In 1951, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) founded Engineers Week (EWeek). The week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. This week, Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions (AVTCs) honor the outstanding EcoCAR engineers both past and present, and are proud to welcome a familiar face to the AVTC Organizing team, David Ord.
Ord, a systems modeling and controls engineer at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), has a tremendous passion for engineering and the education of STEM related fields. Ord previously worked at the Ford Motor Company as a propulsion controls engineer before joining ANL last month to work on AVTCs.
“So far in my career, taking on roles in teaching and mentorship have been the roles I have been most passionate about” said Ord. “Finding people who are willing to learn is really exciting, they make the best engineers and make teaching an exciting and rewarding experience.”
Ord’s passion for engineering began when he was an undergraduate student at Radford University studying business. Through his time at Radford, he re-evaluated what he wanted to do and transferred to Virginia Tech (VT) to pursue engineering. At VT, Ord joined the EcoCAR 2 team for is senior design project under the controls sub-team. His primary role was working on the vehicle plant model and updating it to reflect the team’s chosen architecture.
“Participating in EcoCAR as a student was a great experience and really was the basis for my entire career,” said Ord. “It is fascinating how one seemingly tiny forgettable choice like choosing the controls team instead of the mechanical team can change the entire course of your life.”
Ord’s new role at ANL will allow him to work with university teams and work directly with students to help them reimagine their future in engineering while they participate in AVTCs.
EWeek helps to highlight the accomplishments of engineers and educate the youth about the importance of engineering in day-to-day life, and Ord recognizes all of the outstanding engineering concepts around him.
According to Ord, “Everything in our world is designed by an engineer, the monitor you are looking at, the keyboard you are using to type or the headphones you are listening to music on.” He adds, “Cars, air planes, space ships, boats, so many things we just assume they “work because they work”, but they work because engineers put in the time and effort to build a more interesting world for us to live in.”
Ord’s career in engineering has already taken many shapes and roles, there is no telling where his path will take him into the future. Engineers can reimagine what is possible and help to build a better world, one innovation at a time.
