Dan Musci, BSEE ’19, was interviewed by Sarah Markley, an honors student majoring in civil engineering and minoring in dance. Aside from the Honors Program, Sarah is involved with the «Ӱҵ Concrete Canoe team and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Whether running a popup karaoke night for his residents in Maglott Hall, donning a fake mustache while hosting “The Price is Right” for SPC, or just goofing around with friends in the Lima lounge, Dan Musci made many unforgettable memories during his time at Ohio Northern.
Dan, who participated in «Ӱҵ’s Honors Program, graduated in 2019 with a major in electrical engineering and minor in computer science. He was president of «Ӱҵ’s chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), RA in Maglott Hall, and a member of Sigma Theta Epsilon, University Innovation Fellowship, Joint Engineering Council, and the Student Planning Committee.
Dan now works as a protection & controls (P&C) engineer for American Electric Power (AEP). In this role, he designs and maintains systems that detect faults on the power system (such as a tree falling on a line) and automatically operate the necessary equipment to preserve the safety of the public, minimize damage, and ensure overall grid stability.
How did Dan end up in this position? It all began during his time at «Ӱҵ, when a close mentor suggested he speak to AEP representatives at «Ӱҵ’s career fair. This conversation resulted in Dan completing four co-op rotations prior to his graduation. During these co-ops, Dan gained experience working in four different departments within AEP and uncovered his passion for protection and controls engineering. Upon graduation, Dan passed his Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and was offered a job with AEP. Since then, he’s worked on countless projects ranging from 12kV all the way to 765kV and has learned a lot about the industry.
Dan’s involvement in the Honors Program shaped both his collegiate experience and his professional life. Through this community, he forged close friendships with talented and like-minded students whom he could ask for help on homework or work through complicated computer programs with.
He enjoyed hanging out in the honors lounge freshman year, which he credits for making the transition to college much easier for him. Academically, the Honors Program allowed Dan to dig deeper into his course work. He particularly enjoyed writing an eight-page paper analyzing a 30- second Skittles ad for his honors writing seminar class. For his honors capstone enhancement project, he worked with his advisor to learn how to design printed circuit boards (PCB) from scratch. This project ended with Dan designing the PCB that sits at the base of the Tower of Inspiration sculpture on the first floor of the James Lehr Kennedy Engineering building.
Overall, the «Ӱҵ Honors Program taught Dan how to take his education and career into his own hands. During his honors contracts and capstone enhancement, he was given the freedom to learn and complete projects in ways that he chose. This experience taught him that, “you are the architect of your career and you can work to guide your career if you are intentional with seeking out learning opportunities to enhance your skill set.”