Nathan Caudill '13

"Engineering is a way of applying math, logic and creativity to solve problems." -- Nathan Caudill

Originally from Plattsburgh, N.Y., Nathan Caudill is notably accomplished for only being in his senior year at Elizabethtown College. Along with a rigorous academic schedule through majoring in Engineering and Japanese, and a minor in Math, Nathan has also published problems in the Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematical Journal, spent a semester abroad in Tokyo, is a section leader in band and orchestra, and participated in the 2010 SIFE National Competition in Minneapolis, Minn.

"I've always had an interest in math," Nathan said of his choice of study. "Engineering is a way of applying math, logic and creativity to solve problems."

His Japanese major was inspired by his studying in Japan in high school in college. Of life at Elizabethtown College, Nathan claims that despite the small campus, he loves partaking in the activities and events such as the movies, concerts, guest speakers, off-campus trips, sports tournaments and intramural sports.

In terms of his extracurricular activities, he is a part of the Math club, the Symphonic Band, Community Orchestra, a math and physics tutor, plays in the horn ensemble, is a member of the honors council, the brass ensemble, and plays intramural sports. Nathan said his choice to attend Elizabethtown was based on the fact that the school has an ABET-accredited engineering program, Japanese and music departments, and of course, the "small campus and class sizes, and the friendly, community atmosphere."

On his personal growth, Nathan said that he finds all aspects of the curriculum to be valuable, and has benefited from the rich variety of experience. "I'm glad to be able to talk about the electromagnetic flux, triple integrals, and Schottky diodes, for example, but am also glad to know about things like Tacitus in the Roman Empire (western civilizations), the differences between Daoism and Confucianism (history of pre-modern Asia), and the representative and availability heuristics (psychology)."

To students whom may be considering attending the College, Nathan explained that from a social perspective, the sense of community and friendliness are "immeasurably valuable." Academically, he also said, "the small classes, ease of student-teacher interaction, teacher expertise and flexibility all make E-town a great place to learn."