Jacob Gubbrud is a 2018 graduate of ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ and was the commencement speaker at the ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ engineering graduation. Jacob chose ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ for two reasons: the honors college professors and the quality of the electrical engineering program. The personal relationships with professors and the labs in Daktronics Engineering Hall gave ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ students a leg up, in Jacob’s eyes. His favorite times at ³ÉÈËÊÓƵ were accomplished in the last semester of his senior year. Presenting research and winning the engineering expo were among Jacob’s top moments in his last semester.
Currently, Jacob is a power system engineer for Burns and McDonnell, the engineering consulting firm where Jacob’s group works mainly on energy generation. Jacob’s group is currently working on natural gas projects, and they also do studies on the quality of energy generation techniques. With the new policy changes and government regulations, he looks forward to the opportunity to shape the field. He is excited by the nation’s move from nonrenewable energy to renewable energy and the changing working environment.
Jacob’s advice to college students in the electrical engineering program is to get involved and work hard. In the field, students need good communication skills and must be able to work in a group setting. Getting involved helps build these skills, according to Jacob. He encourages students to work hard and success will come.