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George Cahen prepared me for a daunting internship in
just one semester — and that was only the beginning.
As a first-year SEAS student in Professor Dana Elzey’s
“Intro to Engineering” class, I expressed interest in an
engineering internship in Germany. Professor Elzey secured
an internship for me
in the R&D office of
the materials science
department at Mercedes-
Benz. There was only
one problem: I had no
knowledge of materials
science. I polled
faculty and friends and
everyone said, “To learn
it comprehensively and
quickly, take Professor
Cahen’s class.” Everyone
was right. Professor
Cahen is a natural
teacher and has the
ability to break down
complex subject matter so that students can understand it.
In one semester, he taught me the materials science basics I
needed to succeed in my internship.
Later, I joined the U.Va. motor sports team and took
the required “Intro to Motor Sports” class. Professor Cahen
was one of the teachers. I’ll never forget the day when, to
reinforce our knowledge of suspension systems, he brought
in a variety of cars. That’s when I started going to Professor
Cahen about car — and life — advice. What classes should
I take? Which car should I buy? What would you do in this
situation? He always had time to help me — especially as I
navigated the international patent process for my firefighting
tool redesign and, as a Truman Scholar, proposed legislation
on sprinkler systems. He
became my mentor and
friend; his breadth of
knowledge and positive
outlook on life became my
inspirations.
After graduation, I
traveled to Ireland on a
Mitchell Scholarship and
received a diploma in
fire safety and protection
from Trinity College
in Dublin. I worked in
Washington, D.C., as a
management consultant
for fire departments before
returning to Charlottesville
in July 2007 to take
post-graduate systems
engineering courses and
work as a firefighter. The
best part about returning to
SEAS? The frequency with which I see Professor Cahen —
one of the best professors and role models I’ve ever had.
--Markus Weisner (Engr Sci ’05)
Truman Scholar, Mitchell Scholar,
international patent holder, firefighter
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