NASA's Blue Marble

So NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (the NASA facility where I worked this past Fall) released it's 2012 version of the Blue Marble which is of the Eastern Hemisphere.

Basically, it went viral. Check it out here.

It's interesting to note that the Blue Marble from 2002 is the most used on the iPhone. Food for thought.

The Importance of Writing

*Image provide from educationcreations.com

"Why do I need to take this writing class!? I'm an engineer! I don't need to write!"  WRONG!


Okay, I'll admit, I've said this too. But you shouldn't! Writing is such a wonderful skill. Writing is the ability to express your thoughts and ideas on paper!

Don't be surprised, but your engineering job in industry will probably consist about 80% of writing (emails, memos, technical writeups, recommendations, the list goes on and on). The clearer you can explain yourself, people are more likely to recommend you for higher positions.  However, if you boss has to change numerous grammatical errors in your work or rework your memo to make sense, she might as well do it herself. Somebody isn't getting a promotion anytime soon (because it appears they don't care!)....


Moral of the story: Start to truly work on your writing. Start a blog (my writing's already better), write in a diary, fill out scholarship applications, pay attention to your lab reports (do they make sense?).  Trust me, it'll be critical later. 

Being Well-Rounded

My latest stint in DC showed me the importance of being well-rounded. People would walk around saying things like, "Well what do you think about the ____ bill, because this, this, and this."  And I would read the paper daily, but still had no idea of what was going on in the world.

Educated citizens have the ability to make a difference in their society, and by educated, I don't mean has-a-college-degree.  By knowing about a few details about a variety of topics, one is able to network with others.  

Being completely honest: Washington DC is a massive club.  It's not what you know- it's who you know. Therefore, if you have some knowledge about a topic, this person may want to network.  Networking NEVER hurts the individual...especially if you simply listen. 

So here is Serena's advice for being remotely well-rounded (especially after doing hours of homework):

1. Visit Museums. Take notice of the people around you. Take a tour (I will mention: I took my brother to a abstract art museum in LA, and he was much better entertained after a tour....however, he still didn't see a point :-P). Learn something different. 

2. Talk to people. Listen to their stories.  I've talked to extreme liberals and extreme conservatives.  Both sides have very valid points.  I've also met people who have traveled to world, and met wonderful people. It made me appreciate people so much more.

3. Scan the newspaper. At first, you'll probably have to Google everyone's names and read the entire story. But after a week or two, you'll get the gist and have a general understanding of what's going on around you.

4. Occasionally, read a FUN book. My personal brain candy consists of fictional books containing characters that live in New York.  (I often read the 1/2 hour before bed). Many times, the protagonists/authors (they are one in the same) are from New York, went to some prestigious school, and are writers.  It often lets me think about an alternate life...

*Image Courtesy of tutsking.com

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Quarter Off

Starting at the university, you are eager, excited, and ready to start (and finish) your education as an engineer.  Some argue that the quality of education at a school depends on the time to graduation. At UC Davis, that number is typically 4 years and 1 quarter for engineers.  Some see this as "there is no way to finish in four years" thing, and often blame the program. However, I completely disagree with this statistic (unless it's over 5 years). 

Personally, I took a quarter off for several reasons

1. Washington DC. You can't get better than living in a big city. Trust me. Totally worth it.
2. NASA, hello!? I've dreamed of going big for a while.  I couldn't deny the experience. (*ssshh* it's also easier to get a NASA internship outside of summer...less competition...shhh it's a secret!)
3. Experience.  Graduating without experience is....unwanted.  Experience gives you perspective on your career goals and makes you an AWESOME candidate after you graduate.  Is 3 months really a delay when it becomes much easier to find a job? 
4. The ability to travel. This past summer, I traveled across the country and to many cities (and didn't pay a single dime out of pocket).  Did I also mention that finance reports are like the greatest invention ever?
5. Network.  There are sooooo many people I got to meet and hear their stories.  These people are driven and  want to change the world, in a good way. What is life by yourself? 
6. Connections. Did I also mention that I have too many career options now? Where do I go!?
7. Learning about yourself. During these trips, I got to do an extensive amount of people watching.  When you people watch, you learn a lot of yourself.  Also, you learn what makes you happy, settles you down, and what you crave when you are by yourself.  I found out that I love to dress up (especially after living in DC). I also love to read, write, and eat delicious Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in LA...it's something I ultimately crave.


And finally,
 8. The food!!!! My personal philosophy is I would much rather die happy and fat than skinny and hungry (also, unheathy people die first, which means they won't die alone :-P).  TANGENT.....Anyway...

• Texas: I found my love for Ice Tea and BBQ here (oh, and Pho! - I lived with a Vietnamese family). 
• DC: Popeyes, Fried Chicken, Greek Food, Falafels.... (did I miss anything Rebekah?)

Okay, now I'm hungry.

*Image courtesy of GoAskMama

Symmetry: Why Engineering is for Men

There is one particular shirt I have in the closet, and the first time I wore it, I don't know how many guys (brother, friends, boyfriend, father) asked me where the other strap went.  Let's show a demonstration:

I thought that this was maybe a joke put on by the guys around me, until I asked guys, "What do you think when you see this shirt?" Most of them answer the same thing as above.  So point proven.

Maybe this is why guys enjoy engineering...everything is about symmetry.  But in their minds, they think about the following Free Body Diagram:

But how does the shirt stay up? This is why guys are so hesitant about the situation...What holds the shirt up?! But our Free Body Diagram isn't complete...

YAY! We didn't break Statics!

 The pressure from the elastic helps to allow the moments on the shirt. Now the free body diagram is complete.

And that is engineering for you.  Maybe the gals do have it figured out :-P

*Image courtesy of karenmillensaling.com and Serena's wonderful drawing skills via Microsoft Powerpoint.

Prerequisites: Get a head start on college today

What are Prerequisites? 

These are the "stepping stones" every major forces you to take before you can actually get around to taking courses you'll use. For engineers these are classes like the chem series, mathematics, that one english course everyone has to take, etc.

What most people don't realize when first applying to colleges or transferring is what a benefit it is to have most of them finished before entering your university of choice.

Between community college courses and AP tests I got to knock out a whole two years worth of credits when I first came to Davis and therefore entered as a "junior" in credits. In addition I had most of my engineering prereq's done and therefore got to jump straight into courses that interested me without having my GPA murdered by the 21and 22 series (the math courses up to Differentials here at Davis required for engineering).

So for you high school students or even students planning on transferring, try to get these out of the way ahead of time. High schoolers-take AP tests. You don't need the class to take them, there are plenty of books out there to help. I'm not suggesting you sign up for them all and take them like M &M's; take the ones you feel confident that you will score high in because ultimately the scores will determine if it will be accepted as course credit or not.

For transfer or high school students community college classes are your friends. They will generally be less difficult than courses you take at the university and you have an entire semester to learn them. Take advantage of this. Simply through taking a course on top of high school every few semesters, I knocked out all but 2 class of my GE and then some. 

So get those prereq's knocked out as soon as you can. You'll appreciate it when you actually get to do engineering when you get to university rather than sitting in GE's and intro courses your first two years.

Cheers,

Nassim Riazi


Note: Make sure to double check with the community colleges transfer center to make sure that the courses you are taking will transfer. or just check assist.org

Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office Images