Troy University’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering program is strengthening the bridge between classroom learning and professional practice through an ongoing Industry Speaker Series that brings engineers and industry leaders directly to students.

The series features professionals from local companies who share insights into engineering careers, emerging technologies and workplace expectations. Recent speakers included representatives from Lockheed Martin, KW Plastics, City of Troy Utilities and Kimber Manufacturing, Inc., offering students a firsthand look at how engineering concepts translate into real-world applications.

“The primary purpose of the industry talks was to connect classroom learning with real-world engineering practices,” said Dr. Raj Vinnakota, interim director of the Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences, EEE assistant professor and the program coordinator. “These sessions allow students to hear directly from industry professionals about current technologies, workflows, career pathways and expectations, while complementing what they are learning in our curriculum.”

Among the speakers was Christian Hood, a December 2024 TROY graduate who transitioned from nursing to engineering and now works as a test engineer at Lockheed Martin. Hood emphasized how TROY’s hands-on approach prepared him for his professional role.

“Everything I learned at TROY was useful,” he said. “Troubleshooting, hardware components and all of the labs were very hands-on, so that helped a lot when coming into my actual job.”

Beyond the classroom skills, Hood said his mentorship with Vinnakota was still ongoing and encouraged students to join the program and take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

“If anyone is thinking about joining this program, it’s not only beneficial to be in a great position for a professional career after graduating, but in life as well in gaining confidence in being a leader,” he said. “Even though we’re not his students anymore, he’s giving us the opportunity to be leaders and gain experience in speaking and teaching by asking us to present in his lecture series.”

Brady Barr, a May 2024 graduate and a 3D printing lab lead at Lockheed Martin, highlighted the value of the practical skills he developed during his time as a student as well as the support provided from his former professor.

“The electronics program gave us a really good introduction to the skills we need in this field. The 3D printingand modeling skills we used here are skills I use in my job now,” he said. “Dr. Vinnakota always did so much when we were students, and I know he’s trying to give as much real-world engineering experience as he can to the students now, so we wanted to give back with the time we have.”

KW Plastics Quality Manager Rahul Kher has twice visited the Introduction to Engineering classes to provide industry insights and discussed the ongoing collaboration opportunities between the company and TROY’s College of Science and Engineering. 

“Having a partnership with Dr. Vinnakota and the College helps us have research conducted when needed, but we’re also able to collaborate when they need guidance on the ongoing issues from an industry perspective,” he said. “We want students to have clarity on their options, not just in electrical engineering but mechanical, research or working in some other fashion within the industry—especially the options that are available to them locally.”

Vinnakota said the support of local industries strengthens the relevance of their curriculum, provides meaningful networking and internship opportunities for students, and helps ensure that TROY’s graduates are well prepared for the regional workforce

“These partnerships demonstrate industry confidence in our program and reinforce our shared goal of developing a strong pipeline of skilled engineers who can contribute to the community and the broader engineering profession,” he said. “Many students also benefited from learning about internships and entry-level roles. Overall, we hope students gained a clearer understanding of what the program offers and the diverse paths engineers can take after so they can enter the program with well-informed expectations and greater confidence in their academic path.”

For more information, visit the Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering website.