Month: February 2018

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Senior Design Project: Designing an Airplane

As a student in the Calderwood School of Arts and Letters, I am unfamiliar with the inner-workings of the Hopeman School of Science and Engineering. So I decided to talk to one of my mechanical engineer friends to find out a little bit more about their senior capstone projects.

Every year, Grove City College mechanical engineering students complete a year-long capstone design project. Students work over two semesters in groups ranging from six to nine people to completely design, and in some cases, build a product. The projects vary depending on the interests of the students, but you can find a few past examples in this blog post. This year the projects include a mobile greenhouse, an underwater robot, a turbulence tank to study oceanographic organisms, and an airplane.

The projects are very different from normal classwork, but are much more hands-on. They require a different kind of work compared to just studying for a test or writing a paper. Some projects are more research based and some have a set of specifications to meet.

My friend is a part of the team designing an airplane. Although they do not have the funds or the time to completely build a plane from the ground up, they are designing every piece of it and hope to build a significant portion of it. This is very time intensive – it requires at least eight to 10 hours of work each week from each team member. The students are not entirely on their own, however. Each team has a faculty adviser who answers questions, provides technical help, and ultimately grades the project.

Obviously, each project is different, but they all reflect topics that the students are interested in. The goal is to provide a very practical, hands-on experience for the students. It is a real-world application of the engineering process, regardless of the specifics of the project. Although the projects are difficult, my friend assured me that they are a fantastic learning experience and a very practical transition out of college and into the real world.

 

 

 

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Alumni Profile: Anson Hadley

Anson Hadley

Class of 2017

Biology/ Pre-Med Major

Campus Involvement:

  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes
  • Tri Beta Honorary Society
  • Tri Rho Housing Group
  • Varsity Diving
  • New Life
  • Mentorship Project

I had the immense pleasure of meeting Anson my freshman year. We were both new to the diving team, him as a senior and me as a freshman. I also got connected with him as he was my mentor in the Mentorship Project, a campus organization that pairs up upperclassmen to underclassmen for mentors in their college lives. Anson joined diving his senior year as a new experience and we both learned how to dive together.

Anson currently attends Palmer College of Chiropractic in Florida (are you jealous yet?) after graduating in the spring of 2017. How did Grove City get a New England beach boy to the beaches on the other end on the country? I had the pleasure of talking with Anson on how Grove City impacted and prepared him for his post-Grove City plans. “I would say that Grove City has challenged me to be who I am, not so much who other people want me to be,” said Anson. When it comes to Grove City College’s academic’s Anson said “It’s challenged me academically, which is good for where I want to be now in Chiropractic school.”

Anson also mentioned how Grove City College had an effect on his spirituality, which is not something many people get to have developed in their college experience at other colleges and universities. He mentioned that he came in religious and yes, Grove City College maintained that, but there was a message of “being scared of complacency” that grew inside him that hugely impacted his faith. From the experiences I have had with Anson his senior year and what I have learned from his persona is that he is very outgoing and outspoken with his faith. It is an impact that Grove City College has also had no me. Being a part of a community that is so strong in their faith has made me more confident about who God made me and to not let anything stop me from pursuing God’s destined role for me in the world.

Photos of Florida (I know right!!!)

 

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ICO Rhode Island

Signing up for an Inner City Outreach (ICO) trip over spring break was the very best decision I made my first year at Grove City College. Since then, I have been a part of three ICO teams, and I am leading a trip this spring. That, however, is another story altogether. Most recently, I traveled with 18 other students to Providence, Rhode Island over Thanksgiving break to volunteer at a rescue mission.

While there, we gave out over 300 turkeys, organized a pantry, painted a room, served Thanksgiving dinner, smashed cardboard, set up cots, and bagged at least 300 pounds of potatoes (I still have nightmares about the potatoes). We worked hard all week long, and accomplished a lot for the mission. By Thursday, they even began to run out of projects for us to work on.

I was amazed at what 19 people were able to accomplish in less than a week. Not only did we help prepare and serve the Thanksgiving meal, we also got to meet some incredible people. The people who work at the mission are so loving and giving, working with them was truly inspiring and humbling.

The real story here is not the work we did, but rather how God worked that week. God used the stories of the people I met to constantly remind me of how blessed I am. The entire week was a lesson in humility and gratitude.

Needless to say, student-led mission trips are one of my favorite things Grove City College has to offer. The experiences I have had, the people I have met, and the friends I have made through these trips have been among the biggest blessings God has given me in my time at the college. I would absolutely recommend them to anybody looking for a way to serve God by serving others over school breaks.

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Alumni Profile: Molly Gallant

Molly Gallant

Class of 2017

Mechanical Engineering Major

Campus Involvement:

  • Treasurer ODK
  • Orientation Board
  • Co-Captain Swim Team
  • All-Campus Sing
  • Swim Team Bible Study Leader
  • FCA
  • Ta/ Tutor Physics
  • ICO Rhode Island
  • Team Leader Senior Design Team
  • Water Polo

Where are you at now and what are you doing?

I am living in Phoenix, AZ and I am teaching high school physics in a charter school network that adheres to a classical liberal arts curriculum. I also doing some swim coaching for their high school and middle school teams.

How did you see Grove City College help you to the career you are in now?

I feel like Grove City gave me a lot of opportunities to lead groups and communities on campus. I think I got a lot of practice just leading groups of people like bible studies, the swim team, or a senior design team and that really helped me learn how to lead a classroom. TAing and tutoring even. I’ve had lot of opportunities to practice and I think that’s really cool. I had to seek out these opportunities, but they were definitely there.

Also, I had some really great professors. Dr. Edwards and Dr. Harvey recommended this network I’m teaching at right now. While I love engineering and physics (what I’m teaching), I also love the classical teaching methods that I obtained from the Humanities classes. Dr. Edwards helped me combine my love for physics and my love for education.

The biggest push would be because I think that I had teachers that were willing to push me to do things differently than I thought they were. In my humanities classes, I was challenged to think about things differently. I had teachers willing to tell me I was wrong and forced me to think of things differently. It wasn’t atmosphere where I could be willing to fail but be supported in my academics and I strive to continue that atmospheres in my classes now. I’ll say stuff to my classes that professors said to me in my classes, which is cool.

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Off-Campus Activities

One of the many great things about Grove City College is that there is always something to do. Whether it is a guest lecturer, an intramural (IM) sports game, or some kind of event hosted by one of the many campus clubs and organizations, it is a rare night on campus when nothing is happening.  

The Grove City College campus is amazing, but that does not mean that you will never want to go somewhere else for a while. Sometimes the best stress relief after a week of exams and papers is to get some friends together and go somewhere else for an evening. But what is there to do? Grove City is a small town, which means that sometimes your options are limited, but the city of Pittsburgh is only an hour away – which may seem like a long drive, but it is nothing if you have a great playlist.

The convenience of the city is fantastic, and there is always something to do. Usually, the Friday nights before a break are pretty uneventful on campus, so that is a great chance to explore the city. This semester, my ICO (Inner City Outreach) team traveled down to Pittsburgh for the annual light-up night on the Friday before Thanksgiving break.

We had a fantastic time seeing the massive Christmas tree at PPG Place, an even taller tree at the Point, fireworks, an Andy Grammer concert, and drinking fantastically festive coffee. It was a fun night out away from the stress of school with some great friends. Light-up night only happens once a year, but there is still plenty to do in Pittsburgh the rest of the year. Students often travel to the city to go to concerts, museums, and restaurants. Grove City College may seem like it is in the middle of nowhere, but with a thriving city like Pittsburgh so close by, you will never be at a loss for something to do.  

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Student Spotlight: Anne Shirley Dassow, All-American

Anne Shirley Dassow

Class of 2020

Double Major Biology: Health and Spanish

Campus Involvement:

  • Varsity Women’s Swim team
  • Pre-Health Society
  • Vice-President of Crown and Sceptre
  • Spanish Club

How do you manage to balance academics and a varsity sport?

Honestly, the balance comes through really careful planning of how to use my time with clear and strict organization. Last year after a class I decided to not do homework on Sundays as a challenge from my Bib Rev class, so it’s been really strict on my time.

 

How was it to get to be named a multiple All-American as a freshman? Tell us about your NCAA experience?

Sophomore year of high school I swam really fast times. I was really surprised and I was really excited for how things were going in high school. Junior and senior year I went slower so I thought I peaked in high school. I didn’t expect to get faster in college at all. I was surprised when I qualified in two events for NCAAs. The NCAAs were a week long meet in Shenandoah, Texas. The Grove City team had a couple provisional qualifiers, but I was the only one invited to come to the meet. I was allowed to bring another teammate who was super supportive in a very hands-on way. I competed three days in a row, ended up getting 7th in the 100 butterfly, 6th in the 200 butterfly and 35th in the 200 backstroke. It was crazy because NCAAs were on my radar since high school and being a multiple All American hasn’t changed much in my life. I planned on swimming all four years. I didn’t expect to get faster. I loved swimming. Everything was fun last year and it turned out to be a little bit extra, but didn’t change my viewpoint on swimming. I’ll stay positive and this was just a reward for my hard work.

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Law School Applications: Constant Support

Law School Applications

As a senior at Grove City College I am preparing to graduate and am applying to law schools. At first this process seemed similar to applying to colleges, but I soon realized that I was wrong – when I was applying to colleges every teacher in my high school knew the process and was able to assist me, but not everyone knows how law school functions or how the application process works.

One day I was talking to one of my entrepreneurship professors about how I felt like I was floating along in this confusing process, and he offered to connect me with his son-in-law, a recent law school graduate and a Grove City College alum. He sent me his son-in-law’s contact information and I set up a time for a phone call. This was an incredibly helpful conversation that gave me direction in the application and decision process – I am still receiving advice from my professor’s son-in-law and am so thankful for this connection.

My professor also suggested I contact one of the professors who teaches law classes at Grove City College, as well as the president of our college, President Paul J. McNulty. I was hesitant to contact both of these men – they did not know me, and certainly they were very busy.  I did email both of them, though, and both of them responded with offers to meet with me to help me feel grounded and succeed in this process. The law professor was tremendously helpful in making me feel like I was capable of succeeding in this process and helped me to gain the confidence to continue on with my applications.

Meeting with President McNulty was a great experience. He is a very knowledgeable man and knows a lot about how the field of law works. At first I was intimidated to contact him because of his high position at the College, but then I thought about how many times I had seen him in the dining hall with students and how friendly he was in each of his interactions. I am so glad that I did email him, though, because he scheduled a meeting with me very quickly and offered great advice. Our meeting was informative and comfortable.

Several of my professors and supervisors at Grove City College have graciously written recommendation letters for me, as well, and though I am sure that none of them needed another thing on their to-do lists they all seemed to be excited for me and genuinely happy to support my applications.

These experiences have convinced me that Grove City College is truly a tremendous community and was the best decision I could have made for where to go to college. Each of the people I have spoken to have been very helpful and very willing to assist me – even the president of the college is accessible to students.

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Women’s Soccer: Lindsay Hutton

Lindsay Hutton

Class of 2018

Biology Major, Spanish Minor

What has been your favorite soccer team memory?

The bus rides that we take, we’ve gotten to travel to Kentucky to Massachusetts to Texas. We spend a lot of time not on the field  but in travel. It goes to show that our relationships carry out on all aspects. We were going to Thomas More which is a six hour bus ride and the sound system was broken. We spent about an hour configuring tape job to get a movie to work so we could watch a High School Musical marathon.

What would you say is unique about Grove City College’s Women’s Soccer team?

The main difference is that we play for an audience of one. We play to bring glory to God. I’ve never thought of athletics as a place of worship, but it is. That’s the main focus, and our team is growing our relationship with Christ through how we play.

What is something a prospective soccer player should know?

It will change your life. After freshman year, I debated leaving the school, but I stayed because I couldn’t think about leaving the team. Just because of the relationship and the impact they had on my life even just after one season. And it was a great decision because I’ve had some of the best four years being a part of this team.

How was the women’s soccer program different from what you thought it would be coming in as a prospective athlete?

It was different from any team I’ve been on, from day one everyone was trying to meet you and get to know not just your name, but your story and try to start to build a relationship with you. It was a definitely a super supportive and encouraging environment, it wasn’t just to start or have an important part on the team.

What has your soccer experience been like over the past four years and how did soccer affect your collegiate experience?

For me, it has given me the majority of my best friends, not to say that we don’t have other friends in sororities. But they really do become your best friends, even in the off seasons when you don’t get to see them everyday. Physically, we’ve been looking for the best for each player. We all have our own role on the team and your roles on the team change. Freshman year was definitely hard to transition, coach is very lenient in putting academics first, and the team is super willing to help you, and the teachers are very understanding when we need to miss class.

What would you tell a prospective soccer player that is debating playing soccer at Grove City College?

I would say do it! I was on the fence, I wasn’t sure I’d play college soccer. I decided last minute to try out for the team and it was great. There’s been people who didn’t make it their first year but come back because of what close a relationship we’ve had … and they want to be a part of that.

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Major/ Minor Mix-Up: Biblical & Religious Studies, Communication Double Major with Computer Science Minor

Grove City College makes it really simple to pursue countless majors and minors. What is interesting is some of the major and minor combinations students choose. Some may be a little out of the ordinary, but they spark an interesting conversation. Rachel Kohnerger ’20 is one of those students with an interesting major/minor combination.

Rachel is a Biblical and Religious Studies and Communications double major with a minor in Computer Science (that’s a mouthful). When I reached out to students to see who has an interesting combination of a major and minor, Rachel caught my eye, so I decided to have a little chat with her and here is how it went:

Why did you choose Biblical and Religious Studies and Communication Studies as a double major?

Like a bunch of kids, I went to youth camps. One day they asked for anyone going into ministry to come up. At that point I decided that is something I want to do. Because of this, I looked into Christian colleges. I knew I wanted to get involved in spreading the gospel whether it was working with a mission agency or with Christian media.

A lot of BARS (Biblical and Religious Studies) major professors recommended a double major as the two compliment each other. The Communication Studies major is a support to the BARS major and it opened up opportunities with both majors.

What was the moment you knew your major was the right choice?

The very first assignment: A 15-page research paper in Contemporary American religion. We had to go to different churches and research the ways they worship and how it had an effect on age-group attendance… [after the project] it showed me that is was something I could do and something I enjoyed doing.

Computer Science and Biblical and Religious Studies? Why Computer Science?

Last year I took programming 1 for my math requirement with no expectations but I really ended up loving programming. There was room in my schedule to add it as a minor. With the direction I want to take it [academic career], I’ll take web design classes that compliment my Communications major.

What moment made you decide you loved Computer Science?

I had professor Al Moakar who is a very hands on teacher. It was the first time I created a program and ran it. It was so satisfying to see the program run and to see and understand how it worked.

Any advice for incoming freshmen that are debating what majors and minors they will pursue?

Don’t limit yourself! Its okay to get in and realize that you aren’t doing what you want to do for the rest of your life. Explore classes in other departments, not just your Gen Ed’s or HUMAs (General Education and Humanities courses). You never know. You may actually love it and decide to minor in it, like me.

 

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Community Focus: Sweet Jeanie’s

Sweet Jeanie's, Grove City, PA

Grove City College has a special relationship with many of the local businesses, but Sweet Jeanie’s is one of the sweetest. Sweet Jeanie’s is a local ice cream shop that opened in the spring of 2015. It is owned by a local couple and they quickly became very involved with the College. I have personally worked with them twice now, and have heard about several other partnerships.

The first time I worked with Sweet Jeanie’s was in the spring of my sophomore year. For my Sales in the Startup class we were assigned a project in which we had to use our sales skills to raise money for a charity that we had worked with throughout the class. My group approached the owners of Sweet Jeanie’s and asked if they would be willing to work with us so that we could sell cups of ice cream to professors to gift to their classes during the last week of the semester. Sweet Jeanie’s sold us their homemade ice cream at their cost and gave us space to scoop the ice cream into plastic cups which they provided for us. They then stored the ice cream cups for us as we slowly delivered the cups over several days. On the evening that we scooped the ice cream into cups they were very hospitable, despite not making any profit from us, and their employees asked us several times throughout the evening if they could get us anything or could help us in any way.

The second time that I worked with Sweet Jeanie’s was to host a Residence Life event. I am an RA, and as such I have to plan and host several programs throughout the year. I partnered with the owner of Sweet Jeanie’s, Jeanie, and two local Lularoe consultants to discuss women in business. Sweet Jeanie’s provided us with an ice cream bar and again only charged us the cost of the food – they even brewed us an urn off coffee for free! Jeanie spoke at the program about her experience as an entrepreneur and let us use their space free of charge. Again, everyone was incredibly hospitable and offered to help us several times.

Sweet Jeanie’s is a great example of the College’s relationships with local businesses. While the environment at Grove City College is welcoming. loving, and all around Christian, so is the local environment. So often I hear about feuds between college students and local people in areas with other colleges, but this is not the case in Grove City. The College and the local community work together to make Grove City an all around great place to live.

Be sure to stop by and visit Sweet Jeanie’s next time you’re in Grove City!