Student Blends Engineering, Writing, and International Business

Story Posted: Thu, Apr 12, 2007

By Rachel Partin

An Oregon State University student is taking his love of writing and travel into the engineering and business world. Douglas Van Bossuyt, a senior in mechanical engineering with a minor in business administration, is a member of both the Honors College and the International Degree program. The theses required for both programs enable him to write extensively about his international experiences in engineering.

Van Bossuyt began his international experiences at home. He was brought up in a multi-cultural environment, despite being from the small rural town of Newberg, Oregon. While growing up, his family hosted six exchange students from Central and Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Japan. Van Bossuyt likewise participated in exchange programs in Japan and Germany before attending OSU.

Van Bossuyt began exploring the connection between business and engineering early in his undergraduate career through the Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program (MECOP). He participated in two MECOP internships: at Freightliner, LLC in 2004 and Electro Scientific Industries in 2006. Though MECOP internships are typically done in two successive years, Van Bossuyt was able to “pause” his internship eligibility while he went abroad for one year. “The MECOP office was fantastic to work with,” said Van Bossuyt. “They were very accommodating and supportive of my desire to go international.”

Though he has traveled widely with his family, Van Bossuyt’s interest in international engineering and business truly accelerated after coming to OSU. He decided to join the first ever OSU study abroad group to Tunisia in 2004. “The study abroad in Tunisia was an excellent program and I’m very happy I chose it,” said Van Bossuyt. Like many travelers, he kept a journal and wrote a great deal while he was there. “My Honors thesis is a collection of writings about my time in Tunisia both in the literal and the metaphorical life-journey or lessons-learned sense,” said Van Bossuyt.

After completing the academic program, he remained in Tunisia to participate in IE3 internships at an American research library and a marble manufacturing plant where he provided a feasibility analysis for automated industrial processing equipment. “Working in the industrial labor force in a foreign country really challenged and improved my language skills while allowing me to use my engineering talents in a new environment,” said Van Bossuyt. This internship will be the subject of his International Degree thesis, which will be a comparison of mechanical engineering practices in Tunisia and the United States.

In the summer of 2005, he became a DAAD-RISE research fellow at a university in Germany where he received a stipend from the German government to help develop humanoid robotic shoulders for robots that would be used to help humans with everyday activities such as opening jars or cleaning.

The field of robotics has long-interested Van Bossuyt. He was part of a team of OSU undergraduate students who designed a robot that simulated land mine clean-up and disposal for the 2004 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) design contest. The project, nicknamed “Jaywalker,” won first place in the Region 8 design contest and fifth place in the international competition. Van Bossuyt hopes for similar success with a project he is currently working on for the 2008 ASME human-powered submarine contest.

Van Bossuyt became involved with ASME when he was a freshman and was elected co-class representative the next year. He has also been influential in the growth of the OSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders and currently serves as president of the group, whose main service project is installing a potable water system in rural El Salvador. He stays active in the Honors College as well by serving as an Honors College student ambassador, student entrance exam adjudicator, and chief editor of The Chronicle, the Honors College student magazine.

The love of writing leads Van Bossuyt to not only dedicate his time to The Chronicle, but to other student writers as well. As a writing assistant at the OSU Writing Center, he helps students with all aspects of the writing process. His engineering background makes him a valuable resource for technical writing assignments. “One of the things I really enjoy about working at the Writing Center is interacting with people from different disciplines,” said Van Bossuyt. “Sure I’m assisting them, but I’m also learning from what they’ve written about whatever discipline they’re in.”

His work in the Writing Center has enabled him to work on dissertations with several PhD candidates. “These dissertations have helped me see what’s in store for the future,” said Van Bossuyt, who plans on pursuing his master’s in mechanical engineering at OSU before attaining his master’s in business administration. He plans on aggressively pursuing an international career in engineering while maintaining a secondary career in writing.