Kate Schneidau Wins Prestigious Scholarship for Additive Manufacturing

Kate Schneidau

University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering Graduate student Kate knew in her first month of work, that Additive Manufacturing (AM) was the field she wanted to dedicate her career to. “I think I was attracted to additive because it’s so new and something with a lot of growth,” she said. “They’re looking for engineers with the skillset of additive manufacturing and it’s not just one industry – it’s automotive, aerospace and medical components. Having the ability to learn the process, I don’t feel like I’m being constricted in my imagination where my future can take me.”

Kate, currently pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, has been awarded the Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship from the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG). The Scholarship—founded by Guy’s wife, Renee Bourdeau, and financially supported by Cimquest, Inc.—is awarded annually to one college student.

The scholarships honor and recognize educational leaders, including one student and one teacher that have a passion for AM, said Brett Charlton, chair of the AMUG Scholarship Committee. “The talent pool made it a challenge to select the right individuals, but both of our recipients are amazing and truly deserving of this honor,” he said.

In addition to Kate’s award, Chris Kaminsky, Lakeshore Fab Lab manager at the Muskegon Community College, has been awarded the Randy Stevens Scholarship, founded by Randy’s employer, In’Tech Industries, awarded annually to one educator that emphasizes or focuses on additive manufacturing.

With these recognitions, Kate and Chris will engage with additive manufacturing (AM) users and be recognized at the AMUG Conference, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois in March 2020.

“By being able to go to AMUG, I’m able to keep up with trends, gauge a little bit about what different industries are looking at when it comes to additive manufacturing, and make those networking connections to help me decide where my future’s going to take me,” said Kate.

Her first exposure to AM was through an engineering co-op at UofL’s Additive Manufacturing Institute of Science and Technology (AMIST) where she learned a variety and system operations and additive technologies. As a graduate research assistant, Kate was able to share her learnings with others by training and mentoring new co-op engineers to operate the AM equipment. Through her research, Kate has noticed a trend in the lack of available resources on AM.

“There is a growing demand for engineers and technicians with technical knowledge of AM processes right out of school,” Kate said. “We need to develop a curriculum or a system across all universities that’s a result of engaging with industry, to find out what they’re looking for in skillset, and how can we put that into an educational program for up-and-coming engineers to get the jump ahead to help lead them into additive. In the future, I hope my work with AM training contributes to the creation of a technically competent workforce.”