Steve Titcomb finds great satisfaction in watching engineering graduates complete their educations and find jobs with companies like United Technologies, IBM, GlobalFoundries, and General Dynamics, as well as jobs outside of engineering.

“An engineering curriculum is a problem-solving curriculum, so they’re prepared to do lots of other things. I had a student who became a patent attorney.”

In CEMS, Titcomb recently served as the director’s surrogate for reappointment, promotion, and tenure reviews. And along with advising undergraduate engineering students, Titcomb is the chair of the School’s curriculum committee.

With plans to retire at the end of this year, Titcomb hopes to devote time to his own research in semiconductors. Besides completing design projects involving robotics and interactive displays, Titcomb says he hopes to look into developing new materials and structures for sensors.

He’s also ready to complete a more personal project: hiking the Appalachian Trail. Two years ago, he hiked 1,400 miles in 3.5 months before arthritis in his knee stopped him.

“The first thing I’m going to do after graduation this spring is head back to where I left off and finish the trail,” he says.

(This story was from the Spring 2016 issue of SUMMIT. You can read more here.)