222 Palisades Creek Drive
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Phone: 972-952-9393
Fax: 972-952-9435
Email: [email protected]
Virginia Tech
Electrical Engineering
Hannah Peterson
What are your career goals?
My career goals are to complete both my BS and MS in Electrical Engineering (Power and Energy Systems) before pursuing my MBA. I’d like to work at the intersection between the technical side of the energy field and business strategy.
Do you have any research areas of interest specific to your discipline?
A few of my top interests right now include power system protection, battery design, and renewable energy integration. I’m especially interested in how we can design energy systems that are not only more sustainable, but also more resilient and reliable.
What is one piece of advice you have for fellow engineering students?
If you can, pursue opportunities outside of your major. Most, if not all, teams in industry are interdisciplinary, and every job will come with a learning curve. I think it’s important to challenge yourself and build skills in areas you may not be as familiar with. Getting comfortable with being new to something can be one of the best ways to grow as an engineer.
What has been your favorite engineering course and why?
Embedded Systems has been one of my favorite engineering courses. Before taking it, I never really saw myself as much of a programmer. What made the class so impactful was being able to take something I had designed in code and actually interact with it physically through the gameboard. Seeing an idea go from lines of code to something I could hold, test, and experience was really eye-opening. It changed the way I viewed programming and showed me how powerful it can be as an engineering tool.
Which clubs, campus organizations, and activities do you participate in?
On campus, I am involved with the Resilient Renewable Energy Grid Adaptation Laboratory (REGAL), E2E Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Team, The Consulting Group at Virginia Tech (CGVT), College of Engineering (COE) Dean’s Team, ECE Ambassadors, IC CAE Scholars, and Residential Well-Being.
What are you most looking forward to gaining from being an FE ambassador?
I’m most looking forward to helping students feel more confident taking the next step toward professional licensure and, more broadly, help students understand and embrace the role engineers play in society.