Alumni Profile
Neil Naples, from SMCC to Ph.D.
Job offers flew Neil Naples’ way after he earned his Ph.D. He credits his precision machining education at SMCC with giving him the opportunities he’s experiencing now.
Naples was introduced to machining during high school in his hometown of Mexico, in western Maine. He chose SMCC for college because he was impressed with the machining program and liked the Portland area.
Following graduation in 2008, he went to The Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics, and then a master’s in industrial and systems engineering. Just last month, he received his doctorate in industrial and systems engineering from Ohio State.
Upon receiving his Ph.D., he received four job offers off the bat from well-known companies such as Google, Oculus VR, Corning and Precitech. He begins work this month outside of Seattle at Oculus VR — a virtual reality company owned by Facebook.
While in high school, Neil never gave a thought to earning a doctorate. But as he continued his schooling, he realized that his SMCC education — and the hands-on experience with Portland-area manufacturers while at SMCC — gave him the foundation he needed to succeed.
“SMCC laid the core foundation for everything I do now. Getting the strong fundamental tools that SMCC offers doesn’t just open doors; they’ll fly off the hinges sometimes.”
Faculty Profile
Huey Coleman, career filmmaker
Huey Coleman developed an interest in filmmaking in college from an art professor who made films on the side. That interest turned into a passion and then a career of making films, the latest of which documents the life of Henry David Thoreau.
Coleman has made hundreds of films over the decades — including short videos with young schoolchildren, videos for organizations on a contract basis, and seven feature-length documentaries that focus on the arts and the environment.
His films have shown at film festivals, universities, museums, art houses and elsewhere across the country and in Europe. His latest film, “Henry David Thoreau: Surveyor of the Soul,” has received critical acclaim since its release in 2017 and recently aired on Maine Public Television.
Since 2008, Coleman has taught about documentary films, video production and scriptwriting at SMCC. DVDs of his documentaries are available in the SMCC library. Full descriptions of his films can be found on his website.
Coleman’s teaching philosophy is to have students do hands-on work, work in groups and tap into their creativity.
“I enjoy getting to know my students, and I love introducing new things and seeing the wonder and joy. If you do things in an engaging way, students usually enjoy it.”