Name: Joseph Spewock
Research areas of interest: Microwave NDE; Microwave Engineering
Anticipated graduation date: Fall 2026
Who or what inspired you to pursue your studies in NDE? I had already planned to pursue the NDE minor in conjunction with a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering because the subject sounded interesting to me. During the Principles of NDE class to obtain the minor, Dr. Reza Zoughi gave a guest lecture and mentioned that there were opportunities for undergraduate students to gain hands-on experience. I reached out afterward and was able to join the lab with a focus on microwave NDE and was able to work for Dr. Mohammad Tayeb Al Qaseer on multiple different projects for the last few years. The people there were insightful, I thought the field was fascinating, and I really enjoyed the work, even though it was technically outside my field of study. That experience motivated me to explore more electromagnetic topics, and I eventually took a related class during my undergraduate studies to see if I wanted to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering instead of aerospace engineering, which I am currently doing.
Briefly describe something you have learned or discovered during your time at CNDE that surprised you. I learned that I did not know a lot, and that while reading textbooks and classes are a good basis for learning, actual lab experience and using instrumentation is the most important thing to learn new, or in my case, foreign concepts.
What are your future career plans? After I graduate, I would like to go into an NDE role in the microwave engineering field, hopefully working for a company in the satellite, defense, or aerospace industry.