Christian Wiles – Distinguished Graduate
Christian Wiles
B.S.E in Mechanical Engineering
Graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, Kansas
Wiles is a student in ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College. He was a National Merit Scholar in high school and was awarded the ASU New American University Scholarship, and the UMB Count-On-More Scholarship. He has made the Fulton Schools of Engineering Dean’s List each semester he has been at ASU. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, The National Engineering Honor Society.
Why did you choose to come to ASU?
Barrett was an important reason for me coming to ASU. I was excited to have the experiences of a small academic community and the resources of a large university. Also, the emphasis on undergraduate research in the Fulton Schools of Engineering was an attractive factor.
What led you to choose to study engineering and to decide on the specific major you chose?
Throughout high school I always gravitated toward math and science. Something about the analytical aspect of it appealed to me. I chose mechanical engineering because mechanics felt more intuitive to me than other disciplines.
Did you participate in the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative (FURI) program, Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) or any student organizations?
I participated in FURI for two semesters and eventually spun it off into my Barrett honors thesis. I studied the effects of rescaling potential functions for coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of polyethylene.
I also participated in EPICS, mainly as a team leader on a project designing an outdoor exhibit dealing with the Urban Heat Island effect in Phoenix. I also served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the EPICS program.
Was there a particular “Ah-Ha!” moment when you knew that you were on the right path in your college studies?
I knew mechanical engineering was the career path for me within the first few weeks of interning for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Seeing how what I had been studying was applied in the real life made it click. After graduation I’m moving to Michigan to work at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. I’ll also be pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.