Alumni Spotlight: Jake Jordan鈥檚 journey from chemical engineering at 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech to cancer treatment at Mayo Clinic
When Jake Jordan graduated from 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science
in Chemical Engineering and minors in chemistry and math, he couldn鈥檛 have imagined
the winding, rewarding path his career would take鈥攆rom nuclear research to medical
school, and now to a residency in radiation oncology at the Mayo Clinic.
Originally from Smyrna, Tenn., Jordan was drawn to Tech because of its welcoming atmosphere and supportive community. 鈥淓verything felt approachable,鈥� he said. 鈥淓veryone I met seemed very invested in my education.鈥�
During his time on campus, Jordan was part of the Honors Program and lived in Honors Program housing, which provided a close-knit community of friends and mentors. He was also involved in University Christian Student Center and the choral programs, which gave him balance beyond the lab and classroom. What stood out most, though, was the chemical engineering department鈥檚 commitment to students鈥� success. 鈥淭he professors really cared that we weren鈥檛 just learning the book material,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淭hey wanted us to understand how to conduct ourselves when we entered the workforce.鈥�
One chemical engineering faculty member who made a lasting impact was Joseph Biernacki, Ph.D., professor emeritus. 鈥淭he things I learned from him served me very well in my job at Oak Ridge National Laboratory,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淗e helped me learn how to think and ask questions, not just recite facts鈥攁nd that helped me succeed independently when I started my career.鈥�
Jordan describes his years at Tech as truly transformative. 鈥淚 came in without study habits and little sense of personal investment,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淏y senior year, I had to be able to guide my own learning and career to succeed. I also met my wife and many lifelong friends at Tech鈥攑eople who have shaped my life ever since.鈥�
A Career of Many Chapters
Jordan鈥檚 professional journey after graduation demonstrates how far a 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech chemical engineering degree can take students鈥攁nd how many opportunities it can open up.
鈥淎fter graduation in 2014, I initially started a doctorate in nuclear engineering at University of 成年人深夜福利在线观看-Knoxville (UTK),鈥� he said. 鈥淢y first group focused on predictive modeling, and I spent a lot of time doing MATLAB analysis and working with early neural network concepts before AI really took off.鈥�
Wanting to get back to hands-on chemical work, Jordan transitioned into a radiochemistry group, which led to an internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in radiochemical process engineering. 鈥淭hat group was led mostly by chemical engineers and chemists,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur focus was on uranium fuel cycle chemistry, reprocessing and off-gas management.鈥�
That internship became a full-time research position at ORNL, where Jordan worked while completing his master鈥檚 degree in nuclear engineering. 鈥淢ost of my work involved experimental testing鈥攂uilding systems, running experiments, taking data,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 also used chemical engineering concepts for pilot plant design for nuclear fuel processing.鈥�
After earning his master鈥檚 degree, Jordan began the chemical engineering doctoral program at UTK and completed several core courses and part of his qualifying exam before deciding to move closer to home. He accepted a position at Arnold Air Force Base in the analysis division, focusing on rocket modeling projects. 鈥淭hat job was almost entirely MATLAB coding and data analysis,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 much chemical engineering involved, but my training prepared me well for it.鈥�
Eventually, Jordan began to feel a pull toward a more people-focused career. 鈥淢y wife calls it my 鈥榪uarter-life crisis,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 realized I wanted to do more than tinker with research projects or write code. So, while working full-time, I studied for the MCAT.鈥� His strong foundation in chemistry, physics and biochemistry from Tech made the process smoother, and he was ultimately accepted into medical school at the University of 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Health Science Center in Memphis, starting his study in fall 2020.
In medical school, Jordan found that his engineering background gave him a unique edge. 鈥淎 lot of the preclinical coursework is memorization, but in the hospital setting, my engineering training really helped, especially in synthesizing information, analyzing trends and working as part of a team.鈥�
Jordan ultimately discovered a specialty that tied all his experiences together: radiation oncology. 鈥淚t combines everything I鈥檝e studied鈥攏uclear science, chemical engineering and medicine,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 treat cancer patients with radiation therapy using high-energy x-rays and proton therapy.鈥�
Jordan recently matched into the radiation oncology residency program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he鈥檒l train until 2029. 鈥淚 feel well prepared to treat patients clinically and perform research in this physics-heavy field,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect intersection of all my interests.鈥�
Advice for Future Golden Eagles
Looking back, Jordan credits 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech with giving him the foundation to thrive in each stage of his journey. 鈥淏eing in chemical engineering at TTU is a great way to have options in any field you want,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y classmates went into chemical manufacturing, environmental engineering, academia and more. For me, that same foundation has carried me through nuclear engineering, modeling and simulation, radiochemical research鈥攁nd now medicine.鈥�
鈥淭he skills I learned at Tech鈥攃ritical thinking, data analysis, and problem-solving鈥攈ave been useful in every single job I鈥檝e had,鈥� he added. 鈥淓ven though my day-to-day now looks nothing like designing a refinery, those same concepts help me every time I analyze patient data or design a research project.鈥�
Jordan encourages current and prospective students to stay open to new directions. 鈥淵ou never know where your engineering degree might lead you,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 been a journey from process engineering to patient care鈥攁nd it all started at 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech.鈥�