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

SWE and THON– Keri Wolfe (junior, Chemical Engineering)

One of the groups I’m most involved with here on campus is the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). SWE is a really awesome group of girls (and even some guys!) to support women in the field of engineering. And here’s the best part—SWE is a national professional organization, so even after graduation, you can still stay involved as you move into your career! The Penn State SWE chapter has about 300 members, but only about 150 active members.

SWE has lots of great networking and professional events. They sponsor and run the Engineering Career Fair each spring, host Networking Receptions multiple times throughout the year, where you can meet employers, and also organize information sessions where companies can teach you about their job opportunities!

SWE also does lots of service projects—this is a great way to volunteer while meeting more women in engineering majors and building your teamwork skills! In the past, SWE has done outreach events for high school girls, Habitat for Humanity, various presentations at STEM fairs and similar venues, and Angel Tree Gift Collection at Christmastime.

And as if that isn’t enough, SWE even has social events! SWE hosts a Semi-formal for the College of Engineering each year, along with an awards banquet, and we are represented in Homecoming, one of my personal favorite traditions at Penn State!

SWE also participates in THON, which is kind of social, but also service! If you haven’t heard about THON before, it is a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping Dance Marathon that benefits the Four Diamonds Foundation at Hershey Medical Center that assists families affected by pediatric cancer. In short, THON raises money to help kids with cancer. If you live in Pennsylvania, you’ve probably seen college kids fundraising on the weekends with cans and signs that say “Help Kids Fight Cancer”—those are Penn State kids! Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of THON, it has over 15,000 volunteers and over 700 dancers each year, it’s the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, and this year we raised $9.56 million for the kids!

There are TONS of ways to get involved in THON. THON is run by committees including Hospitality, Rules and Regulations, OPPerations, Morale, Entertainment, Special Events, Supply Logistics, Finance, and more! These are awesome groups and a lot of people really enjoy getting to know their committee members throughout the year. You can join groups to fundraise for THON too—all Greek organizations participate, and there are some groups that are student clubs just for the purpose of raising money for THON. There are also lots of organizations on campus that are established clubs who participate in many things, one of which being THON (like SWE).

This year, I had the honor of representing SWE and our partner, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as a dancer in THON. There were four dancers from our organization, and we all had a wonderful experience. It isn’t easy to dance in THON, but if you think of all of the pain that the kids with cancer face as they go through treatment, it’s really nothing to be hurting for a weekend! THON is a colorful, energetic, and loud environment, full of kids having squirt gun battles and blowing bubbles—it’s so fun to get to be a kid again for the weekend!

Organizations that participate in THON often have THON families, which means that we are directly linked with a family affected by pediatric cancer. We try to get together with this family many times throughout the year, and we send them cards and gifts too! Then, we get to hang out with them at THON as well!

As a dancer, I was paired up with a “moraler” that helped me during the weekend and kept my spirits up, and my family and friends visited me throughout the weekend. There are also tons of people in the stands watching THON at all hours of the day and night. THON’s schedule is packed with different bands performing and the Kids Talent Show where THON children can perform in front of thousands of people! There’s also Family Hour, where parents and kids can tell their own cancer stories and the effects that cancer had on their family.

At Penn State, I strongly urge you to become a part of THON—whether you join a committee, Greek life, an organization—anything! It is a way that you can really make a difference in the life of a child. THON is growing at a crazy rate, and someday, you’ll be telling your grandchildren about how YOU were a part of THON and how YOU helped raise almost $10 million to help kids with cancer!

The Career Fair- Susan Jankiewicz (junior, Industrial Engineering)

So now you’ve decided you wanted to major in engineering, what’s next? Where are you going to work after you graduate? Well it may be a little early to know that especially if you’re still a senior in high school. An internship or a co-op is a great way to see what it is like in the real world and seeing how what you are learning in school is applied in the workplace. Internships typically occur for 10-12 weeks during the summer, while co-ops may consist of one long 6 month rotation or several shorter rotations at the same company. It may seem daunting to start to research the companies that you may want to work at, but there is a much easier way to do this, by attending a Penn State Career Fair. For engineers, there are the big Career Fairs occurring once each semester, an Engineering career fair in February, and specific career fairs for most of the engineering majors.

This past February 16^th it was time once again for the career fair held in the Bryce Jordan Center, where over 300 employers were slated to attend. This number is no surprise since the Wall Street Journal reported that Penn State is the number one school employers want to recruit at. When I went to the career fair for the first time during my freshmen year, I was in awe of the size and was very nervous to talk with the professionals. I highly recommend starting to go during your freshman year since the more you talk with employers, the more comfortable you will get.

How do you successfully land an interview? It’s all about the confidence. First, you should have several copies of your resume printed on resume paper. During your freshman and sophomore years it is fine to have high school activities and side jobs, but you want to include any big team projects as soon as you can. Next, research all the companies that you want to talk to at the fair. Check out this website for the recruiters that were present for this past career fair:

https://psu-csm.symplicity.com/events/students.php?cf=scd11.

This research shows the recruiters that you really are interested in their company. For example, at this past career fair I was talking with a recruiter from Gore. He asked what I knew about Gore and I told him that I was interested in the medical devices division. He was impressed that I knew that since most people would answer with their popular product Gore Tex. Finally, it is all about the smile and the handshake. Make sure you have a firm handshake as you introduce yourself. You may find you have something in common with the recruiter. One of the recruiters that I met had graduated from the Industrial Engineering program a few years earlier and even had some of the same professors as I did. It is definitely a lot easier to talk with someone who has some kind of common ground. The next day I was asked to interview with both of these companies. With these simple steps, you will surely land some interviews, but more importantly make sure you sell yourself!

THON 2011

The Penn State's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) raised $9,563,016.09 this past year. All money raised goes to the Four Diamonds Fund, partner of the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. These funds help families cover medical expenses as well as support pediatric cancer research. Stay tuned for entries from some of our Ambassadors who were on their feet for 46 straight hours this past weekend, dancing FOR THE KIDS!

Happy New Year!

The Penn State Engineering Ambassadors wish you a Happy New Year! 2011 is here to stay and we have a lot of exciting activities planned for the spring semester! We know this is an exciting time for all you High School seniors. With college admissions completed, acceptance letters will be mailed home before you know it!

We are constantly updating our website with new events, videos, information on Penn State and the College of Engineering and more. To schedule a visit with the College of Engineering, please fill out the online visit request: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ProspectiveStudents/Undergraduate/visit.aspx

You will be able to put together a full day's schedule of activities including: College info session, Visiting a department, and taking a campus tour with a few of the Ambassadors.

Interested in having some of our Ambassadors come to your High School to give Engineering presentations? Have your teacher contact us at: engineeringambassadors@psu.edu.

We look forward to meeting with you this spring semester!
Yours in Engineering,
The Penn State Engineering Ambassadors

High School Visit- Ian Davis (senior, Nuclear Engineering)

Last Friday was certainly a day of firsts for both myself, and the Engineering Ambassadors. For myself, it was the first high school visit that I had attended, and for the Engineering Ambassadors, it was our first out-of-state high school trip. Determined to make our mark in this new front, Kim, Katie, Adrienne, Matt, Alan, and I packed into an SUV ready to break new ground. And off we were at 6 am, aimed to teach high school and middle school students about what it really means to be an engineer.

I have to say that I was pretty excited about the high school visit, considering this was my first one. Throughout the day, Adrienne Crivaro and I gave several presentations about exciting careers in engineering to students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Specifically, we talked about how engineers have an impact on the Hershey, Pennsylvania area through the chocolate factory, Hershey Medical Center, and Hershey Park. The students were surprised to learn that the engineers were so involved with all these industries, and hearing about it certainly grabbed their attention. I am a little sad to say that the end of our presentation was probably the most fun part of the day, but this was because it led right into a roller-coaster building challenge. We split the classes up in 5 small groups, gave them a limited supply of materials, and listed a number of constraints for the project. The students were allowed use any part of the room to build their roller coasters, but they had to include at least one loop in their design. Also, we asked the students to keep in mind some of the engineering concepts that we discussed. It was truly amazing to see the types of tracks that the young students came up with. Time and time again, my expectations were surpassed as the students incorporated crazier and crazier designs into their roller coasters. One group of bold 6th graders were able to include 3 successive loops in their design, and another creative group from the 7th grade actually had their roller coaster attached to the ceiling of the class room, running over some desks, and finally to the ground.

The entire day was so much fun, and I am honored to be part of such an amazing organization that offers these types of opportunities. It is so important to spread the knowledge, or the "word", about engineering because most of these students really don't know what engineers do in the world. We asked the students throughout the day what they thought of when they heard the word "engineer." Most often the students responded without much interest by saying that engineers work on trains or cars. Confused at first, I though back to when I was in grade school and high school. I probably would have said the same exact thing as the students I presented to had said. However, after seeing the looks on the students' faces and the enthusiasm they put into the roller-coaster activity, I know I have inspired some inspired future engineers. That alone makes these high school trips worth the time and effort that we put into them.

-Ian Davis