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!