Penn College graduate helps design thrills | Penn State University

Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate Eli R. Rush, of Elysburg, climbs the lift hill of the Great White roller coaster at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey. Rush, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology last December, is a designer for Great Coasters International Inc. The Sunbury-based company is a renowned manufacturer and builder of wooden coasters. Credit: Photo provided by Eli R. Rush. All Rights Reserved.

November 4, 2024

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — As a kid, Eli R. Rush fell in love with roller coasters. As an adult, he’s turned that passion into a livelihood. The Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus is a designer for a renowned manufacturer and builder of coasters.

Rush, of Elysburg, works for Great Coasters International Inc. (GCII). Headquartered in Sunbury, the company has crafted award-winning wooden roller coasters for amusement parks throughout North America, Europe and Asia. From Thunderhead at Dollywood in Tennessee to the Wodan Timbur Coaster at Europa-Park in Germany to the Jungle Dragon at Happy Valley Chongqing in China, GCII is responsible for thrills worldwide.

“Working in the amusement industry has always been a dream job of mine. To be able to have this opportunity right out of college was like a dream come true,” said Rush, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology last December.

One of a dozen full-time employees at GCII, Rush designs and redesigns parts for the three types of coaster trains the company makes: millennium flyer for twisty track configurations, mini-llennium flyer for junior coasters, and the infinity flyer for coasters with extreme elements. He also devises parts for coasters’ mechanical systems. (A separate company, Skyline Attractions LLC, usually designs the coasters that GCII builds.)

Project management, train construction and parts production for ride structures occur at the Sunbury location before GCII coasters are erected at amusement parks. Occasionally, Rush travels to the parks. He recently spent several days at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey, working on the lift hill of the Great White coaster so he could learn proper installation procedures for the ride’s mechanical aspects.

He also has visited Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri, for the second-season opening of the Zambezi Zinger coaster, featuring GCII’s Titan Track, which merges wood and steel elements.

“It was nice seeing how excited the public was to ride it,” Rush said. “It gives you a whole new perspective being able to go to a park and seeing people enjoy a coaster that you helped on.”

The Elysburg native grew up in the shadow of one of the country’s most famous wooden roller coasters: the Phoenix at Knoebels Amusement Resort. It was the first “big” coaster he rode. The Phoenix is a multiple Golden Ticket award-winner for best wooden coaster and has been recognized as an American Coaster Enthusiasts roller coaster landmark, a designation reserved for rides of historical significance.

One ride on the Phoenix and Rush was smitten for life.

“I enjoy the adrenaline rush coasters give you, as well as seeing the limits pushed each year as new record-breaking coasters get designed and built. Seeing the inner mechanisms of how they work has always interested me,” he explained.

Rush has experienced the Phoenix countless times as a park guest and employee. During his teenage years, he worked as a waiter at Knoebels’ Alamo Restaurant. Proximity to the amusement industry made him aspire to a career in the field. It was also during this time that Rush became intrigued with design.

His middle school required students to take a drafting class. “I found myself enjoying the projects we were working on and excelling at what I was doing,” Rush said.

In high school, he acted on that interest. Rush completed several drafting courses, which steered him to seek a college offering a degree incorporating his favorite type of computer-aided design: 3D parametric modeling.

Enter Penn College. The institution’s engineering design technology major includes classes on 3D parametric modeling among its plethora of hands-on CAD courses. The degree also boasts a 100% graduate placement rate.

“Our program’s diverse curriculum prepares students for a wide range of design and modeling challenges — roller coasters included,” said Alex E. Marconnet, instructor of engineering design technology.

Rush’s decision to attend Penn College proved to be a wise one. He was a dean’s list student and successfully completed valuable internships at the Crossroads Group LLC, a civil engineering firm in Hamburg, and at Catawissa-based Roaring Creek Machine Co., a supplier of additive manufacturing and precision machining.

“Penn College exceeded my expectations with my professors’ skills and knowledge as well as the small class sizes,” Rush said. “I also got to learn more programs and aspects of the field than I had anticipated. I felt like my professors got to know me and were always available if I needed help. I can’t speak highly enough of my professors. They are amazing at what they do.”

Marconnet remembers Rush as a dedicated student.

“Eli was a student with quiet drive and determination. Though often reserved, he was extremely detail oriented and diligent in his coursework,” Marconnet said. “Combined with the technical skills he gained at Penn College, I always felt he would grow into a highly competent engineer. His focused approach and strong work ethic made a lasting impression.”

Those qualities helped Rush make a good first impression with GCII. The company hired him a few months prior to his graduation. Rush worked two days a week for GCII before advancing to full-time status following commencement.

“I believe they hired me based off of my schooling at Penn College as well as from the experience I acquired from my internships while attending college,” Rush said. “I felt confident in my ability to succeed.”

He continues to feel that way, thanks in part to Penn College.

“Whether it be using Autodesk Inventor or other programs I learned throughout my time at Penn College, there’s always something that I can lean on from my time studying there,” he said. “I am grateful for my Penn College education and the experiences I had while on campus. I use the skills I learned there every day in my working life.”

To learn more about engineering design technology and other degrees offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520 or visit www.pct.edu/et.

Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Visit www.pct.edu, email [email protected] or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

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