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Helping Develop the Workforce of the Future
03/07/2019
Re-imagining how things work and how to make things better comes as second nature to an engineer. That curiosity and creativity is what helped Gemma DiChristina focus on graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from Louisiana State University.
“I’ve always had a passion for physics and math,” Gemma said. “When I was young, I realized that I wanted to be the person that designed, built and made things that helped people, which is what brought me to mechanical engineering.”
The Entergy Capstone Design Classroom at Louisiana State University will give students like Gemma a place to explore beyond textbooks and focus on hands-on experimentation.
The Entergy-funded facility is within the Patrick F. Taylor Hall, a lab and classroom complex designed to promote innovative research and classroom teaching on how engineering can impact global industries, including the energy sector.
Gemma, who also is the president of the LSU Society of Women Engineers, said students have access to opportunities that allow them to dive in to real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and math.
“Engineering students across all fields have an opportunity to share ideas, brainstorm, get homework help and interact with faculty in the new space,” Gemma said. “The newly designed hall and classrooms give us a more collaborative environment. It’s the kind of place that you don’t mind spending the day in, because you have access to some of the brightest minds and future engineers.”
Entergy Louisiana’s commitment to supporting the future workforce of engineers is why the company funded The Entergy Capstone Design Classroom.
Entergy Louisiana benefits directly from the College of Engineering at LSU because the school is helping to build a pipeline of skilled, high-performing and diverse graduates to draw from when making hiring decisions.
“Entergy Louisiana is proud to support initiatives that help students do extraordinary things and prepare them for their future careers. Companies like ours will be looking to the next generation of innovators to help with the evolution of the energy grid,” Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana, said.
“The Entergy Capstone Design Classroom will help lay the foundation for developing tomorrow’s engineers - engineers with an incredible spirit that see things and know they can make them better,” May said.
