Each week, the College of Engineering features an outstanding member of the engineering community to be part of our spotlight campaign. This week, we are highlighting mechanical engineering sophomore and LOOP scholarship recipient Andrew Dillon.
Hometown: Napa, California
What made you choose engineering?
I love learning about how the world around me works and enjoy finding creative ways to solve problems.
What was your earliest engineering project?
My first exposure to engineering was in my sophomore year of high school, when I took an introduction to engineering class. I worked on a variety of hands-on projects, including building VEX robots, participating in Arduino projects and constructing a popsicle stick bridge.
What are your hobbies?
I love spending time outside. Some of my hobbies include hiking and photography. I also enjoy playing water polo and powerlifting.
What has been your favorite class and why?
My favorite class so far is Dynamics. I really enjoyed learning how physical interactions can be explained by equations.
Describe an engineering project you’re currently working on or recently finished projects. Include any co-contributors, mentors, timelines and goals, as well as the proposed impact.
An engineering project that I completed this summer was a storage drawer for the back of my car. After removing all of the stock trunk panels, I designed and built a wooden frame that contours to the car. The drawer is approximately 3 feet by 3 feet and was designed to store camping gear. The timeline was about a month, including three full weekends of manufacturing.
What’s your dream job after graduation?
I’m still trying to figure out exactly where I want to take my career, but I currently see myself as a design engineer in the renewable energy industry. I want to contribute to making our world a better place, and designing renewable energy systems would give me a way to do so.
What is your favorite place in San Luis Obispo County and why?
My favorite place in the county is Montaña de Oro State Park. It’s a really beautiful area, and I find it even cooler now that I took a geology course and learned how unique the landscape is because of the marine terraces.
Do you have a scholarship?
I am the Class of 2028 recipient of the Loyal Order of Propellerheads scholarship, which is funded by a generous group of Cal Poly alumni. I am very grateful for everyone involved in the LOOP program. They provide not only financial assistance but also professional guidance.
Are you part of any extracurriculars on or off campus?
On campus, I am involved with Cal Poly Wind Power as one of the outreach leads. The club designs and manufactures a scale model wind turbine prototype for the national Collegiate Wind Competition.
In addition, I will be a rookie shop tech in the student machine shops this fall.
If you have taken part in an internship recently, would you mind sharing your experience?
This summer, I interned with Nova Group, an engineering and construction company in my hometown. Nova primarily focuses on fuel distribution systems for Air Force bases, and because of the niche nature of these projects, it has been awarded contracts across the globe. As a part of my internship, I spent time on job sites in Japan and Tinian, an island near Guam. This internship was a great introduction to an industry work environment, and I learned a lot about the scale of work that goes into large infrastructure projects.
Why did you choose to attend Cal Poly, and what was the path that brought you here?
I chose Cal Poly because of the Learn by Doing ethos. As someone who learns best in a hands-on environment, I wanted to be at a university that supported this learning style.
By Taylor Villanueva
