Cole Michaels

Mechanical systems engineering graduate Cole Michaels chose Arizona State University because it was an affordable in-state university with a reputable engineering program.

With strengths in math and physics, Michaels was drawn to engineering.

He received various grants and the New American University Provost’s Award as an incoming undergraduate student, further committing him to his path at The Polytechnic School, one of the six schools in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.

Michaels worked hard and had continued success in his engineering courses, maintaining a regular spot on the dean’s list.

“I was not expecting all of the hands-on projects and sense of camaraderie,” he says. “I enjoyed working together toward a common goal with my fellow students especially in the Innovation Hub and the Peralta Engineering Studios.”

Michaels discovered that the problem-solving skills that engineering requires is what makes it fun.

“I really enjoyed my team’s capstone project, which was to create and test an improved acoustic metamaterial duct liner for Honeywell Aerospace using additive manufacturing,” Michaels says. “We succeeded in our goal of damping the noise traveling through the ducts.”

During his time at ASU, Michaels says Associate Professor Pavlos Mikellides impacted him the most. 

“He was my professor for Thermo-Fluids I and demanded nothing but excellence from his students. This pushed me to study hard,” Michaels says. “He is a great teacher and lecturer and after his class and all the work it required, I truly felt like I was an engineer.”

Outside of the classroom, Michaels coached junior high basketball and helped lead a Bible study. 

“It was important for me to continue to be involved in the church and the Word of God, even while managing my academic and extracurricular schedule,” he says.

Following graduation, Michaels will launch into his career at Honeywell Aerospace in the Phoenix metro area. 

“My long-term career goals are to work as an engineer to the best of my ability in a field where I can make a difference.” 

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Spring 2021 class here.