Mechanical Engineering MSE

After serving on an operational Coast Guard Cutter, I rededicated myself to pursuing my technical education and accepted a position in the USCG Marine Engineering Post Graduate Program, where I attended the University of Michigan and earned dual Master of Science degrees in Naval Architecture and Mechanical Engineering in 2012. From there, I served at the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center (MSC) in Arlington, VA on the Coast Guard’s elite Salvage Engineering Response Team, a group of highly trained naval architects who stand ready 24-hours a day to support Coast Guard field commanders responding to emergent vessel casualty situations following groundings, collisions, and similar casualties. I combined my strengths and passion to pursue technology when I chose to begin my civilian career at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) in 2015. During my first year at JHU/APL, I developed an autonomous unmanned surface platform with a revolutionary underwater localization technology to support our submarine force. With a diverse background in applying knowledge to develop live ocean systems and maritime solutions, I earned a promotion to Section Supervisor at the Lab, and I am one of the Lab’s subject matter experts in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

My degree enabled me to contribute higher on a technical level having received exposure to various technical concepts covered Michigan’s program. Understanding non-linear behavior in fundamental processes, tackling problems in design optimization, and working in teams during group projects all contributed to my ability to take vague and not very well defined problems and develop novel solutions or insights when collaborating with others.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I am a big fan of FIRST Robotics competitions and mentoring youth. I am not interested in solving easy problems, as I believe we can always push ourselves to reach our true potential. My advice to students would be to tackle your coursework and projects with an open mind because there is usually a piece of an assignment or experience that you can leverage in the future for your career.

After earning my Master’s in mechanical engineering, I joined the Ford College Graduate program.  I rotated through several different departments for 2 years, then started a position as an Advanced Safety Engineer and started pursuing an MBA through the evening program at U-M.  After 3 years, I joined Chrysler as a Supplier Quality Engineer.  I worked at Chrysler for 12 years in Supplier Quality, Engineering, and Purchasing, rising to the level of Sr. Manager responsible for Powertrain Procurement.  During the Chrysler bankruptcy, I took a buy-out offer and stayed home with my kids for 2 years.  Then I did part-time operations consulting with BBK for 2 years, then joined Akebono Brake Corporation as Purchasing Director.  After 3 years at Akebono, I joined Johnson Electric North America as Head of Supply Chain Services.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

It’s very rare for candidates to have 2 masters degrees, so this helps me rise above other candidates for consideration.  That gets me the interview, then success depends on my work experiences and communication skills.

Advice to Students

Hard work and good grades will get your foot in the door, but promotional opportunities will depend on your ability to create positive working relationships.  It’s very important to have a good attitude at work and be enthusiastic about new opportunities.  Offer to help without expecting a promotion, and people will remember you in the future and will want you on their team.

I came to Michigan to pursue my Masters in Systems Engineering, since I was interested to learn more about designing complex products. However, Michigan’s quality of education and resources made available to students overwhelmed me to the extent that I had to pursue a dual degree in Mechanical engineering to make the best out of this opportunity. I got myself involved in various course related and hobby projects in addition to entrepreneurial activities. The courses and resources I had access to, across various schools at Michigan (Ross, CoE, Rackham, Stamps), helped me develop a broader understanding of product design and problem solving. Towards the end of my graduation, I had acquired a unique set of experiences and skills, which helped me land a job from Google.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Besides the technical knowledge, I was also able to acquire a lot of soft skills by pursuing a variety of courses. This helped me acquire an end-to-end perspective of problem solving, and helped me stand out in situations where soft skills had a more important role to play.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

My advice to students would be to make the best out of Michigan by getting involved in orgs/clubs or other activities where you are able to test and grow your passion while acquiring real-world experience. Healthy hustle through your college time will set you up for the future!

After completing their MSE, Atmaram went to become a Research Associate at Hitachi America, Ltd., where they worked in an Automotive R&D lab to develop mathematical models and algorithms for a mass air flow sensor.  They then moved on to work as an Associate Software Engineer at Bosch, where they primarily worked on developing and launching Tire Pressure Monitoring System, as well as working as a technical liaison to suppliers and customers.  Atmaram then transferred to General Motors, where they have had several prominent roles working in various research positions, notably in power transfer and testing of new and improved technologies.

Favorite Classes

ENGR 600- Engineering Practicum Projects (Very practical and useful), ME 458- Automotive Engineering, MATH 417- Linear Algebra

After finishing my masters at the University of Michigan, I worked at U-M for a year as a Research Assistant, where I switch from robotics to biomedical devices. After that, I continued to pursue my passion in Robotics at the University of Notre Dame.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Being a thesis based master’s student, pursuing and earning my masters allowed me to have extensive research experience and expertise in both robotics and research in general, which helped me stand out in research job applications as well as PhD position seeking.

Advice to Students

I enjoyed activities organized by ME department as well as CoE. My advice: time flies very fast during your masters, it is always worthwhile to follow your heart, try out different disciplines, and find out where your passion lies, while being excited, energized, and happy along the way. Enjoy the ride! It is going to be hard, but don’t forget to have fun!

For many years, three of my main interests have been engineering, user interface design, and cars.  As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to complete several academic research projects in the field of machine design.  After graduation, I began my career at Ford Motor Company as a User Experience (UX) Vehicle Harmony Engineer, a position which aligned with all three of my interests.  In this role, I conducted usability studies, wrote engineering requirements, and performed design verification for switches, chimes, and interior illumination in preproduction vehicles.  After a couple years, I decided to direct my career toward interaction design to broaden my skill set as a UX professional.  To that end, I spent about two and half years at Ford learning design techniques, such as writing user stories, creating wireframes, building interaction flows, and developing software prototypes.  I especially enjoyed the critical thinking and creativity associated with design work, and so I set out to obtain a full time position in this area.  In July 2019, I joined Rivian Automotive, where I currently work as a UX designer.

While I am no longer in an engineering role, my education at the University of Michigan College of Engineering continues to serve me well in a couple key ways.  First, it enables me to design with an eye towards technical feasibility.  I have a good sense of what the software engineers can build, I generally know what the questions are that I need to ask them, and I understand their technical responses.  Second, and more importantly, my education and experience at the University of Michigan gives me the confidence to pursue my career goals, even when they feel daunting!  As a student, I learned from my coursework and research projects how to bounce back from a bad grade or a failed experiment, to adjust my approach, and to ultimately achieve a successful outcome.  Over the past couple years, this resiliency has enabled me to weather several rejections and ultimately achieve my goal of becoming a designer.”

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Above all else, the resiliency I developed during my masters degree has helped me stand out.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

Likes: Rigorous classes, challenging research projects.

Dislikes: One professor who didn’t post solutions to problem sets 

Advice to Students

Try to do at least one internship during your time as a masters student.  Your industry experience and connections will be especially valuable when you are trying to figure out what sort of job you want after graduation and will help you obtain that job.”

Manufacturing Engineer, Product Engineer, Plant Manager, Chief Manufacturing Engineer, Chief Product Engineer, Engineering Director at General Motors/Delphi, Global Product Development Process Improvement at Nestlé headquarters Vevey, Switzerland,  VP Global Operations Excellence at Nexans headquarters Paris, France. 

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Graduating from a top program always helps, but the knowledge and confidence are what really make a difference.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I enjoyed Michigan Rugby for lifelong camaraderie, friendships, and connections.  I also enjoy coaching and mentoring the next line of leaders as well as teaching an occasional class at the masters level.  However, my most rewarding experience was learning new languages, meeting people from very diverse cultures and creating a worldwide network of friends.

I started as CAE engineer in small consulting company, where I learned about setting independent daily objectives, taking ownership of a project, and writing comprehensive reports.  Next, I worked as application engineer in an additive manufacturing software sales office and learned about process improvement and customer facing interaction, as well as prioritization.  I had a brief stint at Ford, which was not a good experience, but ended at Yazaki, an automotive supplier, where I get to leverage a lot of the technical skills and tools to create new designs and give customers confidence.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

I think a lot of people who graduate with a bachelor’s need a fair amount of hand-holding to accomplish typical engineering tasks, or have trouble creating a new template to solve a problem.  A master’s degree gives a potential employer more confidence that the individual has an innate interest in diving into difficult problems and working through them in an original way if needed.

Advice to Students

Often the work environment and management attitude can have a bigger impact on job satisfaction than the actual work you may be doing (though of course both are important).  If you are unhappy in your current situation, it’s worth it to evaluate whether it is the tasks or the people/environment that are making you feel that way.  Finally, in any new role, it takes some time to become competent and to feel competent, and confidence tends to come naturally after that.

I enjoyed interning and co-oping at several automotive companies while at the University of Michigan. The networking opportunities thought the U of M engineering program are vast and powerful and helped me secure internships at Ford, BMW Manufacturing (Spartanburg, South Carolina), BMW M (Munich, Germany), Tesla Motors (Palo Alto, California), and ultimately my dream job in Ford Performance Vehicle Dynamics working on the Shelby Mustang GT350 and GT500. Though this experience I leveraged both my undergraduate ME degree and Master’s degree in ME to solve complex technical problems and drive solutions through implementation. However, most importantly, the teamwork skills acquired through extensive project courses and labs at U of M set me up to be a leader on every team I have been a part of. Leadership and teamwork skills have been the foundation to my success in my career and U of M helped me significantly in developing these skills.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

A Master’s degree is a sign of one’s commitment, expertise, and rigorous understanding of a particular field. In my case, it has lead to improved promotion opportunities at work and has also served as a foundation for deep technical skill which has helped me excel in projects. I particularly I enjoyed the SGUS program as it condensed my Master’s degree and further benefited from the opportunity to develop my teaching skills as a Graduate Student Instructor.

Reflection on Time Spent at U-M

I enjoyed all of the Thermodynamics courses, especially the 4xx and 5xx courses taught by Professor Bourgnakke. The ability to go deep on technical subjects was quite enjoyable while at school.

Advice to Students

In regards to earning a Master’s degree overall, be sure that you have thought through your motivations. It’s important to understand what the degree will help you achieve and ensure that this aligns with your career goals of technical specialization. A Master’s degree is a time and financial commitment which can benefit you in many ways, just be sure you understand your career trajectory and how you are looking to supplement your path.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, I returned to the Technical University of Munich to work there as a scientist for about 5 years. Afterwards, I have been working at the BMW Group, first as a trainee in a young professionals program, and later as a CE team leader for the development of fuel supply systems for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The job rotations during my trainee assignment and the high degree of responsibility and interdisciplinarity in my current position have helped me grow and learn important professional skills in a competitive and volatile environment.

How does your Master’s degree differentiate you from others?

Only few Germans have had the chance to complete an entire study program (including a Master’s degree) in the U.S., so I am very happy to have had this opportunity. Even in Germany, many people know about the good reputation of the University of Michigan, so I’m very proud to have been there for my graduate studies. Also, having spent a year in the U.S. has been a very unique and valuable personal experience for me.

Advice for Students

I would encourage other students to participate in campus life (events, student groups, volunteering positions etc.) as much as possible. I myself did not take advantage of these opportunities to the fullest extent, and that is the only thing I regret about my graduate studies. Also, make sure to join at least one football game by the Wolverines!