Shane Fleming (MechEngr’08) is proof that an engineering degree can open doors across a wide variety of professions. His professional story has been eye-opening to CU Engineering students, showing that a degree in engineering doesn’t require specialization in a single field. Shane also graduated at the onset of the 2008 global financial collapse, allowing him to share valuable advice to the class of 2020 in the wake of a shaky job market. We recently sat down (virtually!) with Shane to learn more about his time at CU, his fascinating career path and his volunteer involvement.
Do you have any favorite memories from CU?
Academically, I enjoyed applying the engineering skills I learned in the classroom to solve real-world problems through the iterative design, build and test process of simple and elegant hardware development in the lab with my peers. Specifically, a smart plant-watering device to irrigate plants based on soil moisture content in Invention and Innovation, and a lightweight mountain bike brake rotor designed for overseas production in Global Engineering.
Outside of the lab and machine shop, I enjoyed celebrating a CU football win with fellow Buffs on the field, skateboarding downhill to the Engineering Center from the Hill while listening to music on my iPod, and capturing aerial images of Boulder from a Cessna 172 after learning to fly.
You’ve had a fascinating career path. Can you talk a little bit about your professional experience and how you ultimately landed at Rocket Lab?
I’m very fortunate following graduation to have joined biotech company LanzaTech during its startup phase with the goal of capturing carbon from waste to produce clean fuels and chemicals. This early-stage technology development experience enabled me to live and work across the globe in New Zealand, China, Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. to scale up engineering operations from the lab to commercial scale. I wore multiple hats to quickly learn what it takes to demonstrate disruptive technology and how to build a business through raising money, recruiting the right people, closing deals, and managing limited resources to execute on company commitments. I took special interest in producing sustainable aviation fuels and working with the FAA as a member of the ASTM subcommittee to certify synthetic jet fuel produced from alcohols for commercial flight.
This invaluable experience prepared me for an incredible opportunity to join Rocket Lab at an early stage to support infrastructure and regulatory development of the Electron orbital launch vehicle in New Zealand. During my first project, I led the safety reviews, lease negotiations, and build of a larger fit-for-purpose engine test cell near Auckland Airport for Rutherford Engine testing. I quickly moved on to identify another site, establish resource consent, land lease and build a second facility for integrated Electron Stage 1 & 2 stack testing. These two projects prepared me for my next and favorite project of leading the community engagement and launch range ground infrastructure development of Launch Comlex-1 in the stunning Mahia Peninsula.
Following the launch of Rocket Lab’s first mission, appropriately named “It’s a Test,” I was asked to relocate to Huntington Beach, California, and establish engine and avionics production facilities in the U.S. to support our growing customer manifest and commercial launch cadence. After a short five years, I’m very proud of what our team has accomplished since, launching 55 satellites, including Rocket Lab’s first Satellite Photon across 14 missions.
Why did you choose to be heavily involved as a volunteer for the college and become a regional network ambassador?
I’ve always valued the importance of networking. As a student and young professional early in my career I was consistently speaking to peers, professors, internship colleagues and anyone who would listen about my dreams and aspirations seeking advice. As a new graduate, I tended to receive more than I provided to my network. Now that I have a more established career and industry experience, I chose to volunteer to give back and support as my network and mentors have provided me.
Have you been able to connect with or assist fellow alumni or students in any specific way since becoming an active volunteer?
Over five years ago I served as a mentor to two senior engineering students approaching graduation as part of the Engineering Leadership Program. This program was very one-on-one and allowed the students and mentors to engage in specific and open communication regarding career development. Having relocated back to the States more recently, I’ve been able to dedicate more time volunteering as a Regional Network Ambassador here in southern California.
It’s been gratifying to help to connect recent graduates with local networks, provide advice on my experiences graduating during the global financial crisis of 2008 compared to the current environment of a global pandemic in 2020, and serve as a mentor to incoming students seeking advice.
What would you say to encourage alumni who are considering whether to volunteer with their alma mater?
Don’t overthink it, just do it! The program is tremendously well-organized thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers at CU, and I assure you the time commitment is manageable to your availability. Thanks to modern video conferencing applications it’s very easy to participate remotely, especially during the present state of global affairs. I’m confident you’ll find it, as I have, to be an enormously rewarding experience to help younger generations strive to live at their full potential and to give back to our alma mater what our alma mater has provided us.
Want to get involved as an alumni volunteer? Fill out our volunteer interest form or update your contact information to be notified of future CU Engineering alumni events.