Andy Whitaker

Engineering for the 21^st Century

As today’s engineering students enter the 21^st century workforce, they’re going to need more skills than just being able to design widgets. Andy Whitaker, a senior in electrical engineering, will be able to speak Chinese.

Whitaker always enjoyed math and science as a high school student in his hometown of Ellensburg, Washington. More importantly for engineering, he likes solving difficult problems. He decided on studying electrical engineering because it presents him with many interesting and new challenges. “I don’t feel like I already know the punchline,’’ he said. But, from early on in his studies, he also wanted to learn another language.

“Almost everyone else in the world can speak two languages, except in America. I thought Chinese would be a good challenge and would be useful, considering China’s standing in the world.’’

Whitaker spent a year in China last year to gain fluency and to learn about the culture…and to learn the language well enough to discuss technical engineering problems with colleagues around the world.

Whitaker doesn’t have any background in Chinese. With characters and sounds that are hugely different than English, Chinese is difficult to learn, he admits. But, he adds, getting over the hump is simply a matter of putting in a lot of time and hard work. In his first year of Chinese classes, he was even named the outstanding, first-year Chinese student.

After graduation, he hopes to work for an engineering company, perhaps one that is expanding its operations in China. He would also consider working for the U.S. government and has recently begun considering the possibility of graduate school.

Additionally, Whitaker is further preparing himself for the world ahead through participation in the Harold Frank Entrepreneurship Institute, where he and fellow students learn some of the intricacies of the business end of engineering.

Students such as Whitaker will be ahead of the curve after graduation, said Bob Olsen, professor of electrical engineering and associate dean of undergraduate student services for the College of Engineering and Architecture. Industry increasingly wants to see engineers with a global view for a global economy.

“He knows that’s the future,’’ said Olsen.