Crystal Peyton '08, Stevens Mechanical Engineering Graduate, Returns Home to Tucson

HOBOKEN , N.J. ― Crystal Peyton grew up knowing that she wanted to be an engineer. Her father is a civil engineer and she enjoyed going to his workplace to see the specifics of his job, as well as enjoying the math and science offered at Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Arizona.

With that kind of background and passion, Stevens was an easy choice.

During her time at Stevens she has had numerous job experiences, including systems and aerospace at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson; electrical work and construction at what is now HDR in Newark, New Jersey; and machinery work at Molymet in Santiago, Chile.

“I enjoyed the time I spent there. I learned that I’m not really interested in systems engineering,” said Crystal about her time in Chile. “There is a lot of paperwork and you don’t get to see the details. The big picture is important, but I don’t want to influence other people’s design decisions.” Crystal was much more interested in her work at Raytheon Ballistic Missile Defense, where she worked on a Standard Missile 3 (SM-3).

She greatly enjoyed the electrical work with airlines at Newark, La Guardia, and JFK Airports, as well as studying the cables connecting the George Washington Bridge to the ground. In Chile she looked for the best diameter and material for pipes that were to be used around hazardous gases and extreme temperatures.

Crystal liked that the various engineering curricula were very similar at first because it gave her more time to decide between mechanical and electrical engineering. She also benefited from Stevens’ policy of accepting AP credits, and she was grateful that co-op allowed her to get ahead with the classes she could take while working. For these reasons, as well as small class sizes and classes being taught by the professors instead of the teaching assistants, Crystal was really grateful to be attending Stevens. Now a graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Crystal will be moving back to Tucson and working for Raytheon Missile Systems, starting in July.

Crystal enjoyed the diversity of clubs at Stevens. She noticed the ease with which students could start their own clubs, as well as enjoyed the diversity of interests and meeting new people.

She fenced, was a member of Stevens Yacht Club and Stevens Christian Fellowship, and took part in Stevens Dramatic Society productions. “That, on top of 21 credits, was hard to do, but the small school atmosphere was helpful, allowing constant contact with the other students and professors,” said Crystal.

Sharing some advice for incoming students, she further said: “Look at all of the aspects of what you are getting into. Most colleges will give you a decent education, but look at the kinds of contacts the school can help you make. I feel fortunate that I went to Stevens because of its emphasis on academics, its diverse choice of majors, and the contacts. The location of Stevens allows the students to make contacts near and far and gives you opportunities to feel out a location before you decide to settle there or not.”

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,040 undergraduate and 3,085 graduate students, and a worldwide online enrollment of 2,250, with a full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty of 140 and more than 200 full-time special faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

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