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	Katie Kirsch
	2011
	Mechanical Engineering
	Penn State University Mechanical Engineering
	Graduate Student

What do you do in your current position? I work in Penn State's Experimental and Computational Convection Laboratory, which researches how to cool components in a gas turbine engine's hot section. Specifically, I work on cooling technologies on the inside of a gas turbine blade.

How has your PSU engineering education/experiences helped to get you where you are today? A Penn State engineering education is practical, well-rounded and offers an immense amount of variety through classes, extra-curriculars and research. I became involved in a number of engineering organizations as an undergraduate, which helped me develop my teamwork and leadership skills. Additionally, I worked four summer internships, which helped put my coursework into a practical perspective. I was also fortunate enough to participate in undergraduate research. These diverse experiences, and the people involved in each of them, helped me to get where I am today.

How has your experience as an EA impacted your professional life so far? As an EA, I have learned the importance in communicating confidently and clearly. My graduate project, which is corporate-sponsored, requires me to give regular updates on my project and present any new ideas I have thoroughly and logically. At each of my internships, I was required to give a final presentation on my progress through the summer. After being an EA, I found that those presentations became easier to develop, my analysis of my audience was more accurate and I was able to sift through my project details to find the most appropriate and relevant presentation content.