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!