From the ‘sandbox’ to the real world
Photo courtesy of Trygve Eggen.
CSE senior and UMN Robotics president prepares to launch his career during the COVID-19 pandemic
April 7, 2020
University of Minnesota Robotics was the first College of Science and Engineering (CSE) student group Trygve Eggen joined as a freshman. Now, the senior studying mechanical engineering oversees five competitive teams and more than 100 other Gopher students as president of UMN Robotics, which recently won two 2019 Tony Diggs Excellence Awards for Innovation and Outstanding Program or Event.
This spring, Eggen and his team were preparing to tackle three international robotics competitions. That is, until COVID-19 hit, canceling all events and in-person activities through the end of the semester.
“It’s disappointing because we’ve been working on the robots since last August,” Eggen said. “What we are really losing is the unique community bond that comes from working toward a common goal on large projects like these.”
With the virus keeping students at home for the unforeseeable future, Eggen has been working toward maintaining this sense of camaraderie virtually through online meetings and events. He hopes to find a way to recognize the group’s achievements and give his fellow seniors closure despite their competitions getting canceled.
“These changes are stressful, and no matter how good Zoom is, it can’t fully replace face-to-face interaction, nor can it help me build a robot,” Eggen said.
“But overall, I think that COVID-19 has fostered community and collaboration within CSE since everyone is in the same boat and understands that there will be a few hiccups,” he said.
Eggen, a recipient of the Department of Mechanical Engineering American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers scholarship, is graduating this May with the intention of going into industry. While the novel coronavirus pandemic has hit the workforce hard, he believes his education and experiences CSE have made him more than prepared for when the right position comes along.
A company within a company
Eggen said all of this leadership experience has given him a “sandbox” of sorts in which to learn and prepare for his career in industry.
“Leading and even just being involved with [robotics] is a great trial run for being in industry,” Eggen explained of the CSE student group he considers to be a mini company. “Even if you join without any prior experience, you’re going to be tasked with an engineering problem that you have to figure out, and all the problem-solving skills transfer to a real job.”
Hands-on experience and the excitement of robot-building aside, Eggen said one of the most crucial skills he’s gained from robotics is communication.
“Robotics isn’t all engineering,” he explained. “There’s a lot of the business side that goes into it, a lot of marketing that goes into it.”
As president, he’s had to navigate projects like the relocation of the UMN Robotics shop to Shepherd Labs and maximizing grant money on top of managing and communicating with a large, diverse group of students. For context, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and students were forced to work remotely, UMN Robotics had eight team meetings per week.
And, the pandemic has brought its own challenges for the largely hands-on student group. One of those is finding virtual ways to facilitate STEM outreach, Eggen’s favorite part of robotics.
Unlike most of his fellow team members, Eggen hadn’t partaken in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science, and Technology) Robotics competitions in high school. Through volunteering at FIRST competitions and participating in UMN Robotics’ many STEM outreach events, Eggen has had the opportunity to pass down his engineering knowledge to local high schoolers and middle schoolers who may not have exposure to STEM otherwise.
“I wasn’t as aware of engineering in high school,” Eggen said. “So, it’s really great to interact with students who aren’t in college yet, being able to tell them what I do and what I wish I had heard when I was in high school.”
Now, Eggen is working on maintaining that impact virtually by moving UMN Robotics K-12 outreach events online.
“This is exciting because it could allow us to broaden our audience since locality is no longer a barrier,” he said. “However, it’s challenging because we lose the ability to do hands-on demonstrations.”
Find your niche
Beyond robotics, Eggen has been active in the UMN Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, worked in the production department at Northrop Auditorium, and started his own sound production business—all while tackling a rigorous academic schedule.
During his junior year, he leveraged his background working with high voltage in theater production to land a co-op position as a dual electrical and mechanical engineer at Thermo King, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of refrigeration and heating systems for large vehicles.
“They always say that you’re going to learn a lot on your co-op,” he said of the University of Minnesota Engineering Co-op Program. “I didn’t really believe that until I got there, but I definitely did.”
Eggen spent about eight months at Thermo King, working on the electrification of transport refrigeration systems in trucks—essentially taking refrigeration systems that run on combustion engines and redesigning them to run on battery power.
“[Electrification] is sort of the leading edge in that industry right now,” he said.
“We don’t have a lot of large, electric vehicles on the road right now, but they’re coming,” Eggen added.
Through his co-op at Thermo King, Eggen not only developed a stronger foundation in electrical engineering but also discovered that his career interests lie in the field of mechatronics, which operates at the intersection of mechanical and electrical engineering.
Thanks to the looming implications of the COVID-19 crisis, many of Eggen’s prospective companies have instituted hiring freezes and canceled interviews, but he’s still planning for a productive summer.
“I am still monitoring job boards and trying to maintain contacts at companies,” said Eggen, who recently earned a 2020 University of Minnesota President’s Student Leadership and Service Award. “However, I am also thinking about what to do over the summer if I don’t have a job. Right now, I am planning to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, and also potentially starting coursework for a graduate certificate or master’s [degree].”
Eggen has been trying to remain optimistic. He believes his experiences in CSE will help him get to where he wants to be, even if that doesn’t happen until later this year.
“I feel like I have this really solid foundation in engineering,” Eggen said. “Pretty much every question [companies] throw at me in an interview, I can come up with a story from either one of my classes or robotics or even working backstage during college. I really think I’m prepared for a job in industry.”
Story by Olivia Hultgren
Read about other graduating seniors and their CSE experiences:
The road less traveled
Breaking through the comfort zone
A bright future in academia awaits
Bring on the internships, says SWE president
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