• Explore
    • Travel
    • Recreation
    • Travel Guides
    • Attractions Directory
    • Hotels Directory
    • Shopping Directory
  • Food
    • Donuts & Coffee Challenge
    • Pizza Challenge
    • Takeout Challenge
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Drinks
    • Recipes
    • Dining Directory
  • Education
    • Education Directory
  • Arts
    • at the Maker’s Table
    • Theater + Dance
    • Music
    • Visual Arts
    • Party Pics
  • Culture
    • PetFest
    • COVID-19
    • People
    • Business + Politics
    • Health
    • Style
    • Top Doctors
    • Best Chiropractors Directory
    • Best Dentists Directory
    • Education Directory
    • Best Lawyers Directory
    • Minnesota Baby and Beyond
    • Giving Guide
    • #OpenForBusiness
  • Things to Do
    • Best Bets
    • Calendar
    • Contests & Giveaways
    • Our Events
  • New Residents
    • Best Real Estate Professionals Directory
    • Temporary Housing Directory
    • Residential Developments Directory
  • 12 Weeks of Spring
  • Subscribe
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Where to Find
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Sign up
Welcome!Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
  • Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Advertise
  • Directories
  • Attractions
  • Dining
  • Education
  • Hotels
  • Nonprofits
  • Shopping
  • Moving Resources
    • Temporary Housing
    • Residential Developments
  • Best Professionals
    • Real Estate Professionals
    • Dentists
    • Doctors
    • Lawyers
    • Chiropractors
    • Faces of Minnesota
  • Contact Us
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Minnesota Monthly logo Minnesota Monthly
Minnesota Monthly logo Minnesota Monthly logo
  • Explore
    • Travel
    • Recreation
    • Travel Guides
    • Attractions Directory
    • Hotels Directory
    • Shopping Directory
  • Food
    • Donuts & Coffee Challenge
    • Pizza Challenge
    • Takeout Challenge
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Drinks
    • Recipes
    • Dining Directory
  • Education
    • Education Directory
  • Arts
    • at the Maker’s Table
    • Theater + Dance
    • Music
    • Visual Arts
    • Party Pics
  • Culture
    • PetFest
    • COVID-19
    • People
    • Business + Politics
    • Health
    • Style
    • Top Doctors
    • Best Chiropractors Directory
    • Best Dentists Directory
    • Education Directory
    • Best Lawyers Directory
    • Minnesota Baby and Beyond
    • Giving Guide
    • #OpenForBusiness
  • Things to Do
    • Best Bets
    • Calendar
    • Contests & Giveaways
    • Our Events
  • New Residents
    • Best Real Estate Professionals Directory
    • Temporary Housing Directory
    • Residential Developments Directory
  • 12 Weeks of Spring
  • Subscribe
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Where to Find
Home Education Sponsored Education UND student becomes an Engineer Without Borders
  • Education
  • Sponsored Education
Sponsored

UND student becomes an Engineer Without Borders

Jonathan Wirkkala went from Air Force active duty to designing a water storage solution in rural Guatemala
By
University of North Dakota
-
February 5, 2021
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
WhatsApp
Linkedin
    Jonathan Wirkkala, electrical engineering student at the University of North Dakota
    Jonathan Wirkkala, electrical engineering student at the University of North Dakota

    Courtesy of UND

    Distance learning has been a fact of life for many students lately. But Jonathan Wirkkala, an electrical engineering student at the University of North Dakota, had been learning at a distance for years before the pandemic. In fact, he was an entire hemisphere away from campus.

    Inspired by his grandfather whose work involved room-sized computers, Wirkkala wanted a career that would allow him to tinker with machines. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force and became an aircraft computer technician. While still on active duty, he enrolled in UND’s online bachelor’s program in electrical engineering. He hoped to one day design the computers he repaired.

    “I searched around online and found that the University of North Dakota is one of the few accredited schools that offers a completely online degree program for engineering,” Wirkkala said. “It was a hop, skip and a jump from where I grew up [in Hanover, Minnesota].”

    Wirkkala began his online studies while stationed in South Korea. He proudly wore UND-branded shirts and caps, even though he hadn’t stepped foot on campus. Wirkkala felt supported. UND professors would reach out to him, and the electrical engineering program would invite him to webinars and conferences. The University allowed his commander to proctor one of his exams. And the knowledge he gained in his classes immediately applied to his job as a technician.

    From Grand Forks to Guatemala 

    Once he left the Air Force, Wirkkala shifted to in-person instruction in the spring of 2019. Facilitated by the UND Veteran & Military Services Office, the transition was easy, he said. “UND offered tons of resources,” he said. “I showed up and, three days later, I was in classes.”

    Jonathan Wirkkala in discussion at UND

    Courtesy of UND

    Soon after he arrived in Grand Forks, Wirkkala’s career trajectory changed. He joined the UND student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), of which he later became president. Through the organization, Wirkkala and his UND peers from a variety of engineering disciplines embarked on a five-year project. The goal was to build a water storage system for a small village in north-central Guatemala that lacked access to clean water.

    Prior to COVID, Wirkkala’s team traveled to the Central American nation to assess the community’s needs. Following their visit, they spent months designing a solution with the help of faculty advisors and practicing engineers. Today, because the students could not return to Guatemala due to the pandemic, a local contractor is erecting a water storage and purification system based off of their blueprints.

    “I really enjoy working with people and trying to solve basic human needs issues,” Wirkkala said, adding that he is working on details such as the electronic control of water chlorination.

    Having discovered the links between water management and electrical engineering, Wirkkala is now interning at AE2S, an engineering firm that specializes in water projects. “UND has altered where my career is going for the better,” he said. “It absolutely opened my eyes to new possibilities.”

    Facebook Comments

    • TAGS
    • UND
    • engineer
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    Email
    WhatsApp
    Linkedin
      University of North Dakota

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      Kelli Maddock researching
      Sponsored

      The Changemaker in the Medical Laboratory

      Man and dog
      Sponsored

      NutriSource Pet Foods’ Formulas Put Health, Quality, and Community First

      Couple sitting on a picnic table

      Spring Fun In Northern Minnesota: Relax and Reconnect in Grand Rapids

      Events Calendar

      « March 2021 » loading...
      SMTWTFS
      28
      1
      2
      3
      4
      5
      6
      7
      8
      9
      10
      11
      12
      13
      14
      15
      16
      17
      18
      19
      20
      21
      22
      23
      24
      25
      26
      27
      28
      29
      30
      31
      1
      2
      3
      Sun 07

      Outer Experiences: Black Life in Rural and Suburban Minnesota

      March 2 @ 8:00 am - June 20 @ 5:00 pm
      Sun 07

      Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit – Minnesota Children’s Museum

      March 2 @ 9:00 am - May 7 @ 4:00 pm
      Sun 07

      March Featured Artists: Ani Kasten, Jamie Lang, Ian Petrie, and Laurie Shaman

      March 2 @ 10:00 am - April 3 @ 5:00 pm
      Sun 07

      Virtual KidsJam Event – TAIKO: Get Inside the Beat

      March 2 @ 10:30 am - April 9 @ 5:30 pm
      Sun 07

      Schubert Club Composer-in-residence, deVon Russell Gray – Virtual Courtroom Concert

      March 2 @ 12:00 pm - March 11 @ 1:00 pm
      Submit an Event

      Sign Up for Emails

      Find Your Way Around

      • Subscribe
      • My Account
      • Advertise
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Newsletters
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy and Cookies Policy
      • …more

      Our Events

      • Food & Wine Experience
      • GrillFest
      • Fine Spirits Classic
      • Midwest Home’s Luxury Home Tour

      View & Order Greenspring Publications

      • Minnesota Monthly March/April 2021 Cover Minnesota Monthly Subscription From: $14.95 for 1 year
      • Midwest Home $9.95
      • Minnesota Biking Guide $2.50
      • Experience Rochester Visitors Guide $2.50
      • Minnesota Visitors Guide $2.50
      • Twin Cities Living Relocation Guide $2.50
      • Minnesota Monthly Ultimate Travel Guide $2.50
      • Mall of America/Bloomington Visitors Guide
      • Official Visitors Guide to the Twin Cities $2.50
      The Spirit of Minnesota logo
      ABOUT US
      Minnesota Monthly magazine embodies the spirit of our state while celebrating the best arts, entertainment, food, culture, philanthropy, sports and lives of our home.
      FOLLOW US
      © 2021 Greenspring Media, LLC
      MORE STORIES
      University of North Dakota, UND
      Sponsored

      UND Student Hopes to Use Language to Be a Better Doctor

      University of North Dakota - November 2, 2020
      UND student Amy Joshua walking down corridor at Altru Health System with another nurse
      Sponsored

      UND Spotlight: Mother, Cancer Survivor, Nurse & Student

      University of North Dakota - January 4, 2021
      Near me
      40 miles