Robotics engineer Katie Geberth paid a visit to teacher David Baker’s Principles of Engineering (POE) class Oct. 3, to speak to engineering students about her specialization and to check out their projects.

Geberth works in the robotics sector of HDT Global, a company that the United States Military used for its work with deployable solutions. Her work ranges from designing robotic systems that help stroke victims, to creating mobile land detectors that help protect U.S. troops in mine-filled areas.

Baker was eager to get Geberth’s insight as an experienced engineer. The POE class was working on a mechanical engineering project that involved a series of simple machines and Baker looked forward to Gerbeth’s input.

“I thought it was really beneficial to have an actual engineer to help evaluate the students’ work,” Baker said. Geberth’s experience with mechanical engineering allowed her to provide helpful criticism of the students’ projects.

Geberth noted that she uses the same software at her work as the POE students. “I tend to work on Inventor the majority of the day,” Geberth said. “It’s great to be able to hold something in your hand when you first created it on a computer screen.”

She also raved about the many perks of becoming a robotics engineer, including the unusually high starting salary and manageable working hours.

“The average starting salary for a robotics engineer is around $75,000,” Geberth said. In comparison, the average starting salary for college graduates in fields such as aerospace engineering is $62,000.

Geberth also enjoys the easygoing work schedule that accompanies her job as an engineer. “I work standard 40-hour weeks,” Geberth said. “These weeks consist of nine hour days, but I get to enjoy every other Friday off.”

Her presentation helped students better envision what a career as a robotics engineer would look like. Freshman David Barney felt the presentation helped to guide him in a possible career path as an engineer.

“I have always been interested in becoming an engineer, but I was never really sure which type,” Barney said. “I think that what [Geberth does is] very hands-on and unique and I’m more motivated to move into the area of robotics engineering.”