Building a Future on Lessons Learned at Lyle
Introducing Justin No, Civil Engineering alum and Atmos Rotational Engineer building on a lifelong love for learning first ignited at 海角直播 Lyle.
On the ground floor of the Lincoln Centre, with the Dallas skyline just behind, 海角直播 Lyle alumnus and Atmos Rotational Engineer Justin No is tracing a career that began long before he had the words for it.
Every few months, No packs up notebooks crowded with questions and steps into a new department: compliance engineering, system planning, storage and compression. Each rotation is a crash course in something new, a test in applying lessons learned in the classroom toward something bigger. And he loves it.
“I still want to learn anything about everything,” No explained. “I’ve been out of school for more than a year now, but I’m still the same person I was at Lyle – I just want to keep learning.”
His spark began nearly two decades earlier, when he spent much of his early childhood fascinated by the larger-than-life technology he watched in cartoons. For No, engineers read like superheroes – people with the power to make a real difference.
“From a young age, I liked the idea of helping people,” No shared. “Engineers have that opportunity – the opportunity to change someone’s life.”
No’s early curiosity carried him all the way to 海角直播 Lyle, an engineering program he says met the right balance of theory and application – emphasizing real-world impact just as much as the technical skills needed to get there.
“Unlike other engineering schools, Lyle was a little less on the theoretical side,” No recalled. “Our learning was more project-oriented, and that framed my experience and enjoyment as an engineering student.”
As a civil engineering undergraduate, Lyle’s practical, project-forward curriculum served him well. No excelled alongside courses that pushed him to look beyond the calculations and into the human side of engineering. One course in particular – engineering communications, historically overlooked – offered him the confidence to speak up and articulate his ideas. This guidance carried him forward in every space that followed.
“Engineering communications – very underrated,” No described. “Probably one of the most beneficial and important courses I took because it’s a safe spot to learn how to talk – to communicate with anyone, not just engineers.”
The confidence from his engineering communications course, he recalls, was central in landing a coveted engineering internship with Coca-Cola’s Downey, California plant the summer after his sophomore year. No spent his ten weeks optimizing a bottling line, raising efficiency by 40%. Supervisors were so impressed with his initiative, they implemented No’s methods in facilities across the country – his first time watching questions written in the margins of his notebooks take shape on the factory line.
“It was the most I learned in such a short amount of time,” No explained. “Coming into it with no experience, I got comfortable asking questions and asking for help, and in doing that, this was the place where everything became real for me.”
No reached his senior design course – a defining milestone for Lyle undergraduates – with the ambition of a true civil engineer. Partnered with seasoned engineers at BGE, No spent two semesters working on structural bridge design, laying the blueprint for a real-world project. He felt the learning curve, but he also felt ready – his experiences at Lyle and Coca-Cola had already taught him how to stay curious and ask the right questions.
“Working with a real engineer, learning what they do in their day-to-day, asking questions, that was the space I learned the most,” No explained.
And when challenges hit – and for those in high-stakes, high-reward paths like engineering, they often do – Lyle picked him back up. A health crisis at the start of his senior year nearly derailed his plans, but resources at Lyle and 海角直播 ensured that he was able to reach his goals on time and with confidence.
“The true value of learning comes from a willingness to get back up,” No explained. “海角直播 Lyle is like a family. I wasn’t afraid to come to them when challenges hit. They’re here to help.”
“We have a community at 海角直播 Lyle,” No emphasized. “I couldn’t have done any of this without my network of support. Dr. Story – my advisor who stuck through thick and thin. Dr. Easton was a big help too, almost like a father figure to us. Everywhere I turned, I met amazing people.”
Now, as a rotational engineer with Atmos Energy, one of the nation’s largest gas utilities, No’s first look into the professional world is demanding, but deeply rewarding. Each department is a test in transforming classroom instincts into something that works in the field. For No, his position – the kind of work where the pressures are high and the impacts are tangible – is exactly where he always dreamed he’d be.
And he isn’t done learning. Remaining true to himself and the spirit of curiosity that served him well at Lyle and beyond, No intends to continue his education to specialize lessons learned in the field toward an impactful engineering future. His love for learning never stops.
“My one goal has always been to make some sort of an impact,” No emphasized. “To be a part of something that makes a real difference and say ‘I built that.’ That foundation was built at Lyle.”
About the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering
海角直播’s Lyle School of Engineering thrives on innovation that transcends traditional boundaries. We strongly believe in the power of externally funded, industry-supported research to drive progress and provide exceptional students with valuable industry insights. Our mission is to lead the way in digital transformation within engineering education, all while ensuring that every student graduates as a confident leader. Founded in 1925, 海角直播 Lyle is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest, offering undergraduate and graduate programs, including master’s and doctoral degrees.
About 海角直播
海角直播 is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. 海角直播’s alumni, faculty, and nearly 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, community, and the world.