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One of the reasons Tim Cermak ’26 chose to attend St. Olaf College was because of the Physics Department’s Engineering Practicum course, which gives students hands-on experience designing solutions to challenging engineering problems under the guidance of professional engineers.

Earlier this year, he joined nine other students in the course to design devices and construct prototypes for both the medical and renewable energy fields.

“During the course of this class, we got to see the entire engineering process, starting with a problem and ending up with a prototype of our solution,” says Cermak. “Unlike other classes, where problems often have a single correct answer, this project allowed us to explore various solutions. This freedom allowed for creativity and problem solving, especially when things didn’t go as planned.”

The practicum course was particularly special because it was taught by two St. Olaf College alumni, Matthew Schneider ’99 and Eric Schilling ’99. Both are engineers: Schneider is the chief product officer at a solar technology company, and Schilling is a distinguished engineer at Medtronic, where he focuses on cardiac devices.

“Our core goals are to give the students experiences that will help them land their first job and to give them a chance to practice skills that will help them earn their first promotion,” says Schneider.

Students were divided into two groups. The first group worked on a biomedical engineering project, designing a device that could replicate common human movements in order to test their impact on the motion sensors of implanted medical devices like pacemakers. The second group worked to develop solutions to a temperature-based inefficiency in solar panel performance. Both projects were an opportunity for students to apply their learning to a real-world issue. 

“I found it valuable to get hands-on experience,” says Laura Maeda ‘25. “Sometimes, trial and error is the best way to learn — and when given an engineering problem, the only way to test something is to build it and evaluate its functionality. You can only learn so many skills in the classroom, and I found it highly beneficial to actually get to implement my learning.”

“It takes more than pure engineering skills to be successful in the world of engineering. A liberal arts education is a great foundation for the continuous learning, multidisciplinary problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills that will be the enablers of a successful engineering career.”

— Eric Schilling ’99, Course Instructor and Distinguished Engineer at Medtronic

Both groups created a physical prototype of their design. The group testing pacemaker motion sensors repurposed a 3D printer frame and developed an electronics system that would replicate common human motions. The group working on solar panel performance created a design that would increase the surface area of the back of panels and increase their rate of cooling. Their proposed solution could increase solar panel efficiency by 1–2 percent.

Participants in the biomedical engineering group also had the opportunity to visit Medtronic and present their design to engineers for feedback. This experience allowed the students to develop a deeper understanding of what the engineering process looks like outside an academic setting. 

“What I found most valuable about this course is how it closely replicated real-world projects,”  says Faten Abu Al Ardat ‘27. “We tackled a problem faced by the solar industry, progressing step by step, from feasibility studies to prototyping, presenting to professionals, and networking. This experience helped me refine my interests within engineering and has undoubtedly influenced my future goals.”

The course also emphasized non-technical elements of engineering, including adaptability, creative problem-solving, and the ethics of designs and their impact on customers. Skills in these areas are both essential for a career in engineering, and fit perfectly with the liberal arts. 

“In our experience, it takes more than pure engineering skills to be successful in the world of engineering,” says Schilling. “A liberal arts education is a great foundation for the continuous learning, multidisciplinary problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills that will be the enablers of a successful engineering career.”