Filling the Gap - Emily Nutwell helps engineers get the education employers desire

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Democratizing education is no small feat; it requires years of systematic change welcomed by educators and government alike. At The Ohio State University, Emily Nutwell is championing the needs of working professionals through distance learning and professional development at SIMCenter.  

 Emily dove into a test engineer role with Honda R&D after graduating with her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. Shortly thereafter, an exciting opportunity to join Honda’s new simulation and modeling group popped up, presenting a dilemma. Like many of her colleagues then and even students today, she didn’t have the opportunity to receive formal training in the area during her undergraduate education. That didn’t prove to be an issue. She chose to roll up her sleeves, apply her test engineer background to crash modeling, and dive in.  

Emily Nutwell

Most people would choose to stay comfortable in a role that they knew. To say that the transition wasn’t smooth would be an understatement; Emily heavily relied on software manuals and trial by error which was slow and inefficient. But her experience would set the fundamental groundwork for her path to education. Emily empathized with employees too afraid to see what hid behind the door of uncertainty, turning down transformational career opportunities because there just weren’t enough resources.  

Undergraduate education doesn’t provide engineers sufficient exposure to simulation and modeling due to the already compact course load. Even in the best-case scenario, most formal classes in computer-aided engineering are offered as senior tech electives. Even then, students are limited to an introduction to these tools. Industry is frustrated that schools don’t teach students how to take their skills from the classroom and apply them in the workplace.  Emily identified a clear need to reach people within industry looking to broaden their skillset.  

From an employer’s perspective, it’s a big ask to expect employees to pick these skills up on their own. Additionally, software supplier trainings increase competencies but leave students without an understanding of the technical foundations. Students need the support of teachers who’ve been in their shoes, who illustrate how simulation and modeling will vastly expand their career prospects.  As industry progresses toward virtual development processes, proficiency with computer aided engineering (CAE) tools is essential. 

Emily, who joined Ohio State in 2015 as a research specialist, was quick to leverage her master's in education, specializing in workforce development. While at SIMCenter, she began to work on online-only certificate courses, designed for working engineers. She knew firsthand that great employees understand product development flow. That’s the goal. Taking the time to first understand the needs of potential students proved effective. 

Reflecting on her experience being thrown into a foreign field, Emily realized it would be crucial to offer accessible, affordable and engaging content that allows students to fail often and learn constantly in a safe and supportive environment. SIMCenter's emphasis on applied learning helps the engineer approach CAE software as a problem solver. What’s more, close ties with industry ensure the programs' content is regularly updated to meet new industry standards. 

Primarily positive reviews and valuable negative feedback lend themselves to Emily’s optimistic attitude towards the program. Ellen Burkart, an R&D engineer at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, started the program since she had Abaqus and on the job training but was missing the foundational component. Since she completed the program, she’s “gotten faster at completing and interpreting each analysis making her skills more valuable to her project team.”  Scott McGregor, design engineer for Caterpillar Inc. echoes the same sentiment. He says, “SIMCenter’s program has helped me improve my abilities as a structures product designer. Understanding how the finite-element solver is working in the background allows for me to think of structural design issues more in a system response sense.  This streamlines the process and also leads to considering design options that I would not have previously thought of if I had not gone through the courses.” 

Reflecting on the program and her students’ development, Emily says, “it’s neat to see students gain confidence and perform well in the course.” While she may not be changing lives, she finds satisfaction knowing that she’s democratizing adult education. Somewhere, there’s an engineer choosing between a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a stagnant career. Emily hopes that now, they’ll have all the more reason to say yes.