Department of Mechanical Engineering

Alumnus - Megan Mohrfeld

 

Megan Mohrfeld, BSME’04
Business Development Engineer, Burns & McDonnell
Kansas City, Missouri

What led you to major in ME?
When I was in 5th grade, I got involved helping my dad build parade floats from wrought iron. We’d start with a picture of something, make a 3D model, and then construct it. The floats kept getting more elaborate as we added motors and lights. We’ve built about 45 in all including an Eiffel Tower and a riverboat. It was really fun seeing these floats take form and that got me interested in design. I thought that’s what engineers did so I started taking a lot of math and science classes and going to engineering workshops. When I got to college, I found out a lot more about what engineers did and got interested in thermodynamics.

What was the process for you getting your job at Burns & McDonnell?
With my academic interest in thermodynamics, I knew I wanted to work in the energy field, and I wanted to make sure to find a company that fit me well. I interviewed at a lot of different places that do consulting work for power plants and build power plants so I could see what the different opportunities were and make an informed decision.

With Burns & McDonnell, I found a worldwide engineering and environmental consulting firm that has a great reputation and a position where I’m getting a comprehensive overview of the energy industry. As a business development engineer, I put together proposals for power plants. Proposals include performance expectations and cost estimates. I also do technology assessments to determine the feasibility of using different sources of power—such as biorenewables, solar, wind, coal, or gas—to determine the best choice in a particular plant.

What are some of the highlights of your education?
I started at Iowa State in the fall of 1999, and that was the first year for learning teams in mechanical engineering. My team was really compatible; we continued taking classes together even after our basic courses. My favorite memory is the ME 170 class. We worked with a man named Gene who was severely disabled and confined to a wheelchair. He loved to garden and wanted to be able to water plants both inside and outside. Our project was to design and build an apparatus to attach to his wheelchair so he could water plants. We spent a lot of time working on the design, figuring out how to control it and attach it to the wheelchair, and then finding the materials. This project really got me interested in how to apply engineering to help people. Freshman engineering is tough, and this class really got me motivated and excited about engineering.

What advice do you have to give to current or prospective engineering students?
I didn’t realize how much of the content of what I was learning in class I would use in my job. I recommend taking really good notes and organizing them so you have the information as reference material. Also, get to know your professors well; they are a great resource. I’ve called on Dr. Mark Bryden and Dr. Robert Brown with questions I’ve had on the job that related to their work.

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