Hana Toth: A Passion for Ag Engineering

Name: Hana Toth

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Hometown/Current Town: New Tripoli, PA/Bettendorf, IA

Graduation Year: BS 2021, MS 2023

Major& Minor: BS Biological Engineering, Minor in Offroad Equipment; MS Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Current Professional Title: Automation Engineer

Name of Employer: John Deere

Brief Description of Your Role: I was in John Deere's Engineering Development Program for two years in different rotations. My first was in Design and Product Verification and Validation (PV&V). My second rotation was in Software PV&V and my third rotation was Test Automation. Now, I'm an Automation Engineer and design automation systems for the combine.

Why did you choose Penn State?

I chose Penn State because I grew up in a very rural, agriculture-focused area. I was involved with the Rural Preservation Association of Northwestern Lehigh County (RPA-NLC), which began in the 1990s when a group of local farmers came together to address urban sprawl and educate people about where their food comes from. At the time, farmland was increasingly being sold off for warehouse development—a trend that still affects the Lehigh Valley today. My dad had moved from Hatboro, Pennsylvania, to Northwestern Lehigh County to live on land where he could keep horses. He joined the organization shortly after relocating, and I followed in his footsteps by participating in community events and advocacy efforts.

In addition to being part of the RPA-NLC, I was also a member of the Lehigh County 4-H Equine Club for 11 years. During that time, I visited Penn State twice a year—once for the State Leadership Conference and again for State Days.

My first job was on a farm owned by Teena Bailey. She's probably one of my biggest inspirations for getting into agriculture. She has a heritage grain and organic farm where she uses older technologies. I really enjoyed the work and learned so much about weeds, insects, and organic farming. After working for Teena, I knew I wanted to have a career in agriculture.

Both of my parents worked at Air Products; my dad was a mechanical engineer, and my mom was a mechanical designer. They both have technical backgrounds, and they wanted me and my sister to also be engineers. When I was looking at degree programs, I saw that Penn State had agricultural engineering, and I thought that it was perfect.

What inspired you to pursue your degree?

I spent my first two years at Penn State Berks and briefly considered switching to mechanical engineering because I was concerned about finding internships, especially near where I lived. I had worked in agricultural jobs every summer but knew I needed experience that was more engineering focused.

During the fall of my junior year at University Park, I knew I liked working with plants and was pursuing the seed companies at the career fair. At the time, I was a bit intimidated by design work and unsure if I would enjoy it.

That changed in the spring of my junior year when I took a machine design class with Dr. Jude Liu. I loved it, it just clicked. That course confirmed my path in agricultural engineering.

How did your internships prepare you for your career after college and why would you encourage students to participate in at least one internship while a student?

I interned at Sterman Masser Inc., and it was great to go to this bigger farm that utilized agricultural tech and had an on-site packaging plant. I'd only worked at smaller farms up to that point. The internship allowed me to see other aspects of agricultural engineering like factory automation in their packaging plant and their potato farming equipment. It also confirmed to me that I wanted to work more in a field environment with machinery.

I also interned at John Deere, which was a great time. I worked in an office environment where I got to make connections and network. The relationships I built back during my internship really helped me when I came back to work here full time as I could leverage these relationships to help me through some of my project work.

It's really important for students to do internships. It is nice to intern close to home, but if you have an opportunity to intern away from home and out of state, do it. Interning in a new place helps you meet new people, experience different work environments, and learn a lot about yourself. It's one of the best ways to explore your interests and build confidence before entering the workforce.

Can you talk about your experience at Penn State Berks and the transition to the University Park campus?

I'm not the best with change and Penn State Berks was only an hour from my home. I came from a small high school so the smaller setting at Berks wasn't as overwhelming to me as maybe some of the larger classes at University Park would have been. When I transitioned to University Park, my degree classes were smaller and so the move to a new campus wasn’t as hard for me at that point.

I think going to the Berks campus was a really good decision for me. It helped me grow and mature. I made great friends at Berks and some of them moved to University Park with me. I still keep in contact with many of my Berks campus friends to this day.

What clubs, organizations, or leadership roles were you involved in?

Once I moved to University Park, I was in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) chapter and served as secretary my senior year. It helped me meet other people in the degree program. We also got to meet alumni in the industry and see the different career paths because there are so many different places you can take this degree.

What is a favorite Penn State memory?

I think my favorite Penn State memories reside with all the friends I made and the relationships I developed with a lot of the professors, including my master’s advisor, Dr. Liu. He was and still is very supportive and I could talk to him about anything. He made my experience, especially my master's degree. His classes were great, I loved the way he taught, and the content was stuff that really interested me.

Additionally, I was fortunate to attend Penn State at the same time as my younger sister. I'll always cherish the extra time we spent together before life took us to different parts of the country.

What are one or two of your proudest accomplishments in which your Penn State education played a role?

One of the first times I was left alone to run a field site, I was extremely stressed. I was working alongside four engineers and two technicians, and I kept doubting whether I was doing a good job. Then I overheard one of the engineers telling the customer that I was doing great. That moment was a powerful confirmation that, even though I felt overwhelmed, things were going well. I felt proud to have been able to be successful in that role, delegating tasks, and communicating with the techs and other engineers on-site. My master's field research really prepared me for moments like this, where I had to manage multiple tasks at once, coordinate different people, and keep everything moving forward.

What has been the best advice you've ever received?

I cannot control everything, and I don’t need to be in control of everything. During my first field site during my master's research, I was concerned with all the data collection getting done and if it was getting completed. That’s when Dr. Liu pulled me aside and reminded me that we brought other students for a reason, they were there to help. He encouraged me to focus less on every little detail and more on the bigger picture. That included delegating tasks to those students so I could concentrate my energy on running the experiment effectively. That advice has stuck with me.

What collegiate advice or professional development tip would you give to a current student?

Take classes outside your major, particularly things that might help set you apart. For example, if you're interested in working at a machinery company with a strong tech emphasis where they're going in the direction of intelligent systems, consider taking a software or controls class. Even if it's not traditional for your major, it can give you a unique edge and broaden your skill set.

Another piece of advice is to not feel siloed into your degree. If your degree says agricultural engineering, you don’t have to be siloed into that. There are transferable skills. When I first got to Deere and was introduced to automation systems, I didn’t think I wanted to do that because I didn’t know much about it. I felt out of my realm. Then I met a senior engineer who I'd consider my mentor, and she told me her degree was in mechanical engineering, and she worked in automation. It really opened my eyes, and I realized I didn’t need to be siloed into something. If you are willing to learn and show interest, they’ll teach you. There’s no reason why you can't do something if you have the skills.

I'm an ag engineer but my title is automation engineer. I work with electrical, mechanical, and agricultural engineers. We all bring something different to the table, and we can all learn new things. In an interview, if someone asks you if you know something and you don't, be honest but also say you're willing to learn it. Initiative and drive will get you places.

Why are you proud to be a Penn State Ag Sciences alum?

I'm proud of the growth I experienced during my time at Penn State and throughout my career since. My passion for agriculture started long before college, but Penn State gave me the technical foundation, professional confidence, and versatility I needed to turn that passion into a meaningful career. The education and experiences I gained continue to fuel my commitment to making a positive impact in the agriculture industry.