Erdman on a ferry in Denmark, where he studied as a Martindale Scholar. Photo: Asgar Ali ’23.
A mechanical engineering major, Erdman immersed himself in his academics, becoming a Martindale Scholar and traveling to Denmark for in-depth research into the country’s workforce education. He studied abroad in Germany through the Pforzheim University Engineers Made in Germany program, concentrating on the German automotive industry and visiting cities that included Munich, Berlin and Cologne. He completed an internship as a reliability engineer at the PPL Corp., where he now has accepted a job as a distribution operator following graduation.
Outside of the classroom, Erdman joined the Lehigh Baja SAE team, which each year takes on the challenge of designing, building and racing a single-seat off-road car, and utilized skills he learned from his father, who was an automotive mechanic. He also worked with Lehigh’s Community Service Office, tutoring students at Broughal Middle School, and was active in the campus Outing and Ski clubs.
When there were just two weeks left in the Spring 2023 semester, Erdman contemplated how much work he had yet to complete before graduation, including his class assignments, a Baja competition in Wisconsin, and finals.
“That’s kind of how it’s always been, it’s always been super busy,” he said. “I like it.”
