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. 

Summer Plans! (AJ Logan: Senior, Mechanical Engineering)

This summer I will be traveling to Nyeri, Kenya to manufacture and sell low cost solar dryers to small scale farmers. In Kenya, most people are living on about $2 per day, and 80% of the work force is comprised of farmers working on less than 5 acres of land. Unfortunately about 50% of the food that these farmers grow will spoil before it can be sold. Drying food is a great way to increase the shelf life of the product, and it can be sold for 3 times the price of fresh foods. Now, the common drying process is open air drying, which is slow going and leads to high amounts of contamination. Our solar dryers can dry more efficiently and block out most dirt and contaminants from the air. There are some dryers currently on the market in this area, but they typically cost between $500 and $2,000. Our dryers cost about $120. We are hoping to set up a sustainable business for entrepreneurs in Africa who are interested in learning how to build and maintain these dryers for the farmers. While I am over there I will be doing work building and marketing these dryers as well as research how well they work. The group going over also gets to have some fun. We will be going to national parks for Safari rides and we get to visit an African animals petting zoo! I'm very excited to have the opportunity to travel internationally to implement this project.