Scholar Stories: Distance Runner Baumgarten Planning for Future in the Sky
11/8/2017 11:27:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Features
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Brandon Koretz
Almost immediately after distance runner Aaron Baumgarten helped the University of Michigan men's cross country team win the Big Ten title last month, he had a plane to catch for a job interview.
"After the race, there was a lot of stress trying to organize my boarding pass and all the documents that I needed for the interview process," said Baumgarten. "I immediately drove to the airport to fly out. I managed it all pretty well, but I had a bit of a travel disaster since my plane got delayed and I had to stay overnight at a hotel."
Baumgarten, a redshirt senior, was flying to Arizona for three days in order to interview with a missile defense company.
"The airline actually lost my bag, so I didn't have any clothes except for the running shorts I was wearing and the 'Big Ten Champions' shirt," said Baumgarten. "I couldn't really attend any formal dinners or networking events the company had set up, so I just hung out by the pool and had a three-day vacation. When I finally got my bag, I put the suit on, interviewed, got a job offer and left."
After majoring in aerospace engineering through the College of Engineering, he is now working on a one-year master's degree in mechanical engineering. In addition to his academic coursework, the Williamston, Michigan, native already has a handful of experiences in the aerospace industry.
Two summers ago, Baumgarten interned for a company called Space Systems Loral in Palo Alto, California. There, he worked on data analysis, coding assignments and troubleshooting hardware while getting to see satellites launched into space.
This past summer, Baumgarten was in Georgia interning with Gulfstream Aerospace, where he worked on the company's new lines of jets, the G500 and the G600.
"One of the projects I worked on," said Baumgarten, "was a scenario in which the auxiliary power unit blew up in-flight. We'd have to make sure that the turbine blades that power it wouldn't slice through either the fuel tanks in the wings or the landing gear."
Baumgarten's 12-week internship program with Gulfstream actually caused him to miss the first week of this past cross country season. Despite being disappointed to miss workouts with his teammates, Baumgarten said he was ultimately glad that he got the opportunity to have such a cool internship experience over the summer.
Though he has since found his passion for aerospace engineering, Baumgarten didn't start his freshman year in the College of Engineering. He spent the first week of classes in preparation for a different major, but didn't feel he was enjoying himself.
Baumgarten said he then went to his academic counselor and told her that he wanted to do something geared toward math and science, but didn't know where he'd fit in. When asked if he had ever considered engineering, Baumgarten said he hadn't. Shortly thereafter, he switched his schedule around and enrolled in a number of more difficult courses like coding, calculus and physics. He loved all of them.
Since making that switch as a freshman, Baumgarten has been seeking to challenge himself academically.
"This last year, I took classes in which I was really interested even though they might've been a little bit more challenging," said Baumgarten. "I hadn't taken the prerequisites for them. I just wanted to get into some really interesting problem work. I've definitely been challenged this semester, but I've learned a lot and enjoy the classes and feel like it's given me a much better understanding of aerospace. That'll help me a lot in the industry."
Baumgarten got some help from his teammates, a few of whom are also majoring in aerospace engineering. His former teammate Mason Ferlic, the 2016 NCAA Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, talks with Baumgarten frequently about his major, suggesting classes to take and helping him with difficult concepts.
As a fifth-year student, Baumgarten has a handle on the difficulties that come with balancing academics and athletics, including his busy schedule. After all, he has excelled in both venues, having earned All-Big Ten honors in cross country and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
"I pretty much go to my classes and do homework throughout the day and then I go to practice for four hours," said Baumgarten. "Then I get some food and I'm off to go to more engineering."
According to Baumgarten, he got used to the heavy workload in high school after taking numerous AP classes to prepare for college. Though his high school is less than a 20-minute drive from East Lansing, Michigan, Baumgarten chose to walk on as a member of Michigan's men's cross country and track and field teams. He has since embraced what it means to be a Michigan Wolverine.
"As a student-athlete at the University of Michigan, I'm showing that I'm challenging myself academically and athletically," said Baumgarten. "When I wear the Block M, I'm showing that I've worked really hard to get to this spot by excelling in these two aspects of my life. It's something to wear with pride."
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