The Texas A&M chapter of the Student Engineers’ Council (SEC) recently elected Nasan Tsengeg, an undergraduate student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, as its president for 2017-18.
The SEC holds massive events throughout the year and hosts the nation’s largest student-run career fair every semester. Each fair is two days long and is attended by almost 400 recruiters wanting to hire more than 10,000 Aggie engineering students. Tsengeg, a member of the class of 2018, joined the SEC during his sophomore year and was able to see firsthand how the SEC functions from the inside. Now that he has been elected president he has a strong vision for the upcoming year and wants to make sure Aggie engineering students and their concerns are heard.
“This year I want to try to focus inwardly a little more on the council, I want them to feel inspired to be a part of the SEC,” said Tsengeg. “I think that by checking on the experience that everyone has and making sure they are taken care of first we can impact the community and the student body more.”
In addition to the SEC, Tsengeg has been actively involved in undergraduate research since his freshman year. Tsengeg worked in the Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering Thermo-hydraulics Lab led by Dr. Yassin Hasan, department head and Sallie & Don Davis '61 Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering. Initially, he assisted researchers and learned how to function in a lab setting. However, in his sophomore year he worked directly with a graduate student researcher and conducted research. During his junior year he attended the 2016 American Nuclear Society Conference and presented his individual research. He was one of the only two undergraduate presenters at the conference.
“I have learned so many things outside of the classroom,” said Tsengeg. “The things that research and internships can teach you supplement your education in a way that a class never can.”
This summer Tsengeg will intern with Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Half of the active reactors in the world use Westinghouse designs,” said Tsengeg. “I will be working on safety sensors for the reactors.”
After graduation, Tsengeg plans to work in the renewable energy industry. This passion for renewable energy drove him to overcome the challenges that come with studying engineering.
“Electrical engineering is without a doubt one of the best majors at Texas A&M,” he said. “In the time that we are living in, every company needs electrical engineers. What once was mechanical is now becoming electrical and it is amazing to be a part of that.”
Contributing author: Haley Posey