Luke Millen

Soon after graduating, Luke Millen (’15) fulfilled a lifelong dream of serving in the military and was commissioned as an officer in the Civil Engineer Corps of the United States Navy. These officers are the Navy’s uniformed professional engineers and architects who manage and provide engineering support to all Navy and Marine Corps installations across the globe, as well as lead Seabees in contingency engineering and construction.

Millen’s first duty station was in the Public Works Department of Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, Illinois. After spending 8 months as a construction manager, overseeing various construction and renovation projects across the installation, he soon transitioned into an Assistant Public Works Officer role, where he managed the short and long-term maintenance of about 80 buildings.

More recently, he completed dive school at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center and qualified as a Joint Diving Officer. Soon, he will report to Underwater Construction Team One to serve as the Officer in Charge of a Construction Dive Detachment. In this role, he will lead a group of highly skilled Seabees in the inspection, maintenance, and construction of waterfront facilities across the globe.

“Although I am not in the tried and true environmental engineering industry, I still do greatly value the education I received from EEE at Purdue,” said Millen. “Through a diverse set of courses, EEE gave me the ability to see a problem from a mechanical, civil, agricultural, and of course environmental engineering perspective. This skill has proven valuable in an industry where I may encounter a problem rooted in any engineering discipline.”

When asked what one message was he would like to pass on to current EEE students, Millen said, “lifelong learning shouldn’t ever stop or slow down. Don’t wait for the training and preparation for that upper-level management or supervisory job to come to you, because the opportunity to take the job might come first. Work towards your professional registration, immerse yourself in the business and economics of your industry, and always strive to improve your leadership skills so that you are prepared when it’s your time.”

Katelyn Edward

Katelyn Edward, one of the first two graduates following the EEE plan of study in Multidisciplinary Engineering, spent the first five and a half years of her career working as an environmental consultant for Environmental Resources Management (ERM). With ERM she was located in Charleston, West Virginia, Chicago, Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana. With her time at ERM, Katelyn gained experience in legacy soil and groundwater remediation, multi-media environmental compliance auditing, environmental compliance support in manufacturing and the oil and gas industry, as well as corporate sustainability reporting for several Fortune 500 companies.

Most recently, Katelyn has relocated to South Bend, Indiana and works as a Senior Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) Engineer at Honeywell Aerospace. In her current role, Katelyn manages the Site’s Title V program and provides technical support while maintaining compliance with all health, safety, and environmental regulations.

With the invaluable skillset acquired during her time at Purdue, Edward is thankful for the lessons in taking a systems approach to problem-solving. “[EEE] provided a well-rounded engineering curriculum which now helps me communicate with multidisciplinary stakeholders in solving complex Health, Safety and Environmental issues with production and engineering elements,” said Edward. The challenges of the Purdue Engineering Program provided Katelyn with a strong technical skillset that she applies in identifying and implementing engineering solutions.  

Her advice for students is simple, “be open to all opportunities and do not be afraid to move for those opportunities. Also, seek out the guidance and experience available from the EEE professors and the industry professions they are connected with.”