Engineering Ambassadors Seminar & Corporate Sponsor- Kimberly Harrison (senior, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering)

Many of my fellow ambassadors have seemed to find their “niche” amongst our very talented group. Whether it is designing the website, filming/starring in the webisodes, or even crafting invites to our various social events via PowerPoint, each ambassador is leaving their mark on this new organization. One of the roles that I seem to have fallen into is serving as an “ambassador” for the ambassadors both nationally and internationally. Last month, myself and fellow ambassador Katie Kirsch had the opportunity to visit the University of Connecticut to partake in a discussion and planning meeting on expanding the Engineering Ambassadors to other universities in the Northeast. The expansion has been made possible by the generous sponsorship from the United Technologies Corporation (UTC), who has recognized that Engineering Ambassadors possess the communication and leadership skills they seek out for potential managerial positions.

Representatives from four schools (Penn State, UConn, Worcester Polytechnic, and Rennsalear Polytechnic), as well as senior leadership from UTC (including the Vice President of Engineering at Pratt & Whitney, Mr. Al Brockett) were in attendance to share best practices and establish a collaborative vision for the Engineering Ambassadors. Katie and I gave a presentation to the group on space exploration to show an example of our high school outreach model. As a result, Penn State will be hosting an Engineering Ambassadors workshop in early April for our three partner schools to help them develop presentations that they can implement to high schools throughout their respective regions. I’ve always been so passionate about the mission of the Engineering Ambassadors, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to play a role in this expansion. I’m looking forward to working with fellow students from different engineering programs towards the common goal of high school engineering outreach, as I’m sure our different experiences and perspectives will allow us to come up with some very new and exciting presentations.

It’s humbling to see how much this organization has grown over the last two years at Penn State. I’d like to take a moment to recognize the hard work and dedication of each and every Penn State Engineering Ambassador, who have really paved the way for an incredible cause that just continues to grow with each speaking event. Further, I’d like to recognize the contributions of members from the College of Engineering, such as Dean Renata Engel, Professor Michael Alley, and Dr. Karen Thole, who have supported the Ambassadors from the beginning and continue to provide us with new opportunities. And lastly, I would like to recognize the selfless dedication and leadership of our faculty adviser, Melissa Marshall, who has become both a friend and mentor to all involved with this organization. With the support of UTC and the newly establish partnership between UConn, WPI, and RPI, it feels like the Engineering Ambassadors will take over the world pretty soon.