"This is the only time you'll work so hard for free..."

Last week, I got the best advice....

"This is the only time in your life you'll work so hard for free."

It was from Mike in the Student Machine Shop when he was referencing the fact that some of the administration didn't want to make floats for Picnic Day, or do other crazy design projects like the Shigley Hauler (did I mention that we have to write poetry for this project?).

Make the most of your undergraduate career. You won't forget it.

Engineering Pranks

Being an engineer should be tons of fun when you are one, so why not spread the joy by pulling engineering-style pranks in the computer lab?

1. Flip the screen! If you see someone forget to lock the screen, hit ctrl-alt-arrow key. Holding control-alt and an arrow key (any direction but up) will rotate the screen that way! (it usually only works on older OS, which is perfect for most computer labs.)

2. My desktop doesn't work! Take a screen shot of the desktop (make sure nothing is highlighted and you can't see the mouse!) Paste it into Paint and save it. Move all icons from the desktop into a folder, then set your new background. Everything will look the same, but none of the icons will work!

These are the easiest pranks that involve no downloads and wont do any damage to the system.

To prevent these from happening to you:

ctrl-alt-del to get to the menu prompt, then hit "Lock my Computer". You will just need to enter your password to get back onto the system, and will be safe from pranksters!

*note, this is only for PCs. Sorry Macs!

Times have changed...only a little

What image comes to mind when you think "engineer"? Probably the one below.

*Image Courtesy of the Boeing Company

Skinny tie, pocket protector, clip board, the headsets that have come back in style....

But! Times have changed. Below is are the characteristics of your modern engineering student:

• UC Davis Engineering Sweatshirt- Gotta shown them liberal arts majors who's boss. :-)
• Jeans- Always gotta be ready to work in the machine shop...
• New Balance/Boots- What's wrong with comfort and practicality?
• Nalgene/Water Bottle- Who would ever want to buy water? Plus, Nalgene is borderline hipster.
• Frizzy hair- Don't blame me.  I was working hard on my Controls homework last night.

What are other characteristics of engineering students?

E-Week

Hi Everyone!!!!

Today is the start of Engineering Week at UCD!!! YAY!

In the spirit of E-Week, I get to take a tour of the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at UC Davis! Tomorrow, I get to present on the Internship/Research Panel.  I'm so excited!

What are you doing for E-Week?

Things I wish I knew in college

College was probably the best time of my life. I know everyone says it should be, but it isn't until you aren't there anymore that you realize it. There are things I wish I'd been told while I was there that would have been extremely useful to know before I started my career, so I though I'd try to share some wisdom and help out those of you that are still there:

Why staying awake in class is important
We've all been there... long night doing homework, early morning trying to print, then you forget your coffee/energy drink of choice at home on the counter. Class starts and five minutes in you are starting to pass out. Unfortunately, this doesn't end after college. Eventually you will be in meetings and conference calls where the conversations are just as uninteresting, but it's even more important to stay awake since you are being paid to be there. You absolutely must find a method of staying awake in class, and no, not on your cellphone. Find out if you need more sleep or if you need to have some sugar or caffeine in your system. Maybe you just need to read up on the class ahead of time to stay awake. Whatever it is for you, you need to practice it in class. I can't tell you how embarrassing it is to go to a meeting and to see someone starting to doze off. You do not want to be that person.

Taking notes
Now that you have successfully found a way to stay conscious, you need to find a way to take good notes by hand. Yes, by hand. Sorry to all of you laptop users, but in meetings laptops are usually not allowed as the typing is annoying to hear when someone is talking. Think of every office meeting you have seen on any TV show; everyone has a notepad and there is never a laptop. This isn't the only reason though. After important meetings, more often than not as the new person you will be the one to send out the meeting minutes. Which means you need to have been awake and been taking accurate notes. You will need to be able to pick out the important information and be able to use it correctly to tell everyone what you heard. Also, it's easier for you to remember what you need to do and who is important in the office.

Get a planner
In college I never had one and still managed to get all my homework done and turned in. When you get to the point in the office where you have 10-15 things that need to get done and all have deadlines, you need to remember when it all happens. Getting a planner, or at least making a To Do list is the best things you could possibly have. I don't think I'd be able to make it through a day any more without one.

Get good at public speaking - fast
In my first week on the job, I was leading conference calls and was fortunate enough to be decent at speaking in front of a bunch of people I've never met. It's extremely nerve wracking, but you absolutely must be able to voice your opinion and ask questions, which is something most students forget in college or just try to avoid. It is the people that are confident and will speak out that will catch the attention of recruiters, and it is those people that will get the jobs. Don't be shy; being shy won't get you work.

I'm sure I have more advice I would have loved to have been told in college, but this is what I have for the moment. I'll be sure to include more in my second segment of Things I wish I knew in college

Working in the Male Environment

Ladies, I'm sure you are used to spending countless hours in classrooms, computer rooms, labs, and a good portion of doing homework being around guys. Let's face it - engineering is a male dominated major. However, that's what makes us awesome as women for "fighting the system" and showing the guys we are just as good if not better. Unfortunately, it's something you will probably need to get used to, as being an engineer means you will be working in a male environment.

I work as a nuclear licensing engineer at a nuclear power plant, and on a daily basis have interacted with two other female engineers. It is not common to have women around in such complicated environments. Multiple times people have been surprised in meeting me at conference calls and in person, assuming that my name was "Daniel" instead of "Danielle", or mistaking me as a new secretary. These mistakes are small things I let roll off my shoulders, and use them instead to motivate myself to be recognized. In allowing my motivation and strengths show, I've been recognized for my work more so that some others. After being at this job for still under two months, I am now the lead project engineer on a high priority project, and will be defined as the site expert on the subject in a few months. I've realized that the men can look down on me or treat me different for being female all they want, but it hasn't stopped me from furthering myself more in two months than they have.

I've come to realize it is important to build a thick skin against these things if you want to be able to succeed in this type of working environment. Sure, you will be oogled at my men (I mean, it is their nature and sometimes it just happens) but it doesn't mean that they are going to go all creepo and harass you. Sometimes these guys are so used to being around guys all the time they forget to censor some comments they make when women are present. You don't need to be one of the guys, and you definitely shouldn't be a vixen in the workplace. All you need to do is be understanding, look professional, and act in a manner that will have people give you the respect you are working for.

Some things to be cautious of though:

1. Remember that they are your coworkers. This isn't college anymore. Don't flirt with the people you work with, since usually companies have policies against dating and it never ends well. Think about it... how would you feel being stuck in a room with someone that dumped you, every day in your career?

2. Learn how to write professional emails. Every email you send is an important one, regardless of the subject. Do not use slang, curse, be rude, and always use proper punctuation and grammar. Also, don't use a big word when you can use smaller ones instead. Just because you know what fission or thermofluids means doesn't mean they do.

3. Never ever throw your coworkers "under the bus" so to say. You will be in an office with them, and you will need their help over time, so don't burn your own bridges.

And most importantly, as long as you dedicate yourself to your work, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.

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)