MIE’s Ruthie Nelson Receives Student of the Year by ASEE, Co-op and Experiential Division
Ruthie Nelson, E’21, mechanical engineering, was recognized as one of several Students of the Year by the American Society of Engineering Education, Cooperative and Experiential Education Division, which honors not only her strengths as an engineer, but her attitude and willingness as a student learning from her different co-ops.
Growing up, Ruthie Nelson, E’21, mechanical engineering, enjoyed working with her dad to fix the Chevy trucks owned by her family. That, along with her interest in STEM, led her to decide on an engineering major. “It’s physics-based, so it would give a good basis for lots of things,” Nelson says. “It’s also very tangible. Most things are things you can see and touch or design.”
But Nelson didn’t want to pursue an engineering degree at just any university. She believed Northeastern’s co-op opportunities would give her an edge. “I knew that I would be challenged because the expectations would be higher than if I were to attend a more traditional school.”
Nelson took full advantage of the experiential learning opportunities, completing three co-ops over four and a half years. Her first, at a power plant called Xcel Energy in her home state of Minnesota, gave her a good engineering foundation, and taught her about process optimization. “I got to be incredibly hands on,” she says. “I got to see it all happen in one place.”
Nelson had a different experience working for GE Aviation in Lynn, Massachusetts, as part of the military technologies group. There, she gained experience in different types of engineering. “I got to work more on the product side of things,” she says. “I even learned about the basics of jet engine design.”
But Nelson credits her third co-op with giving her the strengths and abilities that helped her most with her post-graduate plans. During her time at SparkCharge, a small start-up in Somerville, Massachusetts, Nelson helped to make portable chargers for electric vehicles. “The team there wanted me to learn but also contribute,” she says. SparkCharge taught Nelson a lot about energy transportation, and even gave her the opportunity to learn how to code.
Ultimately, it was SparkCharge that gave Nelson the confidence to apply for her current full-time job at Tesla as a Test Equipment Engineer. “I wouldn’t have even thought I could apply to Tesla, without that co-op,” she says. “I learned how to design parts and organize, but also I built confidence and learned that I can just trust myself and trust my instincts.”
Nelson’s success in the engineering program and her various co-ops has also led her to be recognized as one of several Students of the Year by the American Society of Engineering Education. Nelson will receive the award during a ceremony at ASEE’s Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration on February 10, 2022, in Tempe, Arizona. The accolade, part of the Cooperative and Experiential Education Division, honors not only her strengths as an engineer, but her attitude and willingness as a student learning from her different co-ops.
Besides her meaningful co-ops and academic successes, Nelson will also remember her time at Northeastern fondly based on the friends she made and people who supported her in reaching her goals. “The big thing is that I was able to make a community for myself,” she says. “I would encourage other students to find advisors who will support and vouch for you.”