By Rebecca Wyatt, OU Web Writer

Junior Monica Majcher has always had the desire to find out how things work. As a mechanical engineering major, she is using her natural curiosity to build a career and a future. This year, Majcher was named the Society of Professional Engineers Student Engineer of the Year for the Oakland and Michigan chapters.

Majcher said her education at Oakland has provided her with a solid foundation for establishing herself.

“Every professor that I have had has been more than willing to take extra time in class or out of class to explain concepts and material in more detail for further understanding,” Majcher said. “Their ability to simplify the material and explain its applications to the field of engineering has strengthened my desire to learn and understand more.”

Throughout her years at Our Lady of Refuge School and Ladywood High School, Majcher has always had a love for math and exploring the way things work. She has a desire to have a deeper understanding of the people, issues, and world around her. She wants to use the skills she has been given to improve the lives and the safety of others.

“I hope to work in the engineering field upon graduating, in an area related to biomechanics, so that I can apply my background in engineering to improve the health and safety of others,” Majcher said, who also has ambitions of becoming a teacher at some point in her life.

The hands-on experience Majcher has gained at OU has helped her develop critical thinking skills that have been useful at her three internships with General Motors. She has worked in the Engineering Measurements and Analysis group in Milford, the Structural Development Labs in Pontiac and the Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness Integration group in Warren.

“Each internship has taught me to apply those concepts that I have learned in the classroom. By working in the automotive industry, I have learned about the interaction between components and systems, and about general automobile physics. I have also learned to apply simple vehicle dynamics and kinematics to assess injury to occupants during a vehicle crash,” Majcher said. “Every one of these internships has helped me to learn more about how to think critically and analytically in using my engineering skills, as well as learn about the management and structure of a corporation.”

Majcher has also proven herself as a student leader as secretary of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, co-founder and current president of the Students for Life at OU and active member of the College Republicans.

“The field of engineering is involved in far more aspects of our lives than we often realize. It allows many opportunities for creativity and initiative. Engineering calls for critical thinking and problem-solving,” Majcher said. “A degree in engineering supplies the foundations, theories, and laws of science needed to understand how things work, but the ways in which these concepts can be applied are infinite.”

Majcher credits the dedication and understanding of OU’s professors for her successes so far, especially Lorenzo Smith, Brian Sangeorzan, Yin-Ping Chang, Richard Haskell, Michael Polis, Darrin Hanna, Serge Kruk, Alberto Rojo and assistant dean Bhushan Bhatt.

Majcher received the Society of Professional Engineers Student Engineer award for the Michigan chapter during the annual conference in May.

For more information on Oakland University’s engineering programs, visit the School of Engineering and Computer Science Web site.