Student Spotlight

Meet Aaron Christiansen, a Draper, Utah native and master’s student in manufacturing engineering. Aaron balances a laid-back and deeply passionate attitude about the process of making things. He began his education at BYU planning to study in electrical or computer engineering, but his focus shifted from hardware and circuits to getting into more hands-on engineering.

After bouncing briefly through the programs, he landed on manufacturing engineering at an info night. "I wanted to be in the action of making things,” Aaron said. “Being involved in actually creating things, it just made more sense for me.”

He decided to pursue a master’s somewhat spontaneously as he did research with Professor Hovanski. Aaron laughs when he reflects on the friendly pressure from Professor Hovanski, which led to him pursuing more schooling instead of working in industry. “The opportunity was there, and it sounded like a good deal,” Aaron says.

He went on a unique study abroad in his undergraduate years: the business school Levinthal Fellowship, a program where he attended lectures, learned from business-oriented people, and helped small businesses in Mexico City improve and grow.

“Honestly, I made money off the study abroad,” Aaron says. “It was all paid for. It was a great time.”

He decided to try researching with the additive friction stir welding team during the summer, which became an important part of his BYU experience. His chosen research discipline made him familiar with a promising, progressing field.

“It’s basically 3D printing with metal rods shoved together, thousands of pounds of force, and hundreds of degrees,” Aaron says. “It was intense but super cool.”

When it comes to feeling included in the college, Aaron points straight to the faculty, who gather students in manufacturing engineering’s small, tight-knit program.

“Everyone cares for each other, so much so that a professor who left years ago, who I bumped into at the grocery store still remembered my name and the project I worked on in his class,” Aaron says.

His biggest advice for current students? “Don’t be afraid to be the stupid person in the room,” he says. “Ask the hard questions. You’re never going to learn deeply if you’re afraid to ask. Most people probably have the same questions anyway.”

Aaron’s favorite resources on campus are the project support centers and manufacturing labs that let him get hands-on. They allow him to do projects he loves with readily-available and affordable pieces. “They’re super helpful down there,” Aaron says.

His favorite engineering classes have dealt with materials—plastics and metals—which he would specialize in if he had the opportunity. He still uses the standing desk he built for one of those courses. “I designed it for a project, and I’m still using it today,” Aaron says.

As for the most important question of all (his favorite color), Aaron refuses to be boxed in. “It switches,” he admits. The custom paint job on his car, a blue and black two-tone mix inspired by newer Mustangs, hints strongly at his true pick: maybe blue, maybe turquoise, maybe both.