Student Spotlight: Graduating Senior Chase Edwardson

A spring 2026 mechanical engineering graduate, Chase Edwardson reflects on an engineering journey shaped by curiosity, hands-on experience, and discovery. Drawn early to building and problem-solving, he ultimately found his niche in mechanical engineering, where his interests in manufacturing and metallurgy took root. Along the way, impactful mentors, collaborative student teams, and industry internships helped refine both his skills and his direction. Now, Chase leaves campus with a strong foundation, a clear passion for manufacturing, and a full-time role waiting just ahead.

What has your engineering journey been like? Did you ‘always’ want to be an engineer?

My engineering journey has not been a straight line. I was exposed to plenty of hands-on work from a young age, whether it was helping with the family’s fishing cabin business or working on something in the garage with my father. In school, I was always fascinated by my STEM courses. As high school was ending, I was keeping an open mind to all options, from marine biology to archaeology. But all arrows were pointing towards becoming an engineer to experience the best of both worlds for hands-on scientific problem solving! In some sense however, I did not know where the engineering world would bring me to and never knew how much I wanted to become one until my time here at UW-Madison.

How did you decide to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical engineering provides a great foundation for multiple engineering disciplines. Throughout college, I could not decide on what I wanted to focus on within engineering, whether it be controls or aerospace, but my heart eventually found a passion for manufacturing engineering and metallurgy. The manufacturing engineering certificate provided great classes for me to take and learn more about this side of mechanical engineering.

Can you share more about your research interests and expertise?

I have taken multiple technical electives for the manufacturing engineering certification to broaden my fundamental knowledge for manufacturing processes and material science, such as advanced metal casting, advanced materials selection, macro-processing of materials, metal cutting and advanced automation integration. All these classes have taught me all the different breadths that manufacturing can cover.

Did any mentors/professors make an impact on your experience during your time at UW-Madison?

Dr. Frank Pfefferkorn and Dr. Michael DeCicco have been excellent mentors to me during my time here. Dr. Pfefferkorn has been very supportive of my metal casting pursuits and has provided a lot of guidance, opportunities, and tools for how to achieve my goals. He was also supportive as a faculty advisor for the Cast in Steel team I lead. Dr. DeCicco taught metal casting and the advanced materials selection courses I took and has been very supportive and insightful for my career endeavors. He has also assisted me in advising casting projects outside of coursework as well. Both professors have encouraged me to chase my goals and grow as an engineer. I am very grateful to have their mentorship.

Another shoutout I would like to give is the other Cast in Steel team comprised of seniors and a master’s student in MS&E: Dominic Chione, Marisa Holding, Laney Zuelsdorff, Ivan Cermak, and Wen-Yo Yen. Mechanical engineering is great at providing an elementary foundation for disciplines such as material science, and this group has been nothing but supportive and enthusiastic in teaching me the scope of metallurgy that material science students learn.

Are you involved in any student organizations? Which ones and what is your involvement?

I am involved in two student organizations: Cast in Steel and Wisconsin Robotics. Cast in Steel is a metal casting competition that challenges student teams to design, cast, and test a historical weapon that is crafted entirely from scratch. This year was a horseman’s axe. I served as the team lead for one of the two competing teams from UW-Madison and was actively involved in the entire process for the axe, from designing at the laptop to hours spent polishing the axe head. Our team ended up taking first place this year out of 58 teams!

Wisconsin Robotics participates in a University Rover Challenge where we design and create a mock rover from scratch to qualify for a competition that puts our rover to the test. This year, I served as a mechanical lead and primarily worked on the arm while overseeing other mechanical projects from start to finish. This year, we are qualified and heading to competition in Utah at the end of May!

Please share any internship/co-op experiences. What did you do there and why was it worthwhile?

During my time at UW-Madison, I have had a co-op at Mercury Marine as a manufacturing engineer. I was responsible for sustaining and improving the manufacturing processes for all lower unit parts that make up a Mercury motor with an emphasis on gear machinery. I also utilized Creo and AutoCAD for creating fixtures to aid in the process of quality tests and worked together with shop toolmakers. Other responsibilities I was given were improving rework/scrap processes and improvement in ergonomics for operating machinery.

I also worked as a quality engineer at Milwaukee Tool for a summer internship. I was responsible for leading improvement projects on quality management software for the company and learned PowerBI skills to reduce PSI tracking downtime.

These internships in the manufacturing industry strongly influenced my passion for manufacturing engineering as a whole and taught me skills that you could only learn through the experience itself. It also gives you an amazing opportunity to truly explore what you want to learn and pursue for a career with the temporary employment for permanent experience and memories.

What are your plans for after graduation?

After graduation, I will be traveling with family and friends for vacation and for the rover competition. Following soon after, I will be working at Willman Industries as a Plant Metallurgist for a full-time job! My studies through the UW-Madison College of Engineering have taught me more than I could have ever imagined and showed me all the paths for how to pursue my interests. The professors and classmates I have met here made me who I am today. I am grateful to have gone to such an amazing University!

All images provided by Chase Edwardson