In 2024, MSOE graduate Jackson Skanberg ‘24 was invited to travel to Florence, Italy and speak in front of some of the world’s most brilliant minds in electrical engineering. An unforgettable moment made possible in part to the Steve and Linda Reyer Endowment Fund. 

His presentation at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation was the culmination of over a year’s worth of dedication, collaboration, and hard work during his time as a student at MSOE. 

Since the age of 14, the Tinley Park, IL native had known he wanted to be an engineer. Growing up, Jackson loved computer games and builds, and he participated in robotics during high school. “I chose electrical engineering because I asked my teacher, 'Of the engineering disciplines, what’s the biggest challenge’? And he said electrical was the toughest. I wouldn’t be an engineer if it wasn’t for him.”  

After that moment, he knew he wanted to attend a university that offered the best education in engineering. He applied to MSOE in March of 2020, just before the campus closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had received full-ride scholarship offers from other universities, but I knew I would have a better learning experience at MSOE.” 

His freshman year, he started to form connections on campus that would impact his life beyond college. He became a dispatcher for the SHIP, guiding drivers through the radio of MSOE’s campus shuttle service. He started a talk show with Amateur Radio Club (ARC) member and fellow MSOE alumnus, John Bilkey ‘23. 

The talk show “Smooth Sailing" aired on Saturdays with Bilkey as the editor and Jackson as the host. “Through that show, I got to interview several great staff and faculty members.” This connection also facilitated his introduction to Dr. Steve Holland, the electrical engineering program director. 

Dr. Holland then introduced Jackson to Dr. Donovan Brocker, an associate professor in the electrical engineering department, who would become his research advisor. With the help of these two professors, Jackson began undertaking his undergraduate research sequence. 

His study focused on commercially available magneto-dielectric and electromagnetic absorber components, materials that have a magnetic response. The introduction of these materials commercially is relatively new, promising advantages such as improved bandwidth. “Absorbers have been around for a very long time, and there are many ways to implement them, but using magneto-dielectrics off the shelf is a very novel idea because of the recent increases in availability of materials,” he says. Jackson also had the unique experience of doing this research while also learning about electromagnetics in his undergraduate work. 

He started the project during his junior year and finished his senior year. Seven months after submitting his proposal for the conference, Jackson and Dr. Brocker were on their way to Florence. 

He says one of his favorite moments from the conference happened the day of his presentation. “It just so happened that the author of one of the first papers I cited in the talk was the one leading my section of the conference; he was sitting in a chair across from me, smiling the entire time.” That author was Dr. Nader Engheta, a world-renowned electrical engineer from the University of Pennsylvania. After his presentation, Dr. Engheta made a point to congratulate him on his hard work. A perfect conclusion to years of hard work. 

Today, Jackson works at GE HealthCare in the computed tomography department. He is grateful for the experience MSOE gave him in honing life skills he already has and embracing new ones. “The ability to advocate and push myself to grow my technical skills was something I didn’t know I could do before I came to MSOE. But being able to learn to grow outside of my boundaries and put myself in difficult situations is the greatest thing I could’ve ever done.”