June 23, 2022
Take 6: Logan Noster, School of Engineering Education
Logan Noster is 2022 Purdue University alumnus who studied Multidisciplinary Engineering in the School of Engineering Education. Logan has a unique personal story about a time he was in the “right place at the right time.”
When Logan was receiving an award for outstanding academic achievement, he happened to be in the same room as Umesh Patel. Patel is the president of Cook Biotech and an alumnus of Interdisciplinary Engineering at Purdue who conducted research on small intestine submucosa (SIS) grafting, a medical graft that saved Logan’s life when he was nine months old.
A story about Noster’s connections with Patel through Cook Biotech’s SIS products and their academic engineering background is online. There is also a 10-minute video on YouTube.
Noster generously shared his time to answer our questions.
Question: What advice would you give to prospective students/professionals in your field?
Logan Noster: To prospective students in engineering education, I can’t give any higher recommendation than Multidisciplinary Engineering here at Purdue. This program has allowed me to blaze my own trail as an engineer at Purdue. This non-traditional approach to an ABET-accredited engineering degree allows students to make what they want of their education. This program has enabled me to exploit my personal skillset by allowing me to take nearly full control of my class schedule.
After four years of this program, I feel more than prepared for work in the engineering field and — more importantly — I am unique. I don’t believe there is or ever will be another engineer just like me anywhere else in the world.
Q: What are your special skills or unique talents?
Noster: I often pride myself on my visual and verbal communication skills. These have proven themselves invaluable as I have had to communicate with multidisciplinary teams. Being able to clearly convey complex ideas to a diverse audience is often the biggest barrier to success, as some of the best ideas can go unheard if not said loud enough.
Question: What’s a new and exciting technology or that you think should be on our radar?
Noster: The internet of things (IoT) should be on everybody’s radar. Most of us have already seen smart lights activated using voice commands, but the IoT goes much deeper than uses in the home. The IoT allows devices to communicate with each other in order to maximize efficiency, using machine learning to discern patterns and make iterative improvements based on these observations.
For example, in a world where all cars used the IoT to communicate with one another, traffic jams and car accidents would effectively be a thing of the past. While it feels like a burden now, expect more and more of your new appliances to have an associated app to connect it to other smart devices.”
Q: What is your differentiator, something that gives you a unique perspective, or your superpower?
Noster: My superpower is my appetite for success. I am quick to notice and diagnose problems when doing design work, and I won’t stop until they’re solved. It doesn’t matter if the problem is out of my skillset — because I will learn whatever is necessary to work through or around the problem.
Q: What is one thing in your life you use every day and could not live without?
Noster: I couldn’t live without a good pair of shoes. Whether it be to get to class, go to a team meeting, go out to eat, or just get some exercise, I’m always walking from place to place. I can’t ever stay put, so I am always burning through shoes. I’ve gone through at least one brand new pair of shoes every year here at Purdue.
Q: What is something you are excited about or looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Noster: I am excited to announce that I have accepted a mechanical engineering position with the Naval Nuclear Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I will be starting full-time there this summer, right after I get home from my graduation cruise. I am thrilled for this new beginning in a new city!
Thank you again Logan Noster for participating in Take 6!