Caleb Nolen was initially drawn to MSOE for its lacrosse program and stuck around after learning of the university’s high ranking and prestige. The Wheaton, Illinois native traveled north to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

“I chose mechanical engineering because I like the diverse academic background it provides me with and the wide range of job opportunities,” said Nolen.

Mechanical engineering at MSOE is nationally ranked and opens students to a variety of specializations including mechanical design (solid mechanics, machine dynamics and medical applications), energy systems (renewable energy, aerodynamics, thermal systems and fluid power) and materials/manufacturing (metals, polymers, composites and processing).

Nolen extends his mechanical engineering interest by working at the MSOE Fluid Power Institute™ (FPI). Under staff supervision, students at the FPI work on projects for outside clients and participate in academic research, enhancing their education and gaining valuable experience for their future careers.

When Nolen isn’t on the lacrosse field or in the classroom, he participates in the CREATE Institute as a student fellow. The CREATE Institute fosters the MSOE Mindset, which blends MSOE’s mission, vision and commitments with elements related to the Servant-Leader Mindset and the Entrepreneurial mindset to ensure students receive well-rounded, high-impact educational experiences.

As a student fellow, Nolen plans to work with other fellows to help facilitate implementation of the CREATE Institute’s goals.

“I think it is important for education to move towards experiential based learning and application of knowledge assessments.”

Outside of school, Nolen owns his own startup company that offers an online payment system for cryptocurrency exchange platforms. He also enjoys spending his free time fixing motorcycles and cars and training in mixed martial arts. Over the summer he worked as a summer camp counselor and coached lacrosse.