Written by Nik Malhotra ’21 | October 28, 2020 | SHARE
Hailing from Pakistan, Abdul Moiz Gul graduated from Lehigh in the spring of 2020 and then stayed at the university to pursue his master’s degree in mechanical engineering as a Presidential Scholar.
Lehigh’s Presidential Scholar Program awards students who maintain a 3.75 GPA or higher a free fifth year to further their education in a variety of ways. (The program will be discontinued after this year in order to increase Lehigh’s need-based financial aid program.)
Abdul’s father is a mechanical engineer, so the inspiration for his work has been ingrained in him since he was a kid.
“I always wanted to work in the field of engineering,” Abdul says. “I thought it was super cool to build stuff, know the mathematical basis of stuff, to know how physics works, to know how biology works. I was always curious in very technical fields.”
Abdul applied to schools all over the world, but eventually came to Lehigh on a Levy Scholarship, a generous scholarship that provided tuition, room and board for his four years as an undergraduate student.
Abdul chose to spend his college years in South Bethlehem because of Lehigh’s renowned engineering program, and also because it's a smaller school that provides graduate and doctorate programs in addition to undergraduate degrees.
“I had my eyes on the prize before I even got here,” Abdul says. Ever since stepping onto Lehigh’s campus, Abdul knew he wanted to achieve the Presidential Scholar in order to continue his education.
As an undergraduate student, Abdul was heavily involved on Lehigh’s campus beyond the classroom. He participated in International Student Orientation, was the treasurer of his fraternity, volunteered for American Reads America Counts and was heavily involved in Lehigh’s Baja SAE off-road racing program (he is at the right in the photo above).
“I had a holistic Lehigh experience, even though I was laser sharp focused on making sure my GPA was good enough to get a master's,” says Abdul. “Clubs really give you a chance to apply some of the things you’re learning in class.
Abdul began his master’s program over the summer while also researching and interning for the automation team at Temple Allen Industries, a company specializing in equipment for the aerospace industry. While the workload was difficult to manage, Abdul valued his experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Now, Abdul is taking 15 credits a semester. The normal amount of credits for a master’s student at Lehigh is nine. Additionally, he is continuing his research in finite element analysis, particularly applying his findings to biological cells.
As an international student, Abdul brings a new perspective to Lehigh’s campus. While the adjustment posed some difficulties at first, Abdul emphasized that Lehigh gave him the opportunity to try new things while letting him prioritize what was most important to him. He found a lot of support in his friends and fraternity as an undergraduate student.
“I found Bethlehem and the Lehigh community really welcoming,” he says.
While he has no concrete plans after his master’s program, he hopes to continue working on the things he loves in mechanical engineering and mechanical design, specifically controls and automation. Abdul is open to either pursuing a Ph.D. or going straight into the workforce.
“I enjoy learning new things very much,” Abdul says. “What I do want to ultimately do is work for a company where I can really apply what I’ve learned in mechanical engineering and mechanical design.”
He loves product development, specifically when it comes to machine design and mechanical assemblies.
With his master’s degree continuing, Abdul looks forward to pursuing his passion of mechanical engineering and finding whatever way possible to improve products.