ME Newsletter: MAY 1997: Sloan feature

	MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
	MAY 1997
	UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

A newsletter for alumni, students, and friends of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

ME Senior Reads WSJ, Pays College Expenses

The late Professor Edward F. Obert would probably be glad to know that his gift to the Mechanical Engineering Department was being put to good use. He bequeathed money to pay for a subscription to the Wall Street Journal that has been placed in the second floor study lounge for several years now.

ME Senior Mike Sloan has taken advantage of the publication to manage an investment portfolio that has proven profitable enough to pay a substantial portion of his tuition and all of his other expenses. "I've paid from 25 percent to 35 percent of my tuition this way," he said. "As a student, I'm not hit by capital gains tax as hard as others would be, so I take advantage of it while I can. I enjoy investing immensely."

In addition to tracking his own investments with the Journal, Sloan also manages the retirement funds of his parents, grandparents, uncles, and his girlfriend's father.

Sloan is a Stoughton, Wisconsin, native who started investing when he was 16. He continued that interest throughout his college career and found Professor Donald S. Ermer's "Engineering Economic Analysis" class to be a good fit. With his ME degree almost in hand, Sloan is taking a different route to his future: he has applied to and been accepted by the medical school at UW-Madison. "Medical school also incorporates problem-solving skills like mechanical engineering," he said. "I think it's an excellent way to help people."

Emeritus Professor Obert taught in the ME Department for about 30 years. During his prolific career, he authored three thermodynamic texts and one internal combustion engines text. All were translated into many languages and used worldwide. Professor Obert died in 1993 and left a significant endowment to enrich the university and the Mechanical Engineering Department. Those who knew him remember his unique teaching style and his unwavering stance on ethics, both personal and professional.