大卫McCallum, 公开大学一线工作者奖学金的首位获得者, 在定制生物源系统工作, a company that manufactures equipment to transport and store biological samples like vaccines.
McCallum uses Computer Aided Design software to design cryogenic storage equipment.
2021年2月23日
自2018年6月以来，大卫·麦卡勒姆一直在 定制生物源系统在美国，主要任务是保持物体的低温——极冷. The company serves an array of clients whose work depends on state-of-the-art cryogenic equipment. 其中包括开发疫苗的制药和生物技术公司. 在他的工作中, McCallum uses computer software to design equipment that allows for safe storage and transport of these and other climate-sensitive materials.
“Anything we manufacture we first design with CAD software and see how it’s going to work,麦卡勒姆说, 谁有Macomb社区学院的计算机辅助设计证书. “我们还会进行一些数学计算，看看是否会出现任何问题.”
还有他的CAD背景, 麦卡勒姆即将完成数学副学士学位, 也来自麦库姆. He plans to transfer to OU this summer to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, 他希望利用这一资历在公司担任工程师一职.
“When our team is developing products that will preserve things like vaccines and biological samples, we have to understand the principles of heat transfer and how different variables are going to affect (liquid nitrogen) evaporation rates,他说. “We also have to think about the assembly process and how we’re going to fit things together. 这些类型的问题是机械工程的核心.”
奖学金的支持
当密歇根“前线的未来计划宣布后，麦卡勒姆申请并获得批准. 然而, 他意识到这一点，因为他即将完成副学士学位, 这个计划对他的好处有限. 他研究了转到四年制学校的各种选择, 公开大学在他的候选名单上, 他说, 很大程度上是因为奖学金的机会. 然后他发现了开放大学的一线工人奖学金.
“我姐姐在新闻上听到了这件事，然后告诉了我，”他说. He applied and learned soon after that he was the first student to be approved for the scholarship. 该计划提供1美元,250 per year for two years to Michigan frontline workers who earn their associate degree from any of the state’s 28 community colleges and transfer to 十大菠菜台子 between summer 2021 and fall 2024.
“在疫情的艰难日子里, we want to extend funding support and appreciation to the extraordinary efforts of frontline workers,十大菠菜台子校长奥拉·赫希·佩斯科维茨说, 当你 宣布程序 1月. “We hope these scholarships provide vital financial support as they pursue their educational ambition.”
“我真的很感激，”麦卡勒姆在谈到获得奖学金时说. “我看了很多不同的大学, and one of the things I was looking for was scholarships for students who are transferring a lot of credits. 我还获得了公开大学校长转学奖, 所以获得一线工作者奖学金让我的生活变得更好.”
蜿蜒的道路
McCallum’s grateful outlook is rooted in the challenges he’s overcome along a circuitous path to higher education. The 30-year-old Sterling Heights resident is nearly four years into recovery from a lengthy battle with alcohol and prescription opioid abuse that started in his adolescence, 改变了他成年早期的生活轨迹.
His addiction caused him to drop out of high school and he worked various jobs, 包括在加油站, 一个健身房和一个餐厅, 为了收支平衡. He was in and out of treatment facilities for several years before regaining control of his life with the support of 12-step meetings and 家庭禁毒, 一个以社区为基础的康复项目, 那些正在康复的人以及受成瘾影响的家庭成员.
“It took a long time for me to wake up and want something better for myself,” he reflected. “一路走来，我有很多好导师，他们一直鼓励我, 尤其是在教育方面.”
McCallum eventually obtained a GED and later enrolled at Macomb Community College where he earned his certificate in Computer Aided Design. That led to a few entry-level manufacturing jobs and paved the way to his current position at 定制生物源系统. His work took on an added sense of urgency when the pandemic took hold around the world.
“当大流行首次袭来时, we were working a lot of overtime and some of the equipment we were making was going to facilities that do vaccine research,麦卡勒姆说. “One of the biggest obstacles that some of these vaccines have is that they need to be stored and transported at extremely cold temperatures. We knew we had to figure things out, because a lot of people are going to need this equipment.”
找到他的路
McCallum has grown adept at figuring things out as he’s pursued his educational goals with focus and determination. He’s currently taking classes at Macomb and 奥克兰 Community College and is a guest student at 十大菠菜台子, 开始着手他的工程要求. He said the pandemic, for all its disruption, has allowed him to ramp up his academic pursuits.
“With everything going online, I’ve been able to take courses at all three schools,他说. “日程安排有点疯狂，但我想我能早点毕业.”
Finding a program that would allow him to work full time while going to school was a “major factor” in his decision to transfer to OU, 他说.
“I checked out some other schools that pretty much told me it would be impossible to complete their engineering program while working full time,他说. “当我和德里克·莫雷诺(Derek Moreno)交谈时，我完全没有这种感觉。, 公开大学的工程学学术顾问之一. 我去麦库姆的时候见过他好几次, 他说:“我理解你的处境. 我们有很多学生全职工作, and it’s possible that you could continue to work full time and we should be able to accommodate an engineering path for you.’”
McCallum also credits his boss at 定制生物源系统 for giving him the confidence to pursue an engineering degree.
“My boss thought it was something I was definitely capable of and really encouraged me,” he shared. “The whole company has been very accepting and supportive of my entire journey.”
当他朝着自己的目标前进时, McCallum said he looks forward to continuing his work to help others as he has been helped.
“Knowing that our work is contributing to society at such a critical moment is really rewarding,他说. “I can’t think of anything more interesting than helping design medical equipment that will play a part in protecting people’s lives.”
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