Meet mechanical engineer Melissa Viellette ’26 in this Q&A.
Q: Hometown?
A: Fair Lawn, New Jersey
Q: Why Bucknell?
A: It’s a good school and has a nice balance between sports and academics, which is important to me as a javelin thrower. The track & field coaches genuinely care about students.
Q: Plans after graduation?
A: Backpacking through Europe, then starting a job as a traveling process engineer at Corning. I interviewed with Corning after being placed on a senior design team working with them.
Q: Favorite things you’ve done in the College of Engineering?
A: Having access to Mooney Lab to create things like gifts and decor for my apartment. The hands-on labs. In manufacturing class, I was able to make rings out of coins, weld, water jet cut design and use the CNC machine to create coasters. The Engineering EXCELerator bridge program was great to build connections and see what everything was like prior to classes starting. Being able to apply knowledge learned to real-world things whether its for a project around campus, for a class or an actual company.
Q: Who has been your most Impactful faculty/staff member and why?
A: Dr. (Laura) Beninati (Dr. B) (Mechanical Engineering). Every class she would have life lessons to write on the board and give to the class; it was something everyone would look forward to daily. She genuinely cares and wants to build a connection with each and every student.
Q: What do you like best about the College of Engineering?
A: There are more female students than other colleges and we’re able to easily create groups and friendships with other female students. There is a strong sense of community.
Q: What do you do in your free time on campus?
A: Hang out with friends, hike, take pictures, go to sporting events.