On Thursday, December 7, MTA seniors who applied to Yeshiva University and are interested in pursuing a career in engineering were invited to participate in a special pair of YU pre-engineering seminars given by Dr. Alan Willner, YU graduate and the Steven and Kathryn Sample chaired professor in engineering at USC. Dr. Willner is an internationally recognized expert in the field of optical communication systems. In addition, he is a visiting professor at both Columbia and the Weizmann Institute of Science, and a visiting scholar at both YU and Stern.

The students were mesmerized as Dr. Willner discussed his path to a very successful career. He focused on what engineers do and how to balance being a ben Torah and a professional in a very diverse world. The seminar was organized by Dr. Ed Berliner, physics and math instructor at MTA and executive director of science management/clinical professor of physics at YU, who said “This was a great way for Dr. Willner to give back to students at his alma mater and for MTA students, this was a unique opportunity to learn from a true role model, a living personification of Torah Umadda.”