Alumni Spotlight - December 2022
Noah Sharrott '22
Written by Rebecca Burkeen, Director of Alumni Relations
Noah Sharrott grew up in San Diego, CA, and attended San Marcos High School. He has been a massive fan of electric vehicles since middle school when he saw electric motorcycles during a halftime show at a car event, which fueled his interest in engineering. To narrow his search for the perfect college, Noah created an elaborate spreadsheet ranking all the top schools in the country for electrical engineering. Oregon Tech emerged as the top prospect based on the criteria most important to him. He enrolled at Oregon Tech and spent most of his time at the Klamath Falls campus. He also took advantage of Oregon Tech's expanded reach by taking classes at the Portland Metro campus during the summers.
While a student at Oregon Tech, Noah worked on many hands-on projects. He helped build the Off-Grid Tiny House behind Cornett during his freshman year. Noah also worked with a professor to help develop an Ocean Wave-Energy Generator Prototype and presented this project at an online IEEE conference in 2020. For his senior project, he worked on a team with classmates Natalie Gardner, Hannah Keesey, Osama Alqwirey, and Jake Cometto to design an Off-Grid Guest House. Due to construction delays, they pivoted to developing a working Mobile Off-Grid Power Station to be implemented anywhere, with applications in disaster relief, bringing power to remote villages, powering an off-grid guest house, or even casual at-home use. Noah currently uses his senior project to power his apartment, and he was recently able to be completely off-grid, therefore not having an electric bill.
Noah gained valuable experience by participating in internships every summer, some that he continued remotely through the school year. Internships included an Associate Hardware Engineer position at Automation Engineering Services (biotech industry), a Lead Software Engineer at Ryan Refrigeration Heating and Air, and a Natural Resources Manufacturing Intern at Seneca Sawmill. Noah says of his coursework at Oregon Tech, “Many of my classes prepared me for my career. The microcontrollers series, control system design, and many of my project-based classes encouraged students to develop and attempt to create their designs and inventions using topics discussed in class. These classes gave me the foundational skills to pursue my interests in control systems development and to practice some of these skills in labs or projects with professor guidance. At the same time, I learned about the technologies and systems.”
Several months before graduating, Noah began an interview process which landed him his dream job. After a rigorous six-eight-month interview process that ranged from phone screenings to three-hour coding exams, an all-day panel interview, a 30-minute presentation followed by one hour of panel Q&A to one-on-one technical interviews, Noah’s aspirations became a reality. Noah graduated on June 11, 2022, with a Dual B.S. in Renewable Energy Engineering and B.S. in Electrical Engineering, with an Applied Mathematics Minor. He received his official offer letter from Tesla on July 8, 2022, and began his new career on October 3, 2022. He now enjoys his Manufacturing Controls Development Engineer role at Tesla in Fremont, CA.
At Tesla, Noah is tasked with developing automation control systems for the manufacturing process crucial to Tesla vehicles. Essentially, he programs the robot arms that build Teslas. Noah is passionate about working with and contributing to Tesla’s mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport and deliver compelling mass-market electric cars to market as soon as possible. He has been a massive fan of Tesla since he was a child. Tesla inspired him to pursue engineering and strive for solutions that help the planet. Noah believes that transitioning the world to electric is the most logical next step and improves the world. As he explains, "I contribute to a company I love and help the world become a better and cleaner place for future generations.” Noah further explains that Oregon Tech helped him recognize that he loves designing control systems and automation. He is currently improving his off-grid power station and has considered developing it into a finished product available for purchase. This project would be the first step toward a goal to start his own company that continues to provide engineering solutions to improve the world. Noah’s plan for his own company is to create “one where we can live in harmony with the environment, rather than destroy it.”
Noah landed his dream job through a commitment to education. He advises current and future students to push themselves and take advantage of everything Oregon Tech has to offer. He explains, “Make sure to always take on as many hands-on project opportunities as you can in project-based classes.” Noah enjoys indoor rock climbing and hiking with his two dogs when not working at Tesla or on his projects.
We look forward to following Noah’s career and benefiting from his commitment to making the world a better place. Go Owls!
