From student to sponsor: Q&A with Christopher Stemple

Christopher Stemple is an unusually well-rounded alum, having earned a BS in electrical and computer engineering in 2010, an MS in biomedical engineering and engineering management the following year, and an Eller College of Management MBA in 2019. Stemple has been involved with the Interdisciplinary Capstone program for a decade, first at Texas Instruments and now at Raytheon, an RTX Business, where he is senior manager of electrical engineering. 

What sponsor representative roles have you served?

I first started supporting as a Craig M. Berge Design Day judge and have judged projects ever since. At Texas Instruments and Raytheon, I have helped support the corporate sponsorship of up to five different projects at a time. 

I have had the opportunity to work on both sides of the sponsorship coin – internally to identify mentors and help develop project ideas, as well as with student teams to showcase the projects and help them find the right fit. 

At each Design Day, Seeing the pride and sense of accomplishment on every student’s face is among the most rewarding moments.

I have had the chance to check in on some previous projects and was excited to see that students from Team 23037 had several wins in the competitive BattleBots arena with their senior design creation, and that Team 24045’s basketball-shooting robot had inspired this year’s golf-putting robot project! Both are sponsored by Raytheon.

Did your student experience in the capstone program prepare you for your career and continued studies?

Absolutely – my capstone experience was my first real opportunity to work collaboratively with fellow students from other disciplines outside of electrical. It emphasized the importance of teamwork and being able to look at a project through someone else’s lens. That exposure to the teaming experience has been core to nearly every role I’ve held since, whether it’s been professional, academic or even volunteer. 

I vividly recall that my own senior capstone project wasn’t fully working until one day shortly before Design Day at about 4 a.m., and the relief that came along with being able to say: “It works!” 

Would you recommend the sponsor experience to other companies and alumni?

I would definitely recommend the sponsor experience for any company, large or small. It is an opportunity to get long-term exposure to engineering talent to help your organization meet its hiring needs. Sponsorship is also a great way to get real engineering development work done and help projects come to fruition that may not otherwise have seen the light of day due to a lack of internal resources. 

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