Cannon DeBardelaben
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Cannon DeBardelabenMS ‘21 Hometown: Franklin, TN Current Job: Undergraduate Research Assistant at the SimCenter at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga MS Program: Mechanical Engineering |
Why did you choose UTC CECS?
I did my undergraduate, also in mechanical engineering, at UTC. I had an overall good experience and when Dr. Sreenivas (my advisor and research professor) suggested I apply for the master’s program, I decided to pursue a career in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). CFD is a field I became especially interested in my last few years of my undergraduate degree, and UTC has multiple professors who are very well experienced and respected in the field.
What is your career ambition and how is the MS program helping you get there?
I eventually want to work at an aerospace company doing CFD analysis. I believe my degree so far has improved my problem-solving ability, and greatly increased my knowledge of the field and its related disciplines.
What have you liked about the MS program?
So far, all of the classes I have taken have been interesting, relevant to my field, and improved my problem solving and mathematics ability in some way. I also like the size of my classes, ranging from 8 - ~30. It makes it so my professors are very accessible to ask for help or further explanation on topics from class.
Did you take any online courses?
I took online classes in my undergrad and due to COVID-19 all my classes are now online. In general, I very much prefer in person classes over online classes. However, I have appreciated having lectures recorded so I could re-watch them, as well as having professors annotate the books or papers they were going through.
What opportunities have you had during your degree to gain other skills?
I am a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) chapter at UTC. I did undergraduate research in the SimCenter, which introduced me to CFD. I also did an internship at Pointwise, Inc. in the summer between finishing my undergraduate and starting my graduate program. And now, as part of my graduate program, I do research with Drs. Sreenivas and Newman in the SimCenter.
Have you had support from CECS faculty/staff?
I have had multiple professors who have had significant impacts in my career so far. In particular, Drs. Sreenivas, Newman, Damshala, Margraves, and Harris have been particularly influential.
How has the program helped you?
The master’s program has helped me improve in my mathematical, programming, and general problem-solving abilities. I feel I have learned so much in just the short year I’ve been in the program so far.