Student Spotlight - Kirn Cramer
Name: Kirn Augusta Cramer
Hometown: The Woodlands, Texas
Year: Master's student
Major: Materials engineering
Previous degrees: Bachelor's in materials engineering
While searching for the right university to get her undergraduate education, Kirn Cramer visited Auburn University. She immediately noticed the beautiful campus and the friendliness of the faculty and students. She toured the College of Engineering, already knowing her major would be materials engineering. Although her tour guide was not familiar with the major, he took her to Wilmore Laboratories and she was able to talk with a professor about the program. The professor ended up giving Kirn and her family a full tour of the laboratories while telling her of the opportunities she would have to research there as an undergraduate. "This professor made me feel that as a student, I was of great value to the university, even before I completed the application process," Kirn says.
After Kirn's father, who is a mechanical engineer, explained to her all the different fields of engineering when she was in high school, she decided that materials sounded like the best option for her because of the brevity of applications related to the field. "I also really liked the fact that materials engineers can investigate the reasons certain reactions happen in certain ways by studying micrometer scaled evidence that could ultimately have an effect on a building size scale," she says.
Auburn Engineering has become Kirn's second home with motivating professors, students and mentors who drive her to succeed now that she is a graduate student. They all urged her and other students to take advantage of co-ops or internships before graduating. Kirn did both, and was able to see that the Auburn Engineering community spans much farther than Auburn. "I have gained a sense of community," says Kirn. "It's a community that will stay with me long after I retire."
Kirn's best memories so far have been while co-oping at the Harley-Davidson Talladega Test Facility. She was able to see her career aspirations first hand. "Working full-time and taking my career for a test ride was so cool," she says. "It gave me the opportunity to see how applications from other majors could be applied to my work."
She is also grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with others while completing her co-op experience. "It is a great way to learn how to work successfully with people who have many different skills and abilities," she says.
