July 08, 2021
While many Trine University students complete summer internships to gain practical experience, one student was able to serve the community as well.
Jack Oaks, a mechanical engineering major from Fort Wayne, is serving as a metallurgical engineering intern in the cold mill at Steel Dynamics Butler Flat Roll Division.
“This is my second summer at Steel Dynamics, but last year I was in the casting department instead of the cold mill,” he said.
When Oaks’ supervisor at SDI told him about the company’s participation in the annual United Way Day of Caring, he wanted to be part of it.
“Northeast Indiana is where I grew up, and I have grown to care deeply about the area,” he said. “Both SDI and Trine also do a great job of teaching the importance of giving back. I am proud to be a part of both organizations.”
The June 25 event encompassed 50 events at sites across DeKalb County. More than 600 people participated.
Teams from Steel Dynamics constructed ramps and steps for families in need. Despite rainfall throughout the day, Oaks’ team was able to complete a ramp and connect it to the front deck for a Garrett family with an elderly woman in the home. They also landscaped mulch beds around the front and sides of the house.
“I did a little bit of everything,” Oaks said. “I added fill dirt in around the concrete portion of the ramp, sodded the filled-in area, mulched underneath the wood portion of the ramp, and installed the decking of the incline portion of the ramp.”
Oaks said it was rewarding to see the family’s reaction to the completed project.
“It warmed my heart to see our hard work put a smile on their faces,” he said.
Oaks - Trine University mechanical engineering major Jack Oaks, pictured in back, works with Emily Marciniak and Jon Miller of Steel Dynamics, Inc. They were part of a team that built a ramp for a DeKalb County family during the United Way Day of Caring. (Photo by Sue Carpenter / KPC Media Group)
Team - This team of workers from Steel Dynamics, Inc., built a ramp for a Garrett family during the United Way Day of Caring in DeKalb County.
Ramp - The team from SDI built this ramp during the United Way Day of Caring.
Ramp - The team from SDI built this ramp during the United Way Day of Caring.
Flowers - The SDI team also landscaped mulch beds around the Garrett home.
Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, PGA professional and fighter pilot who now leads efforts to assist families of disabled or deceased service members and first responders, will share his insights on leadership and purpose with Trine University graduates during the morning Commencement ceremony on May 4.
Vipul Shah, a 1996 Trine University chemical engineering graduate who is now a highly regarded wealth advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, will present the keynote address to Trine’s hybrid and online students at the afternoon Commencement ceremony on May 4.
With projects that have application in areas including education, medicine and industry, Trine University’s 22nd annual Allen School of Engineering and Computing Design Expo will offer members of the public the chance to see the knowledge and skills of Trine University students on display.