People with Purpose: Paul Snider

Every solution to a big challenge starts with one thing: curiosity.

For Paul Snider, that idea shaped a decades-long career in the engineering industry. Returning to his alma mater in 2022 to serve as a professor of practice in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, he now brings that same mindset to the classroom.

Encouraging students to explore bold ideas, Snider finds his purpose in helping future engineers develop the curiosity, confidence and drive to make a positive impact on the world around them.

Q: What drives you to support students?

Snider: I graduated with my degree in mechanical engineering as a third-generation K-State student and worked in the aerospace industry for 27 years before returning to the College of Engineering as a professor. I want to inspire students to earn their college degrees and start professional careers by sharing my own examples, experiences and expertise through my instruction and advising.

Q: How does your work fit into the larger strategic plan of the university?

Snider: I teach an interdisciplinary senior design capstone course nicknamed the "CubeSat Project." CubeSats are small, low-cost satellites in cube shapes that can perform a variety of missions in space. My students are developing two CubeSat missions with the goal of launching and operating satellites on orbit by 2030.

This work fits into the larger strategic plan because it not only gives current students interdisciplinary teamwork opportunities, but it boosts our educational and recruiting value to future K-State students and provides informational value to the public through project communications, future mission data and student outreach.

Q: Aside from your job, what makes you feel like a part of the K-State community?

Snider: I serve as the faculty advisor for two engineering honor societies, Steel Ring and the Kansas Gamma chapter of Tau Beta Pi. Steel Ring student members plan and organize the College of Engineering's Open House programming and the college's spring leadership banquet, and our Tau Beta Pi members recently hosted a district conference attended by 12 universities. I also serve as the faculty advisor for a new engineering student organization, Wildcat Space Program, which unites students passionate about space initiatives to promote space-related research and projects at Kansas State University.

Finally, I am an affiliate for ID3A, or Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, where I enjoy networking and exchanging ideas with colleagues across colleges and departments, sharing the work we do with communities across Kansas. In addition, I have facilitated several Cats Connect sessions, which have helped me build lasting connections with faculty and staff across the university.

Q: What is a current engagement activity you're involved in?

Snider: Over spring break, I led a group of 14 engineering students through a Global Engineering education abroad program, where we visited several technological and cultural sites in Prague. This was my first education abroad trip at K-State and my first visit to the Czech Republic. I was excited to travel with my students and to have the program shape their worldview of engineering, as well as the culture and customs they experienced in another country.

Q: Besides a degree, what is one thing every K-State student should take away from their time on campus?

Snider: We are in such a good place at K-State and in Manhattan, so be in the present and enjoy your time here. There is no place like it, and you can make it even better. You have an opportunity to make lifelong friends while you are here. Celebrate K-State in your friendships, workplaces and communities, in your travels and during your returns to campus. Be proud to be a K-Stater and pass on the traditions — you'll be surprised by how many people you will meet in the world who will greet you with a "Go 'Cats!" because of their love for our alma mater.

Q: What advice would you give to students interested in your field?

Snider: Engineering is a high-demand field because the world needs innovative solutions to challenging problems. If you enjoy tackling tough problems and creating effective solutions, consider engineering as a noble profession to better humanity through your work and service.

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