Most students working toward a graduate degree follow the standard path when it comes to their education – graduate from high school, apply to colleges, earn a bachelor’s degree, choose a graduate school, and work on-campus to finish either a Master’s, PhD, or both – but not Melissa Ver Meer.
Melissa’s post high school education started with the on-campus experience and she graduated with a MSE Master’s degree in 2002. After graduation, she took a short break from school and started working for Schlumberger. In 2004, she began working on
her PhD, but not by following the standard path – she worked on her PhD degree entirely off-campus and graduated in 2010. She credits her dream becoming a reality to the wonderful collaboration of several professors and their willingness to make the situation work for her. She not only managed to finish her doctoral degree working entirely off-campus, but finished it as a wife, mom, and full-time employee. Her Iowa State accomplishments have supercharged her career and allowed her to dream big.
The rigor of the courses coupled with the passion of the faculty in MSE provided a love of materials science and engineering that remains with Melissa today. She now works for Honeywell FM&T in Kansas City and is a proud Cyclone alum who encourages future engineering students to examine the world of options MSE can provide.