Job Search- Deanna Jacoby (senior, Chemical Engineering)

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to fly to Holly Springs, NC for an interview with Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. What is unique and special about this opportunity is that Novartis was interested enough in me as well as 5 other Penn State students to fly us down, all expenses paid.

This situation came about through the Penn State’s engineering career fair, held every spring and solely dedicated to recruiting world-class Penn State engineers. Students looking for full-time, internship or co-op positions are given the chance to network with over a hundred companies in hopes of landing a job. In my case, I was looking for a full-time position after graduating with my degree in Chemical Engineering this May. Job searching can be a terribly stressful ordeal in this economy, but with dedication and 4 years of Penn State behind me, I was fully confident in my ability to land a job.

The interview itself went well in my opinion: the standard questions were asked as well as a few trickier ones. (Give me a time when you really messed up and how did you get things back on track?) The roundtrip flights in a single day are also worth mentioning. I had never been on a plane before, and this was definitely not the way to start. Each flight we were scheduled to take was delayed, cancelled or missed because of maintenance issues and weather. We left at 6am, and didn’t return to State College until midnight! But, after the incredibly long day, we had another interview under our belts and we all went home with a sense of accomplishment eager to find out if we got the job.

Bottom line: When you choose your college, don’t just think about what you can gain from them in your 4 years, but also what you’ll be gaining from them in the life-long journey after you graduate. Your college should be able to give you opportunities to help you start your career after graduation.

-Deanna Jacoby

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.

Future Plans: Graduate School- Ian Davis (senior, Nuclear Engineering)

So now I will be graduating this semester, and the time has come to decide what I want the next step will be. This past summer I battled with the decision to go look for a job or to continue my education with graduate school. I have to say it wasn’t easy. Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to stay in school to get a Master’s degree, and I made this decision for a couple of reasons. For one, I was involved with undergraduate research over the summer, and it was something that I really enjoyed. I felt that I wanted to continue doing research after I graduated from Penn State. Furthermore, graduate school programs for engineering often grant assistantships to the students that they accept. This assistantship pays for tuition and also gives the student a stipend each semester. That was a huge plus! With these things in mind, I knew I was set on graduate school and I just had to figure out where I wanted to go. Already being heavily involved with the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department at Penn State, that was a pretty easy decision. I know most of the professors in the department, and I have a pretty good relationship with the professors I do research for. I would very much like to continue working with them.

And so, I will be continuing my studies with Penn State in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department. More specifically, I will be conducting research with the Fuel Management and Reactor Dynamics Group. This group focuses on maximizing the efficiency of nuclear fuel, and also developing computer models to simulate a real nuclear reactor. I am very excited about what the next two years will bring, and hope to go work in the nuclear industry once I have my Master’s degree.

- Ian Davis