What Do Engineers Do? - Sarah Krishner (Sophomore, Bioengineering)

Pintrest.  Just saying the word makes you think of crafts, clothes, recipes and animals exploding all over your computer screen.  But have you ever taken the time to look at your Pin Board and think about the design, or consider changing certain aspects to make it more user-friendly?  Tracy Chou has, and she is one of the many people behind the new verb “pinning.”

You know how there was a big deal about that thing landing on Mars a few weeks ago?  Well that “thing” is the Mars Curiosity Rover, and it’s right now being used to analyze whether or not the planet could support life. Brian Schratz and Ray Baker are a part of the team which made sure it was actually able to land.

A man was in a motorcycle crash leaving him completely paralyzed.  That is, until seven years later when he used his mind to control a robotic arm and touched the hand of his girlfriend for the first time since the crash.  This was the result of many years of research led by Dr. Michael Boninger.

What could all of these people named possibly have in common?  They are making a difference obviously, but something that may be surprising is they are all engineers.  A common misconception is that engineers sit at desks and look at numbers all day.  FALSE.  Engineers are traveling the world, founding companies, becoming doctors or lawyers, you name it.  That is what is so perfect about engineering: you can do whatever you want with it!  Save the world, create iPhone Apps, work for your favorite food company, literally whatever you want.  Whether it’s defeating diseases, taking us to other planets, or helping share our interests, engineers impact every part of our lives and are solving the world’s problems every day.   

Living Options (Kathleen Prilutski - Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering)

After I accepted my offer to Penn State, I started looking at the areas that freshmen typically live. As a wannabe engineer, I knew that I wanted to have a place that was about studying but I still wanted to have fun. I was in no way living in a completely boring place where people just studied all day. I had to avoid any boring dorms AT ALL COSTS. By looking online at Penn State’s dorms, I found that there were special living options for engineering freshmen in East, Pollock, and West Dorms.

Like Goldilocks, I “tried out” all the different living options in my head. 

In East, I could live in the Freshman Year in Science and Engineering (FISE) House and get the entire “freshman experience” and still live on a floor designated for science majors.

 

In Pollock, I could live in the EASI (Engineering Applied Science and Interest) House, a.k.a.  a cool place where people who like math and science live.

In West, I looked at the Engineering House. I could live with people of all engineering majors of all years. I was interested so I clicked more links to find out more.  There are social activities and three study lounges. Personally, I was completely sold on the social and study aspects of E-House.

I went on to live in E-House for two years! Looking back, E-House gave me some of the greatest times that I’ve ever had. From studying with some feisty engineers when I needed help to getting pushed really fast in wheeled chairs in E-House’s long hallways my friends, E-House was a fantastic place for me as I got to study when I needed to and got to go have tons of fun in my free time.

The ah-HA Moment (Matt DiNuzzo, Sophomore - Civil Engineering)

“So what do you want to be when you grow up?”

This innocent question has been thrown at me countless times growing up.  Ranging from the time in kindergarten when the grown ups flaunted their fancy uniforms and suits, all the way to the stressful junior year of high school applying to college programs. Even today I get this question asked to me by employers at career fairs (Only now staring blankly and saying “….umm” isn’t acceptable). So in a world with countless opportunities how do you discover what to do with your career and goals?

A simple way is to sit back and see what you naturally gravitate to.

As I was applying to different colleges and looking at different career paths, all of the information presented to me seemed bland and not relatable, almost as if it wasn’t real. Just another person spitting facts and numbers at me about this career or that field of study, and I really couldn’t picture myself in any of the situations.

I just knew that I was a kid that liked to analyze the world and wonder about how it works… and also watch Mythbusters in my free time.

I just loved watching Adam, Jamie, and the rest apply science to some outrageous myths that we have all heard of, and I began to think about these things when I wasn’t watching.  This ultimately sparked my interest in the engineering field, which is why I am currently majoring in civil engineering.

So when you find yourself bored on a rainy Saturday morning, take notice of what you find yourself thinking about, it could just be the answer to that ultimate question.

Is It Crazy to Take 28 Credits In A Semester? Not Really (Mingyang Zhou, Sophomore - Electrical Engineering and Engineering Science)

When I told my friends that I am going to take 26 credits for this semester, all of them just open their mouth widely and starred at me. “What? Is that even legal?” Obviously, they were shocked, because the full-time students in Penn State are only required to take 12 credits for a semester and the top limit to a regular registration is 19 credits. However, it is not that bad.

The secret to take 26 credits is just time management and some good habits.

In my time management system, there are 5 very important strategies that should be kept in mind:

1      Instead of focusing on how much work you have, focus more on how to solve every single one of them. It is hard to believe that we can run 10000m in one time, but it seems much easier to run ten 1000m one by one.

2      Doing things as early as possible and don’t push the work to the last second.

Since you will never know how much time you need to spend on each task and you don’t know if there is anything out of expectation can just jump into your task plan, it is always good to do things in advance.

3      Try to finish one task in one time. Don’t stop during the work, unless there is a big emergency. Every time you are interrupted by other things, it takes you some time to put your concentration on the work again.

4      Catch every single time that you can make use of instead of just wasting them. When you are standing in a long line and wait for a order, instead of playing your phone, why not just pull out your Zen-presentation and have a read?

5      Don’t change your plan easily. Try to finish the goals that you have set up for yourself, which will train you to be more efficient and give your more confidence.

Talk to Save the World - Mike Coia (Junior, Mechanical Engineering)

Give the best, most inspirational talk of your life in 18 minutes or less.  That’s the challenge given by TED to the speakers invited to go onstage.  People like Bill Gates, Al Gore, and other great thinkers and doers have gone on stage and told their story. Any topic you can think of has been talked about, from new batteries to playing the piano.  The message is always the same: A idea worth sharing.

Just because you weren’t invited doesn’t mean you can be a part of this, however; TED puts all of their talks online for anyone to watch.  Now, watching videos online is great, but what if you could actually attend one of these awesome conferences?

 

At Penn State, you can be a part of this amazing experience.  TEDxPSU is just one of the many things that set Penn State apart, and it is definitely one of my favorite.  It started back in the fall of 2010 and has become something I look forward to every year.  These events are free, all you need to do is go to TEDxPSU.com and register to attend, which is definitely worth it.  Just hearing to the speakers talk in such an intimate setting is something that sends chills down my spine, and I can’t wait for March 17^th!

Engineers Saved My Mom - Chad Baker (Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering)

Spinal Infusion Pump [C=Catheter P=Pump]

Screech! Crash! The sound of a cars horn in constant compression was all that was left among a crowd of speechless spectators. A negligent truck driver on a cell phone moving at 30mph collided with a car stopped at a red light…

It just so happens, the individual wedged between the cars horn and their seat was my mother.  It wasn’t long before emergency response teams arrived, however, upon arrival they were faced with a delicate situation. The force of the accident left my mom unconscious with a back broken in several places. Luckily, the professionals were able to remove her from the vehicle and transport her to a hospital where she would remain for the majority of the next year.

This accident turned my family’s life upside down. I was only 5 at the time, but I remember whenever I saw her, her eyes where saturated in tears and my brother and I were not allowed to hug her due to the pain she was in.

After about a year of her being constantly rotated in and out of the hospital for more surgeries and different types of body casts to help her heal, it became clear that nothing was working.

Two years after the accident, relief descended on our family in the form of a device known as a spinal infusion pump. This pump was installed inside her and it contained medication that was distributed via a catheter directly to her spinal column for maximum pain relief.

Once this device was implemented, it was a matter of time until she was out of the wheel chair and basically back to living a normal life. It is important to understand, engineers don’t just design planes train and automobiles. Bioengineers designed the device that virtually saved my mom’s life.

Six principles (“SUCCES”) that can be used to help your ideas “stick” in a job interview - Katey Talbot (Senior, Mechanical Engineering)

Sticky ideas won’t always have all six, but the more, the merrier.

Simple: A single, clear mission.

This is where it is crucial to think about the audience you are talking to.  Think about the level of detail your interviewer will know about when discussing a technical topic.

Unexpected: A man on the moon? It seemed like science fiction at the time.

Interviewers are looking for students who stand out.  Using unique examples from unexpected courses, clubs, leadership experience, and past internships are great ways to break free from the usual overcoming the “tough coursework” example. Interviews are about standing out next to your peers!

Concrete: Clearly defined examples

It is always good to think about situations where you have shown team work, communication, your strengths, your weaknesses, and overcoming a challenging obstacle BEFORE going into an interview.

Credible: Vivid examples, confidence in speaking, and authentic

Gain credibility by telling your story with confidence.  Own it. If you have done any type of work with a professor, company, leadership organization, be sure to mention this in your examples.

Emotional: BE PASSIONATE

They are looking for innovative leaders who are passionate about what they do. Don’t be afraid to show your aspirations and pioneering instincts in an interview. Show them you really want the job!

Story: “Situation Task Action Result”

A lot of interviews are set up with the “STAR” format because they want to hear a beginning middle and end to your “story.”

Be sure to check out more ways to make your ideas stick in the book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip and Dan Heath.  These “sticky” ideas can be applied to much more than nailing a job interview, definitely a worth-while read!

Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.

5 Ways to make Penn State your new HOME - Dana Burzo

1)   Decorate your new space: Find ideas online or in magazines to decorate your new space and make it feel like a home. If you aren’t into decorating, buy a poster of your favorite band and hang it up, you would be surprised at the difference it makes.

2)   Spend time on campus: Get to know your new surroundings so you feel comfortable with them, and spend your weekends on campus instead of going home every weekend. It will help you feel more at home here and miss home less and less.

3)   Surround yourself with people you like to spend time with: MAKE NEW FRIENDS. That doesn’t mean you have to ignore your ones at home but if you find new friends you will feel more comfortable and less likely to be homesick. Plus, if you do get homesick, you will have people there to make you feel better!

4)    Expose yourself to new things: TRY NEW THINGS! If you think you will like it, try it! You have NOTHING to lose, so go for it! It will also introduce you to more people so this large campus feels small when you walk around and see people you already know!

 

5)    Make your own decisions: This is your first chance to be out on your own so make your experience unique. Take responsibility and make decisions so that when you accomplish things you know that you get all the credit. Nothing feels better than being able to call home and tell your parents that you made a decision yourself and followed it through to completion!

Music Engineering: Learn about a Different Kind of Conductor - Alyson Bonk

Ever wondered if there was a way to study music AND have a well-paying, highly regarded job at the end of college?  Become an engineer!  Here at Penn State, there are so many opportunities to be an engineer and a musician all in one degree.

By having a strong music background, you open so many doors in the job-market.  You could make speakers and microphones, test guitars, design a music hall, or even work on the acoustics of cars, airplanes, and rockets.  Musicians are needed in ALL engineering majors and the best part is, you can use your creativity to make something spectacular.

At Penn State, there are a variety of options to study music and engineering at the same time.

EE 210 is a sophomore level class aimed circuits class that almost all engineering majors can take.  In the lab, you design and build your own speaker that you can keep in your dorm or apartment. 

As a mechanical engineer, architectural engineer, or civil engineer, or bioengineer, you can take classes on acoustics and learn about how sound travels.  This knowledge can then be applied to almost any industry, and you can take your love for music anywhere.

Electrical Engineering offers a “Music Technology” minor through the School of Music.  Students take music classes and electrical engineering classes to understand the science and art behind many instruments and audio devices.  The best part is, this minor can be completed within the 4 years of undergraduate classes.

The EE department also offers a Senior Design Lab that focuses on Music.  I knew a student last year that built his own electric guitar—how cool is that!?

Come to Penn State and make some music with us!  

Top Three "Secret" Libraries Around Campus - Alison Riley (Sophomore, Bioengineering)

Everyone has heard of Pattee and Paterno - but when you can't find a desk in the stacks and all of the comfy armchairs in the reading room are full - what do you do? Few people know that there are lots of other libraries besides the main library -  here are three of my favorite "secret" libraries around campus!

1. The Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library

Located in 201 Davey Lab, right across the street from the HUB and connected to Osmond, the Davey Library is a great spot to go if you're looking to rent out any Math or Science textbooks for a few hours. Davey also has a bunch of great private study rooms that you and some friends can reserve to study for that big exam coming up.

2. Earth and Mineral Sciences Library

With small rock formations on display around the books, it is definitely the coolest library around. This small library is always deserted, considering the only people who seem to know about it seem to be in the college of Earth and Mineral Sciences!

3. Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library

Located in the North part of campus, the Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Larch!) library is in a great spot; there are hundreds of architecture design projects all over Stuckeman Building. The curving bookshelf display case and open classroom in the lobby make this a unique and fun place to study!

So those are my top three favorite unknown libraries, but to close I'll let you in on a little-known fun fact about Pattee: after 12 am, the Extended Hours Room on the first floor starts serving coffee for all of its late-night studiers! Definitely something to check out.

So shake up your regular study routine and check out one of these awesome spots - with new surroundings and few people around, you definitely won't regret it!

Code for A Cure - Alfredo Ramirez (Junior, Engineering Science)

Code for a Cure

How being an Engineer helps me fight Pediatric Cancer

Engineers affect the health, happiness and safety of our world. You’ll hear that a lot from us. And it’s true. The kinds of problems that Engineers tackle and the solutions they invent have the potential to make a huge impact on everyone.

But here’s something you may not have realized: you don’t have to wait until you graduate to start making a difference as an Engineer. You can start changing the world here. Now. While you’re a Penn State Student. Two ways you can get started is through an organization like Engineers without Borders or the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) program. Both of these allow you to design solutions to real-world problems in developing countries (and go there to implement them!) while still an Engineering student.

Another way to make a difference is through THON. Well sure, you say, but can’t anyone THON? How does being an Engineering come into play? Trust me, only an Engineer could THON the way I do. You see, I’m a Technology Captain and the Lead PASS Developer for THON 2013. The PASS system is an Event Management System that manages and tracks floor access during THON Weekend. It’s a program, a piece of software. And it’s coded entirely from the ground up by students at Penn State. My job is to lead six other developers in designing and implementing the PASS System, striving to make it a commercial-grade piece of software. As a Computer Science Major, I have the opportunity to apply the programming skills and software engineering principles I’ve been taught in my classes to help fight Pediatric Cancer, a worthy cause if there ever was one. There’s not a lot of majors that give you the chance to actually use what you learn in class in order to make an impact while you’re still in school and that’s one of the things I love about Engineering.

There are many way to make a difference as an Engineering student at Penn State. How will you make a difference? 

Does analytical thinking run in the family? - Brian Adams (Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering)

This question has me curious.  Does analytical thinking genetically get passed down from generation to generation?  My grandfather began his career parking cars in his parking lot in Rochester, NY.  If the car needed work done on it, my grandfather fixed whatever needed to be repaired on site in his repair shop.  He was very mechanically inclined and passed down this trait to three of his sons.

My two uncles and my dad, in my opinion, inherited analytical thinking from my grandfather.  Both of my uncles started off early in this field when they were kids.  My one uncle built himself a go cart from spare car parts, and the other built a motor bike with just a normal bike and a motor.  Later in life they both worked as mechanics and know how to fix pretty much anything.

My dad continues with this ingenuity.  He started out installing bar systems for local bars and pubs across New York State, with no engineering background.  After that, he owned and ran two gas stations, one of which had a repair shop.  My dad worked as the head mechanic for many years.  My dad, just like my uncles, has never needed directions to put something together and is my “go to” person when I don’t know how to do something.  This is even true for computers!  Computers didn’t even exist when my dad went to high school, yet he knows a heck of a lot more than I do about the subject and even built his own computer.

And I am currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering.  So...does analytical thinking run in the family?  I haven’t been able to find any medical evidence proving so, but I sure think it does!

Career Fair Experiences (Alfredo Ramirez, Junior, Engineering Science)

I'm sure you've heard it before: Penn State is the no. 1 most recruited school in the country. This is a great factoid that reinforces the pride I feel to be a part of Penn State. Nevertheless, it’s one thing to be told it and another altogether to experience it when you walk into the BJC and are confronted by hundreds of companies looking to recruit Penn State talent and Engineers in particular. This year was my first time participating in Fall Career Days; it was an exciting, exhausting, occasionally overwhelming, and wholly rewarding experience.

Fall Career Days  is a yearly event co-sponsored by Career Services and many other entities within Penn State that helps students connect with employers. The main attraction, if you will, is the career fair held at the BJC, which is broken into three events over three days: non-technical full-time, co-ops and internships, and technical full-time. This year, 515 organizations registered, a 9% increase over last year. Alongside the career fair, many organizations (SWE, NSBE & SHPE to name a few) within the College of Engineering host their own networking events, ranging from resume workshops to mock interview sessions and general info sessions.

In addition to meeting with recruiters during the fair itself or through one of the many networking events, companies hosted interviews on-site at the BJC, HUB or Career Services Center. If you were lucky (and talked to an oil company) you even had the chance to interview at The Tavern! Some companies made offers before the week was over; for others, second interviews are just being scheduled and for some companies, interviews won’t happen until October or later.

I’m incredibly glad to have attended the career fair. Aside from the awesome swag (be it a Northrop Grumman mousepad or a fancy CIA mug), I got valuable interview practice and the potential for some amazing internships this summer. Most importantly, I was struck by how in-demand Engineers are and the kind of impact they can have. I interviewed with five different companies in five very different industries and it just really drove home the fact that Engineers everywhere are tackling interesting and diverse problems that help shape the future!

We've Been Busy!

Welcome back! We're excited to get started with our 2012/2013 academic year, and hope you are to. To get things started, here's Matt Krott (Senior, Mechanical Engineering) telling us all about our recent Engineering Ambassador National Workshop.

From August 17-19, the Engineering Ambassadors program took a huge step in being recognized on a national level. Over that weekend, students from 18 universities (and 3 continents!) were our guests at the Nittany Lion Inn for the first ever Engineering Ambassadors National Workshop.

Students and faculty from these universities signed up for a workshop that was incredibly busy yet rewarding. While students in attendance received a crash course in building effective presentations, the faculty from their respective schools met with representatives from organizations like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Science Foundation and laid the foundation for these Engineering Ambassador programs across the country to form a national network. Together, we hope to enhance the messages that we create and help each other to change the conversations that younger generations are having about engineering.

Ambassadors from Penn State, as well as students from our partner programs at WPI, RPI, UConn, and the Simula Research Lab (Norway), played a big role in the success of the workshop by serving as mentors to the students from the attending universities. It was incredibly rewarding to watch these groups’ presentations evolve into full-fledged, 15-minute talks that show how engineers make a difference and contribute to the health, happiness and safety of society. Many of us formed true friendships with our groups, and we cannot wait to see what these new Ambassador programs can come up with in the future!

Internship Experience- Straight Ahead! (Jacki Guillemette- Junior in Mechanical Engineering)

When I first came to college, I thought that my four years up at school were going to be the single main place where I had my experiences until I graduated. But once I arrived on the University Park campus, I quickly realized how valuable an internship experience could be to my engineering career and how much Penn State encourages you to partake in that opportunity.

I had my first internship the summer after my sophomore year of college. I worked at a company called Hamilton Sundstrand, which is a United Technologies Company, headquartered in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Hamilton provides different systems for aircraft- both commercial and military- such as the air management system, engine systems, etc. They also are the main contractor for NASA’s space suit, which was a really neat thing to see up close. As an intern, I had the chance to do some manufacturing work within the mechanical engine systems department and helped expedite the assembly of jet fuel controls and starters for airplanes.

But this coming summer, now that I have finished my junior year of school, I will be working at a company called ConocoPhillips in Old Ocean, Texas! I am super excited for this opportunity because I have never lived in the south before and I also get to learn all about the oil industry. I have always wanted to go to Texas because I thought it would be a neat place to visit, especially since it is so different from my home- Pennsylvania.

ConocoPhillips is an oil company responsible for providing energy at an international level. I will be working at a refinery helping improve refining and production technologies and efficiencies and learning about the how the refining process works at ConocoPhillips. This will be neat experience and a lot different from my last internship at an aerospace company. It is such a great opportunity and I couldn't be more excited to start it! Being able to live in different locations for a few months and get real engineering experience is such a great way to enhance your learning and your character so I am very happy that I chose Penn State which gives me tons of opportunities like this to choose from.