Initially sparked by welding during a summer camp, Elizabeth Tammaro found her calling in a related industry she hadn’t heard of – until she spoke to welding instructor Michael J. Nau during a Penn College Open House. 

Tammaro accepted a job in Trident Maritime Systems’ custom alloy division weeks before graduating with an associate degree in non-destructive testing in May. 

NDT encompasses noninvasive technologies that test the integrity of parts, components and assemblies integral for all aspects of society, ensuring they meet quality and safety requirements. 

“NDT sounded fun,” she said. “It’s in demand, and you’re not doing the physical work like in welding.” 

Tammaro is part of the major’s second graduating class. Penn College has offered NDT courses since the mid-1980s and began the two-year major in Fall 2022. Students receive practical experience in a variety of NDT processes: radiographic, ultrasonic, phased-array ultrasonic, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant and visual inspection. Graduates earn essential classroom hours toward American Society of Non-Destructive Testing certification in both radiographic and ultrasonic testing, the two most common NDT procedures. ASNT certification is obtained following on-the-job training. 

She’s not only part of one of the first NDT graduating classes (and one of two women in the major), but she’s also a first-generation college student and was one of the first girls in her area (Milford, New Jersey) to earn the Eagle Scout rank after girls became eligible in 2019. She had spent years accompanying her brother to Boy Scouts (now known as Scouting America) events. “I was too young to stay home alone, so I was kind of dragged along into it,” she laughed. 

At Penn College, Tammaro was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for students in two-year majors. 

“Elizabeth has the attributes required to excel in the NDT field,” said Mark N. Hurd, instructor of non-destructive testing and welding. “She is very detail oriented and has excellent communication skills. This, coupled with the knowledge she has acquired during her time on campus, will no doubt set her up in the best way possible for the NDT career she is about to embark on."