Being in marching band helps student bring engineering into focus

Looking back on his childhood, Austin Moran could see the signs that he would become an engineer.

He loved building things with Legos and K’Nex toys in his family’s living room.

“Amusement parks and all kinds of monstrosities,” the junior civil engineering major said with a smile.

And, he excelled in math and science classes.

“I liked structures and wanted to do something that I thought would be worthwhile for the greater good of humanity,” Moran said. “That screamed engineering.”

But Moran also picked up his family’s passion for Husker football and a love of music that is helping to bring his engineering future into focus.

“I grew up living for fall Saturdays and I still do. I can’t wait for the season to start up,” Moran said. “My family always just loved the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium.

“I remember the first game I attended. I was in middle school and I barely watched the game. We sat on the west side of the stadium and I watched from across the field as the marching band played tunes from the stands. I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” Moran said. “I wanted to be the guy in the formation the Huskers ran through, and now I am.”

Moran is now the alto saxophone section leader in a band that counts 300 or so UNL students as members. At least 41 of them, about 12 percent, are engineering majors. Those figures are no surprise for Moran, who sees the demands of both endeavors as complementary.

“I think they go hand in hand because of the meticulousness and attention to detail that both require,” Moran said. “There’s a definite discipline you need to have to march a field show, but also to approach any dynamics or engineering problem. Thinking that way, it’s no real surprise that there are a lot of engineering majors or other scientific majors in the band.”

Even though being part of a nationally renowned marching band requires a large investment of time, Moran said it was learning to balance his studies and extracurricular activities at UNL has helped him become a better engineering student.

“Marching band, more than any other organization I’ve been involved in on campus, has done tremendous amounts for me in learning to budget my time and be more organized,” Moran said. “Instead of just getting stressed out about this huge mountain of work in front of me, I’ve learned to attack it in chunks.

“I always have been a good, hard worker, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve found some success in engineering and music, moreso than being naturally gifted. I’ve learned that learning how to work is half the battle.”

ENGINEERING MAJORS IN THE CORNHUSKER MARCHING BAND

Samuel Baird, mechanical engineering, freshman, tenor saxophone

John Bowley, mechanical engineering, sophomore, tuba

Zachary Boyer, mechanical engineering, senior, percussion

Elizabeth Drey, chemical engineering, freshman, piccolo

César Echevarría Méndez, electrical engineering, sophomore, alto saxophone

Elijah Elmshaeuser, mechanical engineering, freshman, trumpet

Kaleb Ethington, mechanical engineering, freshman, alto saxophone

Adam Fitzgibbon, computer engineering, sophomore, trombone

William Fleener, computer engineering, freshman, tuba

Brenden Gatzemeyer, electrical engineering, junior, trumpet

Nathan Gatzemeyer, engineering, freshman, alto saxophone

Colleen Hacker, mechanical engineering, sophomore, piccolo

Benjamin Hintz, biological systems engineering, sophomore, trombone

Kyle Hoppner, chemical engineering, junior, tuba

Rebecca Horzewski, computer engineering, junior, trumpet

Amanda Houston, electrical engineering, sophomore, trumpet

Matthew Kruger, mechanical engineering, junior, trombone

Patrick Luddy, computer engineering, senior, drum major

Austin Moran, civil engineering, junior, alto saxophone

Sam Murray, electrical engineering, senior, tenor saxophone

Kenneth Nance, engineering, freshman, trumpet

Andrew Nelson, electrical engineering, senior, trumpet

Adam Oltman, mechanical engineering, sophomore, tuba

Sydney Paulak, civil engineering, freshman, alto saxophone

Meaghan Pecha, engineering, freshman, trumpet

Taylor Price, mechanical engineering, freshman, trumpet

Brandon Purintun, civil engineering, senior, trumpet

Aaron Ratigan, mechanical engineering, senior, trombone

Jordan Rosenbohm, mechanical engineering, junior, alto saxophone

Shane Rothchild, mechanical engineering, junior, trombone

Grant Sernett, mechanical engineering, sophomore, percussion

Mitchell Snyder, computer engineering, senior, baritone

Jonathan Temple, mechanical engineering, freshman, percussion

Andrew Thomas, mechanical engineering, sophomore, tuba

Eric Ullman, mechanical engineering, freshman, trumpet

Derek Vogel, computer engineering, sophomore, trumpet

Emily Wagner, electrical engineering, freshman, percussion

Lisa Ward, engineering, freshman, trombone

Dean Whitfield, civil engineering, senior, trombone

David Wilson, chemical engineering, sophomore, trumpet

Jennifer Wynn, agricultural engineering, freshman, tuba