VPA Graduate Spotlight: Bryan Thorne

Bryan Thorne is a recent Tech Graduate.  He graduated in Audio Production and Technology, with an emphasis area in Electrical Engineering Technology.

1.  Tell me about your work since graduating from Tech.

I spent a few months doing some very basic website management for a small financial news blog from Tennessee.  This experience made me remember how much I dislike working with computer code, and reminded me how much I really enjoy getting to work with audio equipment.  2 months ago I got hired by Bose Corporation and I am now a Validation Engineer with the Design Compliance Engineering department.  My official job title is Research and Development Engineer 1.  Nearly every day I just start smiling from how happy and excited I am to be using my skills and knowledge from my degree to help produce audio equipment.

2.  Why did you choose to major in Audio Production and Technology at Tech?

I initially was working towards an Electrical Engineering degree, but I quickly realized that I wanted a more hands on education and background.  I also had strong passion for audio systems and music, so when I learned about the Audio Production and Technology degree, I knew it would be the right fit for me.  I'm happy to say that this degree has brought me to a job that I enjoy.

3.  What is the most important thing you learned while at Tech?

Time management.  This has always been my weakest suit, but through the rapid-fire workloads and long hours in the VPA department, I feel that I developed this skill quite a lot through the last few years.  I'm starting to get some projects at work now, and I feel that the pace of working in a large company is something that I am fully capable of managing now.

4.  What inspires you?

The idea of endless possibilities.  Even on a small scale, every time you leave your house you are capable of going on an adventure.  I've seen so many people (myself included) that are frequently frozen by inaction.   The idea that all you have to do to have an incredible adventure is to take the first step is what inspires me to act.

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

To me, that is an exciting quote, not a cautionary tale.

5.  How have your experiences at Tech influenced your current work?

Work in Audio Production, and the VPA as a whole has given me a diverse and well rounded background that is irreplaceable.  When working with a piece of audio equipment I'm able to look at it and interpret it in a wide variety of ways.  I can look at it and understand it on the circuit component level, as well as from the standpoint of a pro sound tech, or as a base level customer and music enthusiast.  I can also say that the deep cross-training is one of the biggest things that attracted my current employer.

6.  What is the most amazing thing you have done since graduating?

Finding my current job, pulling off the interview, and moving to Boston.  I'm also pretty proud that I towed a flat bed trailer behind a Uhaul truck all the way from Michigan the Massachusetts without any major incidents, when I'd never really towed anything before.

7. What would be your advice to students choosing to major in Audio Production and Technology at Michigan Tech?

Branch out and take opportunities to learn about as many of the areas of Audio or Theater that you can.  If you go in focused that you just want to do something like studio recording or theater sound, you may never learn that you have a passion or a knack for something else, like lighting design, or engineering, or composition.  Also, the benefit of having that well rounded background is something that I cannot stress enough.

VPA Student Spotlight: Kaylee Edwards

Kaylee Edwards is a Computer Science major who is minoring in visual arts.

1. Why did you choose to minor in Art at Tech?

I started drawing when I was about 12, and since then art has been a huge part of my life. Before college, I was only able to take one art class. By choosing to minor in Art, I hoped to gain knowledge I could never have learned by myself and really push myself to improve.

2. How does a minor in the arts enhance your experience as a Tech Computer Science student?

Creative thinking is something they don't teach in Computer Science. My art classes help teach me how to improvise and work things out on my own. Not only does it help me learn by broadening my mind, but it helps me think of ideas for side projects like games and other applications.

3. What is the most important thing you have learned from your art experiences at Tech?

I've learned quite a few things from my art classes. Of course, this includes the technical aspects of design. However, the most important thing I've learned is that I need to really free myself to make art. It's essential to try new things, whether it be painting with ink when you only use charcoal or drawing from life when you usually draw from imagination. If you stick to what you know, then you'll never know if there's something you like better.

4. What inspires you?

What inspires me changes from day to day. Sometimes it's a song, but other times it's a book, show, or movie. Most recently, I've been inspired by Germany, and I've been looking forward to going there this summer so I can paint some landscapes.

5. What are your goals for after graduation? How will your arts minor help you achieve those goals?

After I graduate I hope to find a job in the Lower Peninsula. My art minor will show that I can do more than just program. It will show that I am creative, which can help in program design and even problem solving. This should show potential employers that my entire education at Michigan Tech has made me a well-rounded person.

6. What advice would you give to other Tech students who want to participate in the arts?

I'd advise students to take a class. I know the art classes can fill up really fast, especially if you're a 1st year, but if you email the instructor then they might let you in anyway. Really, once you take that first class, you realize how welcoming and helpful the department is. You'll be able to really learn with the resources available as an art student.

VPA Student Spotlight: Ben Holtz

Ben Holtz is a senior double majoring in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and minoring in Music Composition.

1.  Why did you choose to minor in Music Composition at Tech?

I have always been compelled to make music, and have always felt compelled to create. Working with music that someone else created is wonderful, but it doesn’t quite satisfy the need for self expression. Choosing to minor in composition has allowed me to keep music a priority while studying engineering and helped me to sharpen the skills needed to better express through music.

2.  How does having a minor in the arts enhance your experience as a Tech engineering student?

In the long run, It has helped me achieve a much broader perspective on life as a young adult. It has helped to diversify the kinds of people I work with and the kinds of professors I learn from. From a day to day basis, it shakes things up. It would be very boring to have all engineering or all music classes by themselves. Pursuing a minor in music composition balances an engineering degree very nicely.

3.  What is the most important thing you have learned from participating in the arts at Tech?

In engineering studies, I’ve found functional things to be very boring if they are aesthetically lacking. In participating in the arts, I’ve found that all great aesthetics have to have function. These two concepts...function and aesthetic, are not mutually exclusive entities. 

4.    What inspires you?

People. And the crazy things they make.

5.  What are your goals for after graduation?   How will your experiences in music help you to achieve those goals?

Eventually, I hope to have a lifestyle in which practicality and functionality of Engineering combines seamlessly with creativity and serendipity of Art. Working with the composition minor has given me a taste of this; creating good music requires not all creativity and emotion, but also a functional understanding of how sound works in time and why. ‘Good aesthetic has function, and function without aesthetic is boring.’

6.  What advice would you give to other engineering students who want to participate in the arts?

Just go for it!       

Student Achievments: Lindsey Johns

Lindsey Johns, a senior in Sound Design, is presenting her work this week at the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) Conference in Milwaukee.

She applied for and was accepted to the juried Young Designers Forum which is mostly graduate students. This presentation is similar to a poster session although almost all displays are three dimensional and Lindsey's will require audio and possibly video playback due to the nature of her work. 

Only 15 applicants were selected for this honor, 3 of which are sound students.  This is an incredible opportunity for Lindsey to show her sound design work and network with industry professionals from around the country.

Congratulations, Lindsey!

VPA Graduate Spotlight: Laura Larsen

Laura Larsen graduated from Michigan Tech in December with a degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in theatre arts.  She was involved (as a cast member) in seven productions while at Tech, starting with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in her first semester and ending with The Horror of H.P. Lovecraft in her last semester.

1.  Why did you choose to minor in Theatre Arts at Tech?

When it came time to choose what I wanted to do, I was very torn between doing something with math and science or in the arts.  In the end, I made the right decision for me to be a mechanical engineer but I was thrilled to find how much I loved the VPA department at Tech.  I was spending so much time there, and I realized how much more there was for me to learn about the different aspects of theatre, that I decided to become a minor.

2.  How did adding a minor in the arts enhance your experience as a Tech engineering student?

Adding the theatre arts minor was the best thing I could have done for my engineering studies because it allowed me to split my time between exercising either side of my brain.  When Mechanical Engineering courses were overwhelming, I could spend a few hours on theatre classes and come back to those other courses feeling more confident and refreshed.  Also, when you know more about a variety of subjects, you are able to approach any issues more creatively.  I am always amazed how much engineering and the arts lend insight to one another.

3.  What is the most important thing you learned from participating in theatre at Tech?

The most important thing I learned from theatre at Tech is how much I am truly capable of and that I should never doubt my abilities.  I became so many distinctly different characters and learned a lot about myself in participating in so many productions but more importantly, I learned that I could balance classes, homework, hours of rehearsal a night, and friends.  Not having to cut out any of those aspects, really enhanced the rest of my life and I never dreamed that I could be able to do it all.

4.  What inspires you?

I am inspired by the beauty and diversity of the people around me.  Everyone I meet has a different story to tell and they all find so many wonderful ways to be happy.  It is so inspiring to know that no matter what life hits me with, there will always be beauty and happiness to be found in the world.

5.  How will you use your theatre experience now that you have graduated and work as an engineer?   

I am working as a mechanical engineer but I hope to still remain involved in community theatre.  Even if I am not directly involved in a production, I will always use what I have learned from the arts: once you learn to work together and what you are personally capable of, with a little creativity, anything is possible.

6.  What advice would you give to other engineering students who want to participate in the arts?

To other engineering students, I would say there is no reason to think you can't participate in the arts; I have seen every type of person benefit from even minimal experience.  You may be forced out of your comfort zone, but that is quite possibly the best thing you can do for yourself because only then you will find out who you truly are and what you are capable of.

VPA Student Spotlight: John Watza

Photo by Lara Neves

John Watza recently earned an Honorable Mention at KC-ACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival) for his Sound Design Project of Shakespear's "Twelfth Night."

1.  Why did you choose to major in Sound Design at Tech?

I knew I wanted to go into music and specifically Sound Design because I wanted to learn the technical as well as the artistic side to music.  From a college fair I learned that Michigan Tech had a Sound Design program and I came to visit and really liked what I saw.  I also love snow and Michigan Tech sure has snow.

2.  What has been your favorite part of working in Sound Design?

Being able to collaborate with other creative students, whether its making radio dramas or composing music for a play, it is a lot of fun to work as a part of a team to create something bigger than you could have done by yourself.  It's always exciting to see a big project come together.

3.  What is the most important thing you have learned in your major?

Designing Sound is about telling a story or creating an emotion and there are countless ways to use sound to tell whatever story needs to be told, or create whatever emotion that needs to be created.

4.  What inspires you?

I love music and I love movies, that's why I chose to go into this field.  I also find working with a group of people on a project to be very inspiring because everyone is trying to create something and collaborating together which is a great atmosphere for creativity.

5.  What are your goals after graduation?

I want to work on movies, I really love composing music and to be able to do that for film is my goal for the future.  

6.  What advice would you give others hoping to major in Sound Design?

Work hard at learning as much as you can.  Listen to everything, music, movies, everyday sounds--just listen.  Networking is huge, make as many contacts as you can and always be looking for opportunities.

Student Achievments: Katy Ellenich, Elizabeth LaRouche, and Morgan Nelson

Katy, Morgan, and Liz in the costume shop--their home away from home.

Three VPA students will be presenting at the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) Conference in March 2013

Elizabeth LaRouche, Katy Ellenich, & Morgan Nelson have each had their abstracts accepted for the USITT Costume Design & Technology Commission's Poster Session to be presented at the USITT Conference in Milwaukee, March of 2013.

This poster session is a professional session comprised mostly of faculty and professional costume designers and technicians. All entries were blind juried so it was not known by the jurors that these students were all from Michigan Tech, nor that they were students at all!

This is Elizabeth's second year in a row, a rarity. Also, never has a single institution had as great a representation in the session in its 18-year history.

Congratulations, Elizabeth, Katy, & Morgan!