Pathways

From Kenya to Dubai

by Brooke Thames

Jack Casturo ’24 was 11 years old the first time he visited Kenya, on a mission trip that he kickstarted with his father through their church. There, in the city of Kisumu, the Pittsburgh native learned how to combine a solar panel, inverter and battery to build a powerful appliance.

“We built a few of these solar sets with students there and showed them how to power their homes,” Casturo says. “My interest in engineering took off from there.”

He followed his fascination to Bucknell, where the electrical engineering major has partnered with classmates to design an electric slot machine and a line-tracing robot — in addition to fun, personal projects like a flashing LED “Thank You” display for a car’s rearview mirror.

Casturo even attended the 2021 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Dubai to see college students like himself construct high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewable energy.

“I’m not even through my sophomore year and have had so many cool experiences,” he says. “Being a Bucknell engineer really does give you an advantage. I can’t say enough good things about the program.”

photograph by emily paine

Pathways

Jack Casturo posing with hands at sides
From Kenya to Dubai
by Brooke Thames
Jack Casturo ’24 was 11 years old the first time he visited Kenya, on a mission trip that he kickstarted with his father through their church. There, in the city of Kisumu, the Pittsburgh native learned how to combine a solar panel, inverter and battery to build a powerful appliance.

“We built a few of these solar sets with students there and showed them how to power their homes,” Casturo says. “My interest in engineering took off from there.”

He followed his fascination to Bucknell, where the electrical engineering major has partnered with classmates to design an electric slot machine and a line-tracing robot — in addition to fun, personal projects like a flashing LED “Thank You” display for a car’s rearview mirror.

Casturo even attended the 2021 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Dubai to see college students like himself construct high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewable energy.

“I’m not even through my sophomore year and have had so many cool experiences,” he says. “Being a Bucknell engineer really does give you an advantage. I can’t say enough good things about the program.”

photograph by emily paine