Senior Design Materials

As some of you know, I'm having my Senior Design Project Sponsored by NASA GSFC. Basically, they pay for most of the materials.  So my team's job is to create an "Ultra-Stable Thermal Enclosure"...basically we have to maintain a temperature of +/- 0.1 Celsius.  Never mind the difficulty, look at the toys we got! 

So last week, our mentor sent us a SparkFun Inventor's Kit in order to control the temperature.  "Unlease your Inner Inventor" as it says on the packaging.  Haha. 

So I was reading the website for this product, and it says it's for kids 10+....Let's just say I feel like a little kid again!!!!

Okay, material List. :-)

1. Breadboard. For those who don't know, a breadboard is where you connect your circuit.  Pretty simple, actually.  Look how tiny it is!!! 

2. This thing is pretty cool. You can use it like a touch pad! 

 3. This piece was used in the Nintendo Flex Glove.  Basically, you flex the material, and it changes the resistance, similar to the piece above.  (It works just like a strain gauge, which I used in the Material Performance Lab...I'll have to write about them sometime...)

 4. LEDs! Aren't they cute?

So I totally didn't mean to put these one my homework....it just helped there to be no reflection in the photos...But now that I look at them...I think it's a nice touch...(The math in the background is courtesy of Shigley Hauler Design Work)

Yay for Women in Tech...wait What?

A few weeks back, I bought an issue of Glamour for my occasional fix of girly-brain candy.  I came across this article.  My first thought was "Cool! They are going to actually address this issue about girls in STEM." After reading the article, I do have some critiques, since the article does not address the REAL issue.

The article concentrates on computer science only.  Now, nothing against computer science, but STEM is the WIDE field that incorporates more than you can imagine.  There was no talk about the ground-breaking work in other fields.

It concentrates on women in management and entrepreneurial roles.  Again, there's not a problem with these roles.  However, management isn't for everyone.  Neither is entrepreneurial-ship.  I think we should encourage these, but we need to get down to the basics- How do women gain the skills to take on these roles? Through STEM degrees!

The "Hang In!" section completely dismisses the whole reason behind STEM. Most of this article is about money and power.  They talk about how a women's salary in STEM is 33% higher.  Sure, it's important. But why am I really spending countless hours in the computer lab to finish my homework? The reason is WAY beyond the money.

Programming can be a huge turn-off to some people.  To be honest, I don't enjoy programming very much.  I do it when it makes my life a whole lot easier, but I don't go around creating new iPhone apps or anything like that.  If I would have read this article when I was a freshman in college, I would have been very scared.  It isn't all about programming, and Glamour makes it seem like it is.

I like the work that Glamour is doing to try to promote girl power, but the article completely dismisses anything outside of computer science.  STEM is much more revolutionary in many different fields.  Sure, computer development is VERY big right now.  However, politics show that it goes beyond that. Take a look at Energy politics for an example; there aren't too many computer scientists in that. 

Why would I? Undergraduate Research

I'm a huge advocate of undergraduate research.  Now, you're probably asking, "Why would I ever go into undergraduate research? I don't want to be a professor.  Why would I want to go to grad school with an engineer's salary?  No more school! I don't want to go into R&D. I don't know enough about a subject."  I've heard ALL of the excuses- I was there about 3 years ago.  So here are my top 10 reasons of why YOU  should do undergraduate research.

1. Get GREAT letters of recommendations from professors. You're going to need letters of rec regardless of where you go (unless you graduate and go sit on the couch). If you do work for them, they'll actually find out how motivated and awesome you are, and this will enable them to write a very extensive letter about YOU.

2. Learn about what graduate school is really like. I knew a lot about graduate school before I started research, but you get to interact with graduate students.  Grad school isn't all school (as many think).  It involves writing, experiments, code, and a ton of interacting with other students and professors. It's definitely not a task for the weary, but you may find that graduate school is actually for you.

3. Learn about an in-depth subject.  I knew nothing about materials when I started in the Material Performance Laboratory.  I've gained more knowledge from cleaning and sanding down samples for endless hours, rather than hear my professor talk about the mechanical capabilities of his car.  I've been able to see stress-strain curves develop before my eyes, and I've helped to solve problems on the go!  There's now a TON I know about the cyclic stresses on an airplane, and every time I take a flight somewhere, I explain to them about the material stresses on the cabin!

4. Rule out things you don't like. I've realized a lot about what I want and DON'T want in graduate school or, even, in the working world.  This is a very harm-free way of doing this.

5. Have something on your resume. The economy's tough right now.  It's very difficult to get internships, especially if you are a freshman or sophomore.  Sure, you probably won't get paid.  But this will be a GREAT way to get engineering experience and contacts with little risk.

6. It's possible to get Technical Elective credit. One less class I have to take? Sign me up!

7. Get your hands dirty.  I used to love coming out of the lab with grease on my hands.  I felt like I actually accomplished something and be one of the few students that can actually use tools.

8. Get mistaken for a graduate student. There have been many instances where I've been mistaken for a graduate student.  It makes you feel very confident about your work (even though you probably don't know much), and other students look up to you! Another perk: free coffee at the Graduate Student Union- don't worry, I was invited, and nobody could tell the difference.

9. Have something to talk about. Many engineering students ramble on about this lab report or this code or that professor. Be excited about your research, and other people will get excited around you.  It definitely is a change of pace from the day-to-day routine.

10. Present or publish your research before you graduate! Employers absolutely love to see that you can speak in public. It's not what you said. It's how many people you spoke to at once. Also, who wouldn't want their name all over a paper! Sure, you may not think it's a big deal, but graduate schools and employers LOVE to see that you can communicate effectively.

Now that I got you excited about undergraduate research, I will post about how to obtain a research position in the near future.

Introduction

Hi Everyone!

I decided to start the blog by introducing myself.  I'm a Senior at UC Davis studying Mechanical Engineering, and currently, I am taking a quarter off to intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. I'm working with the International X-Ray Observatory group working on Mirror Technology Development.  

Inspiration: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.  One of the female engineers talked about her work on the Mars Land Rovers (2006) and her PhD work through Stanford (She was only 25). I basically said, "I want to be her." I would say I'm well on my way.

My start in research: I had always wanted to get involved in undergraduate research (after realizing it would be both interesting and a resume boost). One day, I asked one my professors, "What are you doing this summer? I'm bored."  It was very frank, but it got my point across.  I ended up working at the Material Performance Laboratory at UC Davis for a year.  I was able to learn about a lot of different machinery, break stuff, and I even got interviewed for the news! Link Below:

http://www.fox40.com/videobeta/cad5b345-b548-4201-a3da-9fec5a625bcc/News/UC-Davis-Researches-Cracks-in-Metal

Internships: I got the opportunity to move to Dallas, Texas to intern for an air separation company.  I worked across the street from Texas Instruments' headquarters. (no, I didn't get a free calculator) :-(  I got involved with many efficiency projects by increasing the efficiencies of turbines and analyzing the potential crack propagation in some of the tanks.  It built on the existing knowledge from my research at the university.  I was also able to run around in coveralls, a hard hat, and steel toed boots! Take that boys! :-)

What I do at NASA:  I've applied for the past couple of years for internship positions at NASA, and I never, ever thought that I would get to work there! I realized, you don't need straight A's (but a high GPA definitely helps), and you don't need to be a genius.  Enthusiasm and a drive to work hard will get you through most of life. :-)

I am still an intern, but my group has given me some very interesting projects.  I currently figuring out ways to mount x-ray telescope mirrors without distorting them.  We've learned that if you stand across the room from one of these mirrors, your body heat will distort them! Right now, I'm working on some experiments regarding friction and the material strength of different adhesives.

After NASA: I go back to school for the Winter quarter, and I will complete my studies in about a year. However, I am researching PhD programs to apply to.  I am looking into a project involving biological research with my engineering background.  Some ideas have been the thermodynamics of drug transfer in the blood stream or way cells move throughout the body. But we'll see!!! :-)

Thanks for reading!

Serena C.