UWyo MagazineFaculty & Academics

January 2015 | Vol. 16, No. 2

Student Trevor James helps create robots with target tracking and 3-D vision.

For many, the accessible and caring faculty set UW apart. “One of the best parts of UW is the faculty because the professors here are so devoted to not only teaching us but oftentimes mentoring us,” says Anita Khannikova of Kazakhstan, who received her bachelor’s from UW in petroleum engineering with honors and is now pursuing her master’s here.

She adds, “The professors in the petroleum department make you think critically and pursue more than you think you can accomplish, which is the most valuable experience you can get out of college.”

Vladimir Alvarado, associate department head of chemical and petroleum engineering, says, “I think we have an informal open-door policy that gives students access to the faculty. We advise the students directly. If you look around the nation, [many colleges] tend to assign the advising to people hired to do that task—that creates a bit of a disconnect. Here, we engage the students directly.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better student experience than what I received at UW,” says Benjamin Vetter, a design engineer for Bobcat Co. in Bismarck, N.D., who received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in May 2014. “There were countless times as a student I knocked on a faculty member’s door outside of their office hours, and they never hesitated to drop whatever was on their agenda to help answer my questions.”

“I really love the fact that faculty in our department are so approachable,” says Trevor James, who grew up in Torrington and Laramie, Wyo., majored in electrical and computer engineering[BROKEN LINK], and is pursuing his master’s in electrical engineering. “Our class sizes aren’t huge, so you get that personal attention.”

Barrett says programs such as Student Success Services and free engineering tutoring also support students. “We have a number of programs to attract students to come here and ensure that once they come here, they remain successful.”


View article as single page

< Previous | Next >

2/4

The Magazine for Alumni and Friends of the University of Wyoming

About UWyo

Advertise

Subscribe

UWyo Archives

Contact Us

UWyo Magazine
University of Wyoming
Dept. 3226
1000 East University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071-2000
Phone: 307-766-2379
TTY: 307-766-6729
Email: uwyomag@uwyo.edu

Find us on Instagram (Link opens a new window)Find us on Facebook (Link opens a new window)Find us on Twitter (Link opens a new window)Find us on LinkedIn (Link opens a new window)Find us on YouTube (Link opens a new window)