Industrial Technology Student Spotlight: Christopher Kyles

Christopher Kyles is a senior Industrial Technology student using his passion for automation and robotics to lead the Fresno State Robotics Club, while also laying a foundation for an exciting career in robotic engineering.

Before attending Fresno State, Kyles was a part of the MESA program, a special junior high and high school STEM program where he worked with college students and staff (and now he helps with the same program, too).

His experience in the engineering field has also landed him career-enhancing internships with Grundfos Pumps in Fresno and Dynamic Controls in Visalia. 

Learn more about the Los Banos native's impressive range of experience and background in this interview. 

 

Q: What were you drawn towards an industrial technology degree with an emphasis in automated systems? 

Kyles: “I have a passion for robotics and engineering, and always wanted to build robots since my elementary years. I competed locally across the Central Valley in various robotics competitions, then gradually increased in difficulty and skill level, and eventually making it all the way to compete nationally representing Los Banos High School at a contest at UC Santa Barbara, where I placed second in the Robotics-Sumo competition.”

 

Q: Which classes & faculty members had the biggest influence on you while at Fresno State?

Kyles: “Dr. Balaji Sethuramasamyraja, a faculty member from the Industrial Technology Department has had the biggest impact on my academic and professional career. As a student in his courses, he has always provided great feedback on coursework and ensured the information was absorbed to the highest degree possible. As I progressed into the industry he has assisted with drafting professional documents, scheduled interview practice sessions, and provided terrific mentorship along the way.”

 

Q: Why did you choose to attend Fresno State and have any other family members attended or graduated from Fresno State?

Kyles: “During my high school and junior high school education, I was involved in the MESA program which worked closely with Fresno State. I attended multiple Saturday academies that were held on the campus. This is where I grew to love the college environment, atmosphere, and community. I am the first of my family to attend Fresno State.”

 

Q: Talk about any internships or part-time jobs you've had while at Fresno State.

Kyles: “I am working from January to July 2022 as a VIP program Engineer Intern at Grundfos Pumps, and I have been given multiple tasks with varying requirements of technical skills. My emphasis is on PLC coding (Programmable Logic Controller) / Automation & Robotic Engineering, and I have formed new improvement projects for the manufacturing engineering department. The projects I am working on, and I will have influence on are:

• Manufacturing Risk Assessment on facility machinery
• PLC program standardization in sharepoint files
• Fanuc robotic spare parts ordering / procurement
• Fanuc robotic productivity charting / data log
• Implementation of Safety PLC with relay controllers for coupling press
• Process definition & documentation of manufacturing line
• Cycle time studies on pump fabrication stages

Kyles: "Before landing the positon at Grundfos Pumps I was a VIP program controls engineer intern at Dynamic Controls Inc. in Visalia from July to December 2021. Being a part of the DCI team taught me the value in having a positive work environment, using teamwork effectively, creating a business network, and always striving for excellence in the quality of work you give. At DCI, I had hands-on experience with the following software: RSLinx, RSLogix 5000, Studio 5000, FactoryTalk View-HMI, AutoCAD electrical & Automation Direct."

Kyles: "I have also documented and created company policies and procedures entirely on my own, and assisted in panel shop fabrication by wiring, labeling, and testing panel view boxes.” 

 

Q: Are you a part of any clubs/organizations at Fresno State?

Kyles: “I am the current Robotics Club president for the university and took on the task of restructuring the club that had been previously left inactive. I have been a member since I came to power November 2020 and have added a total of 57 new and motivated members. We had hopes to compete in the VEX Robotics or Battle Bots college level competition, but due to COVID restrictions we were unable to travel. To abide by our college regulations we aimed our efforts to remain active and compete against each other using our P3-AT mobile robots in various challenges we came up with. Our most recent project consisted of creating a workshop using Raspberry PI hardware for junior high and high school students in the MESA program. This workshop was designed to teach entry level coding.”

 

Q:Have you received any scholarships related to campus, Jordan College, or Ag One?  

Kyles: “I received the Manuel and Eugenia Ortiz Memorial Scholarship through the MESA program my first year of college.”

 

Q: Have you traveled to any conferences and made any presentations while at Fresno State?

Kyles: “I have done four presentations to represent the Fresno State VIP program. Two were held on campus for freshman engineering students, and two were done at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia for mechanical engineering majors. All of these were completed in the fall semester of 2021.”

 

Q:Have you overcome any challenges to get where you are today that have shaped who you are?

Kyles: “I overcame the challenge of outside influence and self doubt. Believe it or not, as a senior in high school I mentioned my aspirations to attend Fresno State to a counselor and was told blatantly that I would never make it to Fresno State, and that I should settle for a community college. I used that motivation and overcame all disbelief to prove to myself and others that I could do anything I put my mind to.”

 

Q: What is your potential career path or next step professionally?

Kyles: “I will continue my education through the master's program at Fresno State where I will focus on research, study, and professional development after graduating with my bachelor's degree in Industrial Technology in the spring of 2022, Upon graduation I plan to become an engineer in the field of manufacturing, robotics, and automation.”