29 September 1999 Steven Eckhardt ('78)

I am currently an optical engineer for 3M where I design electronic (LCD) projectors. After leaving Valpo, I went to University of Arizona and got an MS in Optics and started on my PhD. Then I ran out of money and was forced to take a job. I worked one year each for a medical optics company (intraocular lenses), a copier company (copiers), and Corning (precision molded glass lenses). I then returned to school and finished my PhD. I have been with 3M ever since, designing overhead projectors and LCD projectors.

During grad school, I had summer jobs in solar energy (at JPL) and designing spy telescopes. Anything the Valpo faculty can do to help students find career related summer jobs would be great.

I remember that during my first semester on campus, I showed my copy of Conrady's "Applied Optics and Optical Design" to the Optics & Astronomy prof and announced that I couldn't wait until I could take the optics course and learn more about this. His response was that this was more specialized than the optics course would allow, and that I'd have to wait for grad school to cover optical design. After that conversation, my whole purpose was to prepare for grad school. In the end, Valpo did a good job of preparing me. And, after 25 years, physics is still phun.

Steve