Engineer at Heart
When Pete Lynde, PE, LEED® AP, was fifteen, he got a teenager’s dream job – part-time mechanic in the local motorcycle shop. For seven years, he spent every summer vacation tuning up and tearing down Hondas and Suzukis. Then he got his second job, and he’s never left it—mechanical engineer at Kahn. He was trained at Penn State’s Architectural Engineering program, one of only a few such programs in the U.S. In college, he studied the specialized area of building acoustics engineering. Kahn had a major figure in that field—Kurt Traub—and Pete found a mentor. “I saw there was a chance to become the acoustical guy at Kahn if I stuck with it,” he says, “and that’s what happened.” more...
“Although there’s quite a science to acoustical engineering, for the layperson it’s highly subjective. You’ll often struggle to get two people to agree that the radio is just right in its loudness. That subjective part of acoustics is fascinating to me.” Pete’s expertise extended into research, testing and alternative energy facilities. As a Principal, he now leads Kahn’s business development efforts in those areas. But his high point as a mechanical engineer probably came on Ford’s Advanced Engineering Center in Dearborn, completed in 1993. Ford asked Kahn for a state-of-the-art lab for testing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). The firm delivered, and Pete was a key player. His contribution was crucial to the development of the perforated metal anechoic wedge, which became the industry standard for acoustical treatment in NVH chambers. But Pete says his payoff has come not just from his specialties. He also credits the firm’s culture. “What has kept me at Kahn is that this firm has the highest standards for integrity and ethical behavior that I have seen in my professional career.”
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