My name is Mark Moellers, and I am a mechanical engineering student completing my junior year. This year was very different than my previous two years due to the Covid-19 health crisis. I discovered it is very difficult to learn material in a virtual setting and I miss studying with my classmates. I also missed going to basketball games and working in the University of Arkansas mini BAJA shop, and look forward to returning to campus once it is safe to do so. My favorite thing to do on campus is going to sporting events, and I really enjoyed watching the basketball games. Coach Musselman and the Hogs had a great season going, and I think they would have done well in the NCAA tournament despite injuries in the second half of the season. My favorite part of being a University of Arkansas student is the resources available for my engineering classes. Having access to a full machine shop, 3D printers, and metalworking shop allows me to learn my coursework by interacting directly with machines I have helped design. This allows me to learn more about design for manufacturing, machine process, and part lifetime.
This year I built upon my previous courses, studying Fluid Dynamics, Heat Transfer, Vibrations, and Additive Manufacturing, to name a few. My favorite class this year was Heat Transfer. The professor made the class very engaging, helping our class learn the material by applying it to real-world situations such as insulation of a house or heating a metal sample in a manufacturing environment. I also enjoyed my Additive Manufacturing class where my team developed a 3D printer capable of 5-axis printing. Five-axis printing is currently a new technology, and the machine I helped developed is a low-cost, easily obtainable model that can be added to most existing printers. With my professor’s help, I plan to release the designs to the open-source community to try to stimulate development of 5-axis printing.
This summer I will be returning to work for Caterpillar but will be working virtually in Fayetteville due to the current health crisis. I will be working in the research and development team for the engine installation for medium dozers. This internship will allow me to continue developing my engineering skills and build upon my relationship with Caterpillar. After graduation, I hope to work for Caterpillar in the research and development team or test and validation.
The Alumni Association Scholarship allows me to attend the University of Arkansas without taking out student loans to finance my education. This scholarship enables me to earn higher grades because I have more time to study rather than working a job to pay for classes. I also have time to get involved in campus activities and organizations. Finally, this scholarship keeps me involved in my community through volunteering to earn connection points. Thank you for investing in my future with this scholarship, and I look forward to another year at the University of Arkansas.
Mark is a Mechanical Engineering major and Honors College student from Little Rock, Arkansas.
