Roger Hoy
Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, Director of Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory
Dr. Roger Hoy has enjoyed careers in both industry and academia, yet what keeps Roger in academia, he says, are his students. Mentoring the upcoming generation is the exciting part of directing the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL), serving as professor for agricultural engineering courses in the Biological Systems Engineering Department, and advising underclassmen majors.
As a student at the University of Georgia and North Carolina State University, Roger learned more easily from professors who had prior industry experience. Professors who related theory to industry practices made course materials clearer for Roger. He incorporated these experiences into his classroom and mentoring philosophies which prepare BSE students for the careers they will have after departing the university through practical research and design projects which tie classroom-learned theories to real-world applications.
Roger achieves this vision primarily through mentoring student workers. The NTTL hires approximately 30-35 students at any time. New students are recruited typically after freshmen year. Many students work at NTTL until they graduate.
Roger uses the lab to help students connect classroom learning with engineering applications. Students create hitches for the test facility, rebuild diesel engines, and design 1/4 scale tractors. When students get stuck on issues, Roger instructs them to go back to classroom principles and to think critically about how those problems on paper relate to what they are trying to accomplish in the lab.
Roger also mentors the 1/4 Scale Tractor Student Design club. They meet weekly on Tuesday evenings. These meetings allow Roger to informally mentor individual students outside of working and teaching hours.
Hiring student workers and engaging students through clubs are a means to help BSE students develop a sense of belonging with the department. Not only do students receive important job skills, they also sense how much BSE wants these students to get involved and to succeed. These impactful practices have led BSE majors to share some of the highest levels of retention within the College of Engineering.
Students and parents haven’t let Roger’s hard work go unrecognized. The UNL Parents Association awarded Roger the Parents’ Recognition Award six times throughout his years at UNL for making a difference in students’ lives.
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The Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2020. Roger and NTTL will plan a series of events to recognize the many iterations of international tractors that have been tested at the East Campus facilities and to bring together faculty, staff, and students who impacted NTTL since its founding. Be on the lookout for further announcements regarding these events that will take place in summer 2020.