Grad Engineers Tomorrow’s Technology

Mechanical engineering grad Brian DeFord (’90, AZ) is a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer with Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer. He helps develop new technologies that enable Intel to test next-generation products, primarily Central Processing Units (CPUs)—the brains of personal computers, workstations, servers, and mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smart phones.

Brian said, “I am fortunate to work in a technology development group, so I get to work with the latest technology products that are still 2–3 years away from going into consumer products. It is exciting to see the advancements we make in producing smaller, faster, and less expensive products on a continual basis.

“I’ve been at Intel since 1990, and have had the opportunity to perform many roles, from doing classified work with one of our nation’s security agencies while part of Intel’s military division, managing a design engineering group, designing a critical component that is found in almost all computers today, to my current role in research and development engineering.

“I was well prepared for my field because I had practical, hands-on experience designing and testing through the many labs and project teams I was involved in at PCC. This is critical in an environment such as mine, because book knowledge can only take you so far. You must be able to put to practical use the things you learn, and employers are looking for that experience even in new college graduates.

“Discipline and planning become invaluable when your job involves inventing new technologies that have never been tried or thought of before and ensuring they will work flawlessly when needed. These are character traits that are well ingrained at PCC and continue to be core values in my profession.”

PCC mechanical engineering grads are serving God in a variety of engineering fields, including nuclear, aerospace, industrial, and automotive disciplines. By covering in-depth engineering topics, PCC’s program provides a solid foundation for graduate school or fieldwork. See Mechanical Engineering major for more information.

Published: 8/24/2010