Creating a Sustainable Future Through Engineering Management
Paul van Trotsenburg, E’22, Mechanical Engineering, MS’23, Engineering Management, plans to fully utilize his two degrees by working to create sustainable energy solutions and help address the climate crisis.
Paul Van Trotsenburg is a PlusOne student who graduated from his MS in Engineering Management degree program in May 2023. Prior to this, Paul completed his undergraduate degree in Spring of 2022 with his BS in Mechanical Engineering along with a minor in Mathematics.
Paul’s Grandfather was an engineer, and Paul was always intrigued by his tools and projects. He loved to watch him work, and as all curious children do, he decided to explore what he saw. “Growing up, I was always drawn to breaking things – not building them” stated Paul, who also shared that his pockets were always filled with screws from truly any object – even the kitchen table. He gravitated towards the sciences, and mechanical engineering was a great way to pursue this passion while feeding his curiosity.
Paul during his travels abroad as part of N.U.in Dublin
His experience at Northeastern has been notably well-rounded, as throughout his five years of enrollment Paul has been heavily involved from NU.In Dublin to extracurriculars, and his deep engagement within the Galante Program. On campus, Paul was very involved in CASE, the Consulting and Advisory Student Experience group. Within this club, he learned how to case interview and was immediately drawn to it. The following semester, he served as the Co-Director of the Case Institute, where he taught others how to case interview with his newfound passion. He then stepped up as the President of CASE, where he not only gained experience in leading a club, but leading a team with real world consequences. “When you are the President, you are the steward – it’s up to you to leave it better than you found it.”
Paul volunteering with his Galante Fellow peers at St. Francis House
Paul was also very heavily involved with the Galante program. He initially joined in the spring of 2021, and became one of the most senior members within the program by the time he graduated. Paul was drawn to the Galante Program as he always wanted to integrate economics into his career, and this program has since set him on a path to go even deeper into the technical business of scaling and improving in the future. Paul began his time in Galante as a mentee of Jack Gaba – a recent Galante alum – whom he helped moderate events with. By spring semester 2022, he was moderating his own CASE x Galante workshopping event. Paul also not only helped grow and improve the program by suggesting ideas, but also went on to win the Kapreilian Grant Competition, a prestigious award based on professional presentations. He, alongside his mentor, Jack, presented a business case for a transition to electric vehicles from a business standpoint. In his second and final year as an active Galante Fellow, Paul transitioned onto the student advisory board. He noticed the potential to improve the way that students engage with the program as a whole, and he set out to help his peers get the most out of their time. He worked as part of a team to switch the primary communication platform, as well as reassess the Galante organizational structure. He wanted to see how different student roles complement one another and build an intuitive structure to improve internal engagement. In addition to his role on the Student Advisory Board, Paul worked with the Galante Program as part of an independent study to focus on the administration of the program. In this role, he restructured the mission statement, worked to expand and outline acceptable plans of study, worked on marketing and outreach to eligible students, and researched resources to help keep Galante fellows competitive in the professional world. Throughout all of Paul’s experiences in this program, his favorite aspect was meeting and getting to know people on the same path, and who share the same drive and motivation for this industry.
Galante Program Director Mohammad Dehghani (left) and Associate Dean of Graduate Education Sagar Kamarthi (right) present Paul the Outstanding Contributor Award at the 2023 Galante Award Ceremony
In addition to his campus involvement, Paul completed two co-ops. His first was at Johnson & Johnson in the DePuy Synthes medical technology group as the Manufacturing Engineering Co-op. In this role, he developed excel models and dashboards, integrating both finance and technical components. His second co-op was at Bose, where he acted as the New Product Introduction & Strategy Co-op. In this role, he worked on new product introduction and supply chain organization to maximize cost savings.
After graduation, Paul would like to work on the engineering of renewable energy, carbon capture, or recycling with a focus on climate change. Eventually, Paul wants to pivot fully towards engineering business, and ultimately obtain an MBA, for which he has already taken steps by using his Galante professional training grant to attend an energy sustainability conference, as well as to gather GMAT prep material that he will eventually use to apply for MBA programs.
Paul is most looking forward to going into climate and sustainability, something he is extremely passionate about – “nothing else resonates with me as much as addressing the current climate crisis. Many people don’t have the privilege of working on something that they care so deeply for.” With such drive, determination, and passion both within and beyond the Galante Program, Paul has truly forged a path towards success in engineering business.
By Amanda Kovasala
Original Article Source: Galante Engineering Business Program