Zane Rothe
A passion to build and design drove sophomore Zane Rothe to pursue mechanical engineering at MSOE.
“Ever since I joined a robotics team in eighth grade, I knew I wanted to be an engineer,” said Rothe. “I enjoyed designing, fabricating and assembling the parts for the robot. As I gained experience, leadership roles came my way. I had the opportunity to lead my high school robotics team’s mechanical subteam for three years and I was later elected captain of the entire team.”
Going to a university where his classmates would share his technical mindset was important to Rothe. MSOE’s ties to industry and hands-on labs were also major factors in his decision to enroll. Now well into his second year, he has enjoyed becoming more involved in a variety of areas across campus.
“MSOE offers so many opportunities for students to do the things they love. As a freshman I joined the SAE Formula Hybrid team, where I was a member of the chassis subteam. This year, I wanted to expand my knowledge, so I moved to the team’s powertrain subteam. I enjoy using the technical skills I learn in the classroom for this real-life project.”
In addition to SAE Formula Hybrid, Rothe is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and has been inducted into Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society. He is also a CREATE Student Fellow. As a Fellow, he works in the Nelson Prototype Lab on campus helping students use the different equipment such as 3-D printers. Students use the variety of maker spaces on campus to work on personal and class projects.
“I’m very proud to be a CREATE Student Fellow because this position gives me the opportunity to represent MSOE, showcase the institution's ideals and share my passion for creativity.”
Rothe’s passion for creativity is also seen in projects he works on in his free time.
“I like to golf, so I designed my own golf putter head in CAD and machined it using a mill and lathe. I’ve also built my own foundry where I melt scrap aluminum and pour sand casts. In my latest project, a digital alarm clock, I programmed an embedded computer, built my own circuit and housed it all in a custom 3D-printed case.”
As he continues his education, Rothe is excited to continue gaining experience both on campus and through internships. This past summer, he worked as an engineering design intern at Husco International within their Global Off-Highway Division designing assembly and testbed tooling for hydraulic valve manufacturing.