All in the Family

Does engineering run in families? Travis Bather (ME ’99) believes it might. He represents one of four consecutive generations of his family to graduate from the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering.

“I grew up liking to tinker with things and build things, so it was a fairly logical path,” he said. “I think the other part of it—and I think this is where my family lineage comes into play—is we’re a very practical people. I think our spouses would say painfully practical. It’s very conducive to the engineering world.”

Profiled here are two families with roots that run deep into the engineering fields. In most cases, the early influence of family steered them to the University and to engineering. Their stories illustrate not only the enduring value of a science and engineering degree—but also the importance of sampling a wide range of experiences early on, of discovering and feeding your entrepreneurial side, and finding inspiration, knowledge, and help from others—even if they may be part of your family.

[intlink id="3357" type="post"]Read about the Cabak family[/intlink]

[intlink id="3359" type="post"]Read about the Bather family[/intlink]