changeof plan

engineer goes back to school, finds a new career passion

Jessica

Lattimer Vold wasn’t satisfied with where her career was headed in 2009.

As a child, she had dreamed of building rockets and creating things that would revolutionize the aerospace industry. That’s why she went to college and chose to get an aerospace engineering degree.

But she wasn’t doing it. Aerospace careers doing the types of things she wanted to do were hard to find. Instead of building and innovating, she was sitting at a desk, staring at a computer screen.

Everyone always picks a major and has a romantic idea of what they want to do,” says Vold, who lives in Fargo with her husband and two young daughters. “Some of the things I was doing in my first job were neat, but it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to be more handson, and I wanted to do more with my career.”

Change Of Plan

Vold went back to school to make herself a better candidate for the job she really wanted. She enrolled in North Dakota State University’s mechanical engineering master’s degree program, initially hoping the aerospace industry would have more openings by the time she graduated.

However, plans changed when she joined the research team of Chad Ulven, associate chair and professor of mechanical engineering at NDSU. Ulven’s research looks at using some of the waste from commodity products as a replacement for petroleum in plastics.

The research is exciting and groundbreaking, with potential to have significant positive effects on the global environment. It became a new passion for Vold.

“I didn’t even really know much of anything about material science,” she says. “But Chad Ulven has such a passion for it.

I could see that passion when I met with him about the research. I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

Vold continued to work with Ulven on the research for a few more years as she continued her education at NDSU. She earned her master’s in 2013 and a doctorate in mechanical engineering in 2015.

Perfect Fit

Vold’s research made her the perfect candidate to work for Ulven at c2renew, a spinoff of the groundbreaking research at NDSU. The business offers a variety of composite materials made of agriculture byproducts and recycled plastic to clients around the world. They’ve created and marketed coffee mugs made from coffee, glasses frames made from beer and toothbrushes made from plants.

Vold is part of the engineering team that helps guide clients through design, manufacture and testing of their composite product.

Vold also works for Renuvix, a Fargo startup that researches and develops bio-based polymers used for paints and coatings. She helps the business, which also has roots at NDSU, complete research for government grants.

She’s no longer just sitting at a desk. She’s conducting groundbreaking research, getting handson with projects, leading teams, learning about high-level chemistry, corresponding with clients and constantly innovating.

“NDSU taught me to go out there and dive into a topic on my own,” Vold says. “I’m not afraid to learn something new and try something new. And I spent so much time in a lab at NDSU that I was ready to go out and do my own learning and lead my own project. I was well-prepared to go into my current career.”

NDSU’S GRADUATE SCHOOL OFFERS a wide range of master’s degrees, doctoral degrees and graduate certificate programs. Learn more about NDSU graduate programs at ndsu.edu/gradschool.