In celebration of #NationalSTEMDay on November 8, we’re excited to spotlight Reece Larson, a senior Mechanical Engineering student and Continuous Improvement Co-Op at our employer partner Amsted Rail’s Granite City plant.
Reece’s journey into engineering was inspired by a love for physics and math — and driven by a passion to keep learning, growing, and contributing to an ever-evolving industry.
In his co-op role, Reece collaborates with teams across all of Amsted Rail, developing documentation and models that streamline engineering processes and support continuous improvement. A recent design project challenged Reece to improve a machine’s efficiency by utilizing advanced heat transfer equations to optimize performance and reduce process times. By applying what he’s learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios, Reece has learned firsthand the success, drawbacks and the overall improvement of the changes he helped to facilitate.
“The co-op with Amsted Rail has drastically changed my view of learning from just a focus on equations and literature to taking the theory and understanding the applications,” Reece says. “Seeing how each class plays an important role in the entirety of the knowledge of the engineer has been substantially more impactful than what an academia-only point of view can offer.”
Amsted Rail are proud to support and mentor future STEM professionals like Reece who are fueled by passion and curiosity. As we celebrate National STEM Day, we’re inspired by Reece’s dedication and are excited to see the impact that the next generation of STEM leaders will have on the industry.
