Scholarship will help build a career
Inaugural winner says mechanical contracting mixes technical, people skills
If heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is going to become the next hot (or cool) career field, it’s because of people like Benjamin Obrist ’19. The mechanical engineering grad was the inaugural recipient of the Southern Tier of New York Mechanical Contractors Association (STNY MCA) Scholarship.
Obrist was selected for his stellar academic record and involvement with the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) student chapter. He joined shortly after arriving at Binghamton, was project lead as a junior and served as president during his senior year.
“What appealed to me was that [mechanical contracting] is a mix of technical skills, and it’s a people business,” Obrist says. “You won’t be behind a desk all day. You’ll be on site, helping people.”
STNY MCA established Binghamton’s student chapter in 2013, the first and only in New York state. The club exposes students to opportunities in the mechanical construction side of engineering.
“Our local members have hired students for internships and we, as an organization, would love to be able to hire some of these students for jobs locally or throughout the state,” says Robert Hall, STNY MCA executive director. “Having established the chapter, it was a perfect fit for us to help the engineering students through scholarships.”
Obrist says one of the more meaningful Binghamton experiences was competing at annual MCAA competitions, where student chapters work on project simulations based on real-world jobs. In last fall’s competition, teams assembled bids for mechanical services as part of the Indiana Hoosiers’ football stadium renovation.
“The past few years, our project was a wastewater treatment plant, so we were excited it was a football stadium,” Obrist says. “We finished 12th. I was hoping we’d get into the top 10, but I think we’ve set the standard for the next couple of years.”
Obrist wants to go into building-system engineering, which encompasses HVAC and plumbing systems. Though the scholarship made his education more affordable, he says its larger impact is the increased visibility for a pathway many aspiring engineers overlook.
“A lot of mechanical engineering students are focused on product design,” Obrist says. “They want to build a car or a rocket ship. They pass up mechanical contracting because it’s not the most technical discipline. I think this scholarship will enable our club to grow, and students will recognize this field as something they can pursue.”
“There is no better way to promote the opportunities of the mechanical trades in our area than by supporting our student chapter and the Watson School,” Hall says.