Our Total Commitment

Transcript

Did you know the Valpo is ranked nationally for its engineering program and offers six different engineering disciplines. 2000 graduate Luke, saw life come full circle when he went on to get his PhD and then become a professor at Valpo. So all the research that he began as a student, he’s now able to carry it on with his students. It’s been life-changing. Luke, go ahead and tell us more.

– Thanks for the chance to share my story, Alex. I knew that I wanted to become a professor at a school like Valpo after I finished my PhD, because I had such an incredible experience here as a student. So to actually be a professor is a dream come true. Why was I so excited to come back and join the faculty at Valpo? For the chance to replicate my own Valpo experience, conducting cutting edge solar energy research as an undergraduate student. As a student, I worked with one of my professors for over a year, researching ways to turn concentrated sunlight into fuels that we could use to drive our cars, even at night when the sun is not shining. Because of the mentorship of my professor, pursuing this research became one of my greatest passions. I feel blessed to be able to share this passion with talented Valpo students in the James S Markowitz Solar Energy Research Facility, home of one of five solar furnaces in the United States. And the only one located at a primarily undergraduate engineering college. One of the most rewarding parts of conducting research with undergraduate students is seeing how excited they get when they experience concentrated sunlight for the first time. I love knowing that this experience could be life-changing for them and set them on a new career path. The coolest thing about my story is that it is not unique. There are many other professors here at Valpo with stories just like mine. We all came back to be professors at Valpo because this is such an incredible place. Well, that’s my story, Alex. It’s all yours.

– How cool Luke, that there is such a collaborative spirit between the professors and students at Valpo. And also great to know that the community here left such an impression that you came back. Thanks again for that.