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It started with Arduino kits and Lego robots built alongside her dad. Now, UNB electrical engineering grad Lauren Dysart is taking that same hands-on mindset into a renewable energy career already waiting on the other side of graduation.

Lauren Dysart’s path to electrical engineering began at home in Saint John, building circuits and electronic devices with her father. The Arduino kits and Lego Mindstorms NXT robots drew her in because they worked in her hands, not just on paper.

“I thought, ‘Oh, electrical engineering is kind of similar to that,’” she said of her choice to study the subject at the University of New Brunswick.

On May 28, Dysart will step down from the platform at spring encaenia and move into a career in renewable energy. Her four years show how UNB engineering students move from classroom learning to industry experience and leadership roles.

The result: a graduate with clear direction and a job waiting for her.

Dysart had planned to study science but switched to engineering days before the deadline. The change came down to how she wanted to think and work.

“I really liked the design aspect,” she said. “I really wanted to learn about how things like computers work.”

As a recipient of the J.D. Irving, Limited New Brunswick Leadership Scholarship, she entered university with early industry experience. She worked at the company’s Saint John pulp and paper mill before her first year of university and again the following summer.

“It gave me the advantage of knowing what electrical engineering is,” she said. “It reaffirmed that this is what I want to do.”

The scholarship reduced financial pressure and gave her time for leadership work. Dysart was active in the Engineering Undergraduate Society, later taking on senior roles and helping lead major events. She also served as the women’s representative with the Diversity Within Engineering Society and contributed to the Atlantic Engineering Competition.

Her most demanding role came as co-chair of the Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference at UNB. The event brought hundreds of students, speakers and sponsors to Fredericton and required oversight of a large team and budget.

“We had 250 people attending the conference, not including the speakers and sponsors,” she said.

The experience gave her added confidence that she can lead while under pressure.

“I learned that I really enjoy project management,” she said. “I like leading people through stress and making sure it’s a positive environment for them all the way.”

Dysart completed placements in several sectors, including research and development at LuminUltra and power generation at NB Power. The range exposed her to different types of work and helped refine her goals.

“I really do like the design work and development research,” she said. “And I also did a lot of project management, which I enjoy.”

By her fourth year, that experience came together. In her technical electives and through collaboration in her senior capstone design project, Calibration System for Pressure Tiles, she saw how theory was translated to practice and to daily life.

“I can find this in real life,” she said. “I see this whole thing outside, and I know what it is, I know how it works.”

Outside the classroom, she kept a steady balance through physical activity and campus involvement. She also volunteered with UNB S.P.R.I.N.G., a program where student mentors are paired with children with disabilities to work towards reaching individual needs and goals.

After graduation, Dysart will join CBCL Limited in the renewables sector, where she will work in both design and project management. The role reflects what she discovered at UNB.

“I like to do both, and that’s what the job will involve. I’m really excited about the sustainability aspect, which I became passionate about over my four years at UNB. I'm excited to contribute in that way, especially so early in my career,” she said.

Dysart has come a long way since she worked on projects with her dad. For students about to start the engineering program at UNB, her advice reflects her own path.

“Get involved,” she said. “It gives you so many skills in the moment, but it also leads to many other opportunities.”