
Lisa Ecker
Graduation Year: 2017
Major/Minor: Agricultural Engineering Technology
Position Title: Applications Engineer
Employer: GEA Systems
I am currently an Applications Engineer for the Beverage Group of North America. In this role, I design and quote alcoholic and non-alcoholic processes. I previously worked as a Project Engineer in which I traveled to start up and commission beverage systems.
My time at UW-River Falls prepared me for my future career path by teaching me problem-solving skills and giving me experience with the food and beverage process through food process engineering classes with Youngmi Kim, assistant professor of agricultural engineering technology. I also was connected with my future employer, GEA Systems, through UWRF alumni who came to speak at our classes and a field trip to the Hudson, WI facility for lab demonstrations.
I think the biggest impact during my college experience was my study abroad trip to India with the agricultural engineering technology department. This trip was benefitial for my engineering coursework, but it was especially great to experience other cultures. My employer GEA is a global company so it is essential to be familiar with other cultures and different ways of working.
The UWRF agricultural engineering technology program is a great program that allowed me to customize my education to focus on areas I was specifically interested in, such as food processing and process engineering. The professors at UWRF also helped me realize the importance of education and learning. In the spirit of that, I began working on my master’s degree part-time in the fall of 2018.