Member of the Month - September 2019
Meet September's ASNE Member of the Month - Mike Pyryt! Read on to learn a bit more about Mike in his interview with Membership Manager Michelle.
Michelle: What got you into Naval Engineering? (What specific event or moment).
Mike: My father worked at Lockheed Martin when I was growing up, and when I was a kid I got the chance to tour the Navy facility in Moorestown, NJ. Apparently I told my parents that day that I wanted to work on this kind of stuff when I grew up. As an undergrad I had the opportunity to do my co-ops at the Navy and it just progressed from there.
Michelle: What is a fun fact most people don't know about you?
Mike: I used to work on a local farm when I was a kid. When I was 12, I could back a 20 foot trailer into a tight space using a tractor. Now I'm so out of practice I can barely parallel park a car.
Michelle: What is one engineer/scientist/ or mathematician dead or alive would you like to meet?
Mike: Nikola Tesla had so many great inventions, he changed the world. But I always felt like he could have done so much more if he'd had a little more business sense. It would be amazing to be able have a conversation with him.
Michelle: If you could engineer your perfect concession stand/food truck, what would it be?
Mike: A grease truck that would run off of biodiesel from the recycled oil. The smell of french fries always brings me back to the boardwalk.
Michelle: Why are you a member of ASNE?
Mike: Naval engineering cuts across a very broad spectrum. ASNE helps me stay up to date on progress in other capacities of the Navy that I'm not familiar with, and also keeps me abreast of developments in the commercial realm.
Michelle: What does "Naval Engineering" mean to you?
Mike:For me, it means using my talents and education to support the men and women in the armed forces that have sacrificed for our freedom. I look at my job as doing my small part to help make their lives easier, safer, and better, and support their efforts around the world.