson. “It’s such a good feeling to design something based on engineering principles and then be able to make it in the real world.”

Johnson is most excited about working with complex principles to make real-world products and explain real-world concepts. “There is something about a well-thought-out design that makes me so proud of my work.”

He also can’t wait to share his passion for mechanical engineering and design with future engineers.

“Instructors make such a difference in course enjoyment, and I want to be the teacher that everyone loves,” says Johnson. “Once I get my master’s degree, I’d like to lead a high school or college course and teach students that superpower.”

But college wasn’t all studying and working for Johnson, who loves that WMU gave him the opportunity to experience so much outside his chosen field. One of his favorite memories was attending an avant-garde jazz concert.

“In a spur-of-the-moment decision, my roommate and I decided to go to an avant-garde jazz concert on campus. We were met with some of the most bizarre music I’d ever heard. It was really fun, and I set some of the music as my alarm tone,” says. Johnson. “WMU is full of interesting experiences, and I’m really glad to have branched out and tried new things.”

Austin Owen is pursuing his career in the energy industry, specifically with utilities such as natural gas and electricity production. He accepted a full-time position with Consumers Energy in the natural gas branch in a 2-year engineering rotation program.

“I am most excited about the energy industry because of the technological advancements which are upcoming as our world transitions to cleaner sources of energy production and utilization. There are many new ways to introduce automation, computer-controls, and data monitoring systems to improve the performance of these resources. Finally, I am excited to have the opportunity to be involved with projects that keep the lights on and houses warm for many Michiganders.”

Owen's most memorable experience at WMU: “My most memorable experiences during my time at WMU have been the number of opportunities I have been fortunate to have. From being a mentor and student coordinator for the Lee Honors College Peer Student Success Team to being a Lawson Lunatic and attending almost every home hockey game to having multiple summer engineering internships with some of Michigan’s largest companies, and being involved on a research project with the Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation lab for my senior design project. I am proud to be a WMU Bronco and am so thankful for the support from faculty, staff, and fellow students over the last four years.”

Hannah Sargent is from Lewis Center, Ohio, and graduated from Olentangy Orange High School. At WMU, she is majoring in aerospace engineering, is a member of the Lee Honors College, and expects to graduate in May 2021. Hannah is also currently enrolled in the accelerated masters degree program for aerospace engineering. She is working on her honors thesis "Design of a Full-Scale Plant for Plastic Pyrolysis" and will defend it in spring 2021. Following graduation, she would like to secure a position at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Hannah is currently working in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. She is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honors Society and volunteers with Bethany Christina Services, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, and the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. Along with academic interests, she is an active student-athlete as a member of the Columbus Eagles, a semi-pro women's soccer team in central Ohio and the WMU Women' Varsity Soccer Team. During the 2018 season, she earned honors including the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team, College Sports Information Directors of American First-Team Academic All-District, Academic All-MAC Team, and MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. Additionally, Hannah is one of two representatives on the WMU Diversity Task Force where teams work to bring awareness to social justice issues.