Tim Piazza is an Engineering assistant professor at SUNY Jamestown Community College. He teaches Engineering Science and Mechanical Technology courses.
Piazza is a 1989 JCC graduate who went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Albany and a doctorate in Experimental Nuclear Physics from Stony Brook University.
Piazza has taught at JCC off and on since 2002 and has been a full-time faculty member since 2022. He also has 25 years of experience overseeing research and development and managing engineers for technology, electronics, and aerospace manufacturers in Jamestown.
In addition to teaching, Piazza is co-advisor for JCC’s Technology Club.
What’s your background in engineering?
Piazza: I'm a graduate of JCC myself. Went off and got my Ph.D. in experimental physics, which is a very engineering-heavy way of doing experiments in the physical sciences. Came back to Jamestown, and I've run research and development organizations, managing engineers on the cutting edge of technology and electronics and in aerospace here in Jamestown for 25 years.
During that time, I've also taught here at JCC, and now I'm full-time here at JCC.
Why did you decide to pursue engineering as a career?
experience in engineering.
Piazza: I've always been a geek and probably watched too much Star Trek as a kid. You know, what I tell my students, and this is what excites me, there's nothing more intrinsically human than modifying our environment.
Go to the art department, and you're modifying it, but you're doing it for aesthetic reasons. You're doing it for psychological, emotional reasons. It invokes a feeling, and that's art.
Engineering is modifying our environment toward, hopefully, the betterment of humans. We want our world to be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. Now you, of course, have to be careful with modification of your environment because things can go to hell.
Why do you teach at JCC?
Piazza: I teach at JCC, I guess for a few reasons. The number one reason is it brings me happiness. I like it. I enjoy it. I thoroughly enjoy the students and interacting with the students. There's nothing better than when you're teaching something and you see the light bulb go on.
And then you've made a little bit of a connection with another person, and they come away with a greater knowledge set or something they can use, something that will help them. I mean, that's just completely pleasurable for me.
The other reason is we need good engineers. We need them locally here in Chautauqua County. We need them nationwide if we're going to compete in the global marketplace.
What is your favorite class to teach?
Piazza: There are probably two key classes that I teach for Engineering Science and those are statics and dynamics. Statics and dynamics follow introductory physics. They're considered kind of trial by fire type classes. Engineering students will get together over beers after they've graduated with their four-year degree, and they always go, “Oh, I remember statics. Oh, I remember dynamics.” Because it's the first really difficult set of classes that they run into in Engineering Science.
But they're great preparatory classes, because they really teach you how to think and calibrate your mind for the things you're going to see once you go to four-year.
What’s a favorite project you’ve worked on?
Piazza: Favorite project that I've personally worked on was probably work that I did on the Joint Strike Fighter in materials development for new bearing applications.
That's the bearing, a ball bearing that goes on the main shaft of the F-135 engine. And it essentially carries all the thrust of that engine in that one device, in that one bearing, which is the second most stressed component in the entire engine. So very critical, flight critical, life critical, and just a really interesting technological nut to crack, a puzzle.
And that's what engineering is at some level, is solving puzzles. But these are puzzles based on physical phenomena.
Why should a student consider engineering for a career?
Piazza: Do you like taking things apart? Are you interested in how things work? Are these things that excite you? Are you passionate about learning about the world around you and how you can use that learning to make something new?
We've all got the iPhones, and we can use them. Somebody has to design it. Somebody has to invent it. Somebody has to take the idea and turn it into a reality. Take the idea and make it physical.
If that's interesting to you, if that's something that you can be passionate about, that's engineering. It's right up the alley. And engineering, of course, sits very, very close to manufacturing because if you engineer something, you create something, you have this idea, you have to then bring it into the physical world, which is that manufacturing side.
What are some next steps to get started with engineering in college?
Piazza: If you're interested in engineering, I would say do your homework. Do your homework. Talk to multiple institutions. Talk to four-year colleges. Talk to JCC or any other two-year college you're interested in. And if you can't, talk with graduates.
You have many options. And I'm certainly not one to say JCC is the best option for everyone every time. I would say JCC is the best option for most folks.
But do your homework. Understand the cost benefit associated with your education so that you can make an informed decision. And you can reach out to JCC and the folks here absolutely any time. And we'll help you any way that we can.
What are some benefits of starting at JCC?
Piazza: Well, one is for a quality education and a quality education that does not break the bank. JCC provides that quality education.
One of the things our students tell me consistently is: "When I got to four-year college, not only was I ready for the courses, but what they threw at me in year three, in year four, I was ahead of the students who had their first two years at that college." And that's because, of course, it's like statics and dynamics, and I'm a tough teacher.
I'll work as hard as I can to help the students understand things, but they have to do the work, and it is hard work, and it’s difficult work, but it's satisfying when you understand something, again, when that light bulb goes on. But the students who leave here are really well prepared for going to four-year college. And they get that education without breaking the bank.