Casey Turner: Engineer, Entrepreneur, Entertainer

Starting out as a rocket scientist by day and punk rocker by night, Casey Turner ’94 shuffled his mix and found stress-free success on his own terms. He moved to Southern California, picked up a ukulele and made music his full-time gig, while still making time for left-brain leisure.

[quote]After graduating from Florida Tech with a B.S. in mechanical engineering, I put my education to use at Kennedy Space Center working on propulsion systems for NASA. I later moved to Southern California and found my way into the hydrogen fuel cell industry where I facilitated development for some of the first hydrogen fuel cell/hybrid electric vehicles for Ford, Daimler Chrysler and Nissan. The company eventually disintegrated leaving a golden opportunity for a less stressful way of life—island beach rock and reggae.
I had formed a punk rock band in college and had continued performing and touring with the group in my spare time. Moving to San Diego inspired a change in musical direction and a more mellow vibe—strumming up the ukulele and guitar with a loop station. Music became my full-time career change upon the release of my first album, appropriately titled  “No Stress Express,” which hit the radio in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Florida and California. I now tour nationally and internationally and even opened for Matt and Kim during Florida Tech’s Homecoming Fest in Downtown Melbourne in November.
As a musician, I still draw on my Florida Tech education in many ways, including the audio system design and configuration of my fairly complex live setup. I also recently started a small engineering company that focuses on creating devices and apparatuses to help disabled people.[/quote]