Elijah Yates, a junior at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls, was awarded the SME Education Foundation’s 2025 Wayne F. Frost Directors Scholarship — helping pave the way for him to complete three manufacturing-related majors while staying active in several student organizations, including UNI’s SME student chapter.
Yates, 21, is pursuing degrees in automation engineering technology, electrical engineering technology and technology management. Before transferring to UNI, he earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in industrial robotics and automation at Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) in Fort Dodge.
His interest in manufacturing began in high school after he joined a FIRST Tech Challenge robotics club. “I got to be involved in designing and fabricating the actual parts for the robot — making the systems work together,” Yates says. His interest in robotics and automation was reinforced at ICCC.
One of Yates’ priorities during his first semester at UNI was to get involved in industry-related student organizations. After consulting with his adviser and several professors, he joined the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), SME and an ATMAE robotics club. Yates also co-founded UNI Artisans, a club aimed at getting non-engineering and non-STEM majors into campus lab spaces to explore metalworking, 3D printing and programming. He currently serves as vice president of the group.
Regarding his student membership in SME, Yates says, “I went to one of the intro events, met all the chapter leadership and made some great friends. They gave me the rundown on what it's all about.”
SME membership, he notes, has provided him with opportunities to build industry connections and expand his professional horizons at events such as FABTECH and IMTS — both of which he attended with UNI’s SME student chapter.
Yates was presented with his scholarship award at SME’s Spring Gala, held in Detroit in May. “It was a really great experience,” he says, recalling several of his favorite moments: talking to past SME presidents, learning about their career paths in manufacturing, finding out how they got involved with SME, and learning how SME helped them achieve their professional goals.
Meeting past SME President Wayne Frost — a former UNI student and John Deere engineer — was a significant moment for Yates. “It was really cool to see how he went from UNI all the way to past president of SME, and now to giving me a scholarship,” he says. “I think we're going to try to have him come down and visit the SME chapter at UNI sometime next year.”
Although he’s not sure where he’ll land after graduation, Yates says he’s considering several possibilities — such as working at a robotic integration company or as a controls engineer at a larger plant.
“Just being at UNI, I’ve had a lot more exposure to larger-scale manufacturing,” he says. “Every time I’m wondering if this is the right choice, something cool happens and I think, yeah — manufacturing's where it's at.”
