Dayton Engineer

Before Michael Mongin '19 was an engineer for the Air Force Research Laboratory, before getting a master's degree, and before his research experiences and internships, he took a chance at 25 years old to pursue a bachelor's degree at UD.

Mongin's nontraditional route to school began when he was working as a media technician. He noticed his desire to dissect problems he encountered instead of simply finding solutions, so he spent the next two years taking night classes at Sinclair Community College before applying to University of Dayton's mechanical and aerospace engineering program.

"It's super easy to think, 'I'm not going to be able to re-enter the academic sphere.' Turning your brain on for learning, integrating with students who are younger than you — it psyched me out," Mongin said. "The reality was that within two months, I was in an awesome cohort, I joined a student club and got to know them; I was able to find a really good group of friends."

More than friends, Mongin found a sense of belonging, community and purpose, and not just through interactions with his peers.

Support came from generous donors, too. According to Mongin, his hopes and prayers to attend UD were answered with a financial aid package that included the Forever Flyer Grant, a grant given by UD to eligible students determined by their FAFSA filing information, and the Danis family endowed scholarship.

He also credits staff and faculty for their encouragement to explore opportunities like UD's Summer Undergraduate Research Experience and the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Pathways Internship Program.

Working with UD Professor Sid Gunasekaran in the low-speed wind tunnel lab, in particular, helped Mongin gain critical exposure and skills. He built off of their work as an aerospace engineering master's student in UD's Bachelor's Plus Master's Program and began utilizing the water tunnel lab equipment at UD, which was only being used occasionally for class demonstrations.

After giving the equipment new life by refurbishing  and preparing it for research-grade studies, he worked on research that propelled him into the work he's doing today as an aerospace research engineer with AFRL at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Mongin even won a Civilian Category I of the year award in 2020 from AFRL's Aerospace Systems Directorate for his research.

"It's kind of cool because not many positions allow us to have this kind of collaboration as a government researcher in a university lab," Mongin said. "It's a niche case where Sid and I have a good research and working relationship. I can come here and conduct research in this lab alongside students and get his advice on things, and it works out well for both parties."

Mongin works with a UD graduate research assistant in addition to engaging undergraduate students with design projects, continuing the UD culture of involvement and encouragement that he knows so well.

"It was super impactful to me to come in and feel so invited and welcomed in a time when I was unsure about what things were going to look like, so I've always thought it would be cool to extend that same experience in whatever way possible," Mongin said. "Any time I can advise or help a student get a picture of the real world, I will, because that was afforded to me and helped me get to where I am now."