Category: Academics

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Student Spotlight: Mechanical Engineering and Studying Abroad

Alex Heiman is a senior mechanical engineering major. She and I have been friends for years, and I find her story and passion for her studies inspiring and noteworthy. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down and discussing her experience as a mechanical engineering student at Grove City College. I hope that if this major intimidates you and you have hesitations about pursuing it, you will find her words encouraging. On the other hand, if you simply want to gain more information about what the college experience of a mechanical engineering major looks like, I hope you will find her responses relevant and helpful.

What made you decide to study mechanical engineering?

The biggest influence on my decision to become a mechanical engineering major was my dad. He pushed me in this direction. I saw what he was doing as an engineer and I gained interest. It also helps that I enjoy math and science, and wanted to pursue a major that featured these subjects.

What do you enjoy most about being a MECE (Mechanical Engineer)?

I enjoy the tight community of engineers on campus. It is such a blessing to be able to go to anyone in my class and ask questions about homework. I have become very close to my classmates, especially after studying abroad. I also enjoy the challenge of my major and solving the complex problems I am required to solve.

How have you been challenged most as a MECE?

I have been greatly challenged by the professors at Grove City College. They all are great teachers, and push me to understand theory behind concepts and not simply plug numbers into a formula. This has been something that has really pushed me to dig deeper and understand more.

What professor has stood out to you most?

Dr. Clauss, only female MECE professor, has had a great impact on me. She exemplifies what a smart, professional woman in engineering looks like. She is very passionate about what she teaches, and greatly cares about her students. She is very well informed and is very helpful during office hours, even with tasks like scheduling.

You had the opportunity to study abroad your fall semester junior year. Would you recommend studying abroad?

Yes, I definitely would. Studying abroad was a life changing experience, and was the best semester of my college journey. I greatly enjoyed experiencing other cultures and traveling for a great price. I was also able to grow closer to my fellow peers, and the engineering community with the other students who studied abroad. One of my favorite memories from studying abroad was when I traveled to Nice, France. The beautiful scenery and fun activities (such as going to a Christmas market and riding a Ferris wheel) made for a very memorable trip.

Can you talk a little bit about what its like to be a female engineering student?

When I first came to Grove City College, I was nervous because I knew there weren’t a lot of girls in the program. This intimidated me. As the years went on I grew closer with my peers. These relationships especially grew when I studied abroad. Now, I feel comfortable with my major and my ability, thanks to my professors and relationships with fellow students.

What advice do you have for students who are looking to study mechanical engineering?

I would say that engineering is a rewarding major. However, it is difficult. As long as you are motivated, driven, and work hard, you’ll be just fine.

 

 

 

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EKG Using an Oscilloscope Lab

This semester in Dr. Chu’s Linear Circuit Lab, sophomore Electrical Engineering majors were able to build a simple circuit to measure EKG.  Electrocardiography (EKG) is used to measure electrical activity of a heartbeat. EKGs are a widely used tool to diagnose cardiac diseases.

Students assembled the circuit by following a given circuit diagram. The circuit was attached to an oscilloscope, which is a device used to measure electronic waveforms. The students then attached two electrodes on the test patient’s chest. The oscilloscope displayed the EKG reading.

Theo Stangebye was one of the volunteer “patients.”
The circuit board.
The circuit board attached to the oscilloscope.

 

 

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On-Campus Jobs: Student Assistant at the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation

GCC Business Suite

Many students are worried about working while they are at college, and luckily there are many opportunities at Grove City. There are many off-campus options due to our proximity to Grove City Premium Outlets as well as many great businesses to work at just barely off-campus on Broad Street like Sweet Jeanie’s and Beans on Broad. On-campus jobs are a great option, though, because supervisors understand that you are a student first and are able to be very flexible with scheduling, not to mention the “commute” is basically non-existent.

One of my positions on campus is as the student assistant to the program manager of the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation (CEI) at Grove City College. I started in this position in September of my sophomore year, and have enjoyed it ever since. The CEI recently increased its student staff, which means that there are many possibilities in this department.

In this position, I mostly work on administrative tasks given to me by my supervisor, Lynn Stillwaggon ’84. Twice a week I come into her office to work with her on details for that week. I also put together and send the weekly newsletter for the CEI. My jobs  can include anything from sending emails to students about events, and requesting help for events from faculty or staff to hanging up posters and writing our weekly newsletter. It has been a great opportunity to be involved in my major department and to understand the behind-the-scenes workings of our Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation.

One of the biggest benefits of this position has been a great relationship with my supervisor. Mrs. Stillwaggon is a Grove City College alumna and has been a great supervisor and mentor for me over the past two and a half years. In between tasks we will chat about our weekends and life in Grove City, to more important conversations about life in general. This is a benefit that I think many student workers at Grove City College can agree with – our supervisors become so much more than that and we learn so much from them. These positions are much more than menial jobs.

I have also gotten to know many other students on campus through this position, whether it be from sending emails in order to gain information for a press release or because I am helping to organize our annual Elevator Pitch Competition, I have interactions with all kinds of people who I may not have met otherwise.

Working on campus has been an excellent experience and I have learned so much from the people I work with.

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Girl Scouts Come to Grove City College

Working on tangram puzzles.

This year, 13 girls from the Grove City Girl Scout Service Unit came to Grove City College to earn their robot badges. Girl Scouts has added some new badges this year. They include: showcasing robots, programming robots, and designing robots. The group contacted Grove City College for assistance in obtaining these badges.

Dr. Mohr, Professor of Electrical Engineering, said that the engineering department had some Lego Mindstorm robot kits that had been used previously for an Introduction to Engineering class. Since the kits were not being utilized, the College provided the kits to the Girl Scouts. The kits included wheels and motors, a computer brain called “the brick”, and an ultrasonic range sensor that measures distance.

Once a week for four weeks, the 4th grade girls came to Grove City College to work on designing, programming, and testing their robots. The goal was to be able to program the robot to stop before hitting a wall and then turn around and go another direction. The first week involved introductions and an overview. The second week was building the robot. The girls were split into four groups of three or four and came up with a design plan. The third week involved creating tangrams and writing instructions for others to solve the puzzle to practice programming. The final week was programming the robots on the computer using the software provided by the kit.

Programming the robot.
This robot features a “unicorn horn.”
The completed robot.

 

 

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Finals Week: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Finals Week

You have probably heard about finals week in general – probably in the form of some horror story including sleep deprivation, gallons of coffee, and impossible exams. Well, I am here to tell you that while those stories may be true for some people, it is definitely not the norm. In my opinion finals week is, dare I say it, actually kind of…fun!

I know what you are thinking – “This girl is a crazy nerd…or just plain crazy” – hear me out though. During the semester you have to balance so many things at once, going to classes, doing readings, writing papers, any extracurricular activities, taking care of yourself, and taking exams. It can get overwhelming, especially if your midterms line up at the same time like most tend to. Finals week is nothing like this. You have three things to balance: studying, taking exams, and self-care. When the entire campus (and even much of the surrounding community) is focused in on this one thing, it is a lot easier to knock finals week out of the park than typical horror stories lead you to believe.

Some basics about finals week at Grove City College before we jump in: Regular semester classes always run through Wednesday, with night classes taking their final during their typical class times during that week (night classes only run on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings).  Thursday is study day, meaning that there are no classes that day and that there are no final exams scheduled during that day. The first exam time is 7 p.m. on Thursday evening.  Starting with Friday there are three final slots a day on Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. Final times are assigned by the Registrar based on what time classes meet during the semester.

The Good

As I just said, you only have three things to balance during finals week, which is a lot different than your typical week in any given semester. Along with this, the entire campus and even a lot of the surrounding community is all in your corner.

The first day of our official finals week is “Study Day.” Study Day is the last Thursday of the semester, and no classes or exams run on this day until the first final exam time slot at 7 p.m.  The entire campus community surrounds Grove City College students on this day with support – there are rooms open across campus for studying and several offices provide snacks and coffee free of charge throughout the day; several local churches open their doors to college students for a place to study and to relax, and some even provide a home cooked meal during this time. The library even brings in therapy dogs in the afternoon!

Our Student Government Association (SGA) sponsors a Moonlight Breakfast every semester which takes place at 9 p.m. – right after the first final exam slot. This is one of my favorite parts of finals week – there is almost an excited buzz in the dining hall as everyone comes together to share food and take a break from studying. This event brings the campus together and creates a sense of unity like nothing else.

For the rest of finals week you simply have to balance studying, taking exams, and packing to go home. There are no final exams scheduled on Sunday, so this is a great day to go to church, rest, relax, and spend time with friends before heading home.

The Bad

Finals week does not have its bad reputation for no reason, but it really is not as terrible as it sounds. A negative to finals week is that your finals schedule is pretty set in stone based on your class schedule – each class time is assigned a final exam time before the semester even starts. The only way to have an exam time changed is if you end up with three exams scheduled within a 24 hour period. This can cause frustrations for some people who want to leave campus earlier rather than later, but is not a huge problem if you look at your finals schedule when making travel plans.

At a certain point, generally later on in the week, you just want to take the exam and be done. Sometimes there is only so much studying you can do, and, unfortunately, even when you are done studying you may have to wait to take the exam. This can make for some times of boredom right before your exam. My suggestion to avoid this is to plan some study breaks throughout the week so that these pockets of time can be used as effective times to recharge, rather than an anxious waiting period right before your exam.

While the dining hall often starts finals week strong with nutritious meals and lots of comfort food, the end of the week can be a different story. As the campus empties out, so does the dining hall, and sometimes you need to get a bit creative with the different options to create a full meal – but it is possible.

The Ugly

Let’s face it, for most of the campus finals week is not a pretty time. Laundry gets put off and “stress mess” in dorm rooms is a real phenomenon.  This is not true of everyone, though – sometimes cleaning and presenting yourself well is a huge stress relief. If you are a messy stress kind of person, though, it is okay, you are in good company.

As long as we are talking about appearances with “the ugly” I should mention that our campus is actually beautiful during both finals weeks of the year. In December it is decorated for Christmas and there is often snow on the ground that makes for a beautiful winter scene and in May the quad is bright with green grass and the trees are full of leaves. There is not a point in the year where the campus scenery would fit into the category of “ugly”.

Finals Week: Overall

So you will survive finals week, and you may even enjoy it. It really is all about attitude during finals – take care of yourself, focus on the good, work hard, and it will all be okay.

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10 Reasons I am Grateful to be a Grover

1. I have a new home-away-from-home, and it’s beautiful!

Seriously, have you seen this campus? If you have not, you need to! Here are a few pictures to hold you over until you can come visit us.

2. So many amazing people have been Grovers.

All it takes to be impressed by past Grovers is a quick perusal of the alumni achievement award winners. Find them here: alumni.gcc.edu 

These stories just scratch the surface. Countless entrepreneurs, business executives, authors, lawyers, and engineers have used their Grove City degree to make an impact.

3. So many amazing people ARE Grovers!

Did you catch that subtle difference? Hint: I put it in all caps to help you out. 

I could go on for hours about the phenomenal people I have met here, but I will save some time, and let you find out for yourself.

4. As a Grover, I have the privilege to learn from some of the best professors around.

I couldn’t imagine going to college without these professors. The faculty here is more caring and understanding than I expected college professors to be. They really are here to help their students learn and grow as people. Not only are the profs incredibly intelligent, knowledgeable, and helpful, they are also fun and enthusiastic about their respective areas of expertise. Fun story: I once had a professor jump off of a table because he was so excited about Vivaldi. That is the kind of passion you find at Grove City.

If you want to find out more about our outstanding faculty, check out some of the faculty feature blog posts or this link: Faculty Directory

5. Being a Grover means I am challenged everyday.

Grove City College prides itself on rigorous academics, and there is a reason for that. The nature of the curriculum ensures that you will not be able to get away with sleeping in class. But why would you want to do that anyway? You will learn so much (even in the humanities core) that your tuition dollars will be well worth it.

6. It has taught me what it means to live, learn, and worship in community.

Because Grove City is a relatively small school, students have the opportunity to a much larger proportion of the student body than at a larger college or university. I personally know the majority of people in my major, but I have also had the opportunity to meet people outside of my major through core classes that all students are required to take.

Not only do Grovers live and learn in community, we also worship together, both during weekly chapel services and on Thursday night Warriors services. Warriors is a student-led worship service held in the chapel. If you want to read more about it, check out this student blog:

7. I understand things that only Grovers get.

King McNulty. Shoe in the door. The swim test. The scooter gang.

Hierarchy of people at Grove City:   1. Jesus    2. Ronald Reagan    3. C.S. Lewis    4. President McNulty

These might not make a lot of sense to you right now, but Grovers get it.

8. By the time I graduate, I’ll have spent four years in a community that strives to glorify God in all things.

Yes, even sports.

9. I get to learn from the unique successes and failures of Grovers who have gone before me and come back to campus just because they care.

I can’t count the number of alums who have come back to speak on campus. Their stories are always inspiring, informative, and insightful. The best part is that they come back because they love the College and they care about the students.

10. Most of all (as you may have guessed already), I am grateful to be a Grover because of all the wonderful people here.

Considering five of my points have been about people, this should not be a surprise. These ten points can be summed up as follows: You will not find people like those at Grove City College anywhere else!

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Senior Engineering Design Project: Mobile Greenhouse

From left to right: Evan Smith, Jeffrey Swartzlander, and Seth Hall.

Every spring, seniors in both the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering are required to showcase what they have learned through a Senior Design Project. I met with the Mobile Greenhouse team to see what their project looks like. The team consists of five Electrical Engineering majors and their tasks include:

  • Jeffrey Swartzlander – treasurer, primary programmer
  • Seth Hall – secretary, assistant programmer
  • Evan Smith – group facilitator
  • Lige Counce – team leader
  • Kaleb Dekker – liaison between professors and the group
    Requirements for the project.

The project is a redesign of the mobile greenhouse developed from a 2014-2015 Senior Design Project. Dr. Jan Dudt from the Biology Department is the customer for this project. The greenhouse will be used in class for demonstrations and for experiments to be easily observed. Since the unit is portable, it will be stored in the basement of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) building to limit exposure from outside light sources. The previous team created the framework for the project but many elements such as the heating element, lighting, and humidity fans are not working properly. The purpose of the project is to fix these issues to provide an environment for plants to grow with proper lighting, heating, humidity, and irrigation.

Currently, the group is past most of the design stages and is now working on the heavy testing. They have ordered the fans for dehumidification and are attaching more heating sensors, since there are only four currently. The team says that staying within the $1,500 budget is not a challenge. The challenge involves restrictions inherited from the previous design, such as the design of the greenhouse itself.

Best of luck to the team! I am excited to see how the project turns out.

The mobile greenhouse.

 

 

 

 

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Engineering Senior Design Project: Underwater Robot

The preliminary design of the robot.
The Underwater Robot team during one of their meetings.

Every spring, seniors in the engineering department are required to showcase what they have  learned through a Senior Design Project.  JD Elsey, a senior Electrical Engineering major, spoke about his group’s Senior Design Project: Creating an underwater robot.

How many people are in your group?

We have five Electrical Engineering students and six Mechanical Engineering students for a total of 11 team members. We are also working with the Grove City College Robotics Club on some aspects of the design and will be working more with them on testing and feedback as we make progress.

Does each member have a specific role?

Because we are running a joint project, our team roles are somewhat complicated. The electrical and mechanical teams each have our own managerial roles, with only a couple managerial roles over the entire joint team. As far as technical roles go, we are divided into subcommittees per project piece. In other words, we have a team on the frame, a team on the motors, a team on the power system, a team on the control system, etc.

What is your project?

Our project is to design Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) for use in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) international competition for 2018.

https://www.marinetech.org/rov-competition-2/

What is the purpose of the project?

The purpose of the project is to produce an ROV to complete a series of three tasks set forth in the MATE 2018 competition specification. For us, this means we need to manipulate objects and interface/communicate with several electrical components underwater.

https://www.marinetech.org/missions-specs–scoring/

According to the MATE website, “the 2018 MATE competition highlights the role that ROVs play in supporting underwater archaeology, seismology, and renewable energy activities in the Pacific Northwest.”

What is the most challenging aspect of designing the project?

The most challenging aspect of our project is trying to play catch-up on the core components. We are in a position where we are going to have to redesign the entire project from the ground up. We need a solid, fully functional frame and motor system before we can focus on the more detailed aspects of the project.

How much of the project have you completed?

At this point, we have completed a preliminary frame design and we are currently underway on testing improved components of the electrical control and power systems.

What is the next step?

The next step is to complete the electrical evaluation, motor tests, and begin constructing the frame.

The members of the team and their roles include:

  • Justin Hullenbaugh – MECE, thrusters, secretary
  • David Fritts – EE, power distribution, editing
  • Christian Fifield – MECE, thrusters
  • Paige Foley – MECE, electrical housing and frame
  • Laura Kroening – MECE, electrical housing and frame
  • Ben Green – junior Computer Science major, president of robotics club
  • Mike Bright – project advisor
  • Evan Kovacs – EE, motor driver hardware and thruster interfacing
  • Domenic Rodriguez – EE, control systems and software
  • Ryan Krouse – EE, financial, optics and thrusters
  • Danny Downward – MECE, manipulator, MECE team leader
  • Ray Bromen – MECE, manipulator
  • JD Elsey – EE, project lead, power distribution and surface controls
The preliminary design of the robot

I also sat in on a weekly meeting. The discussion that week involved determining what cameras and rubber to use, as well as a presentation by Christian on the thrusters. Working to stay on the budget of $3,500 is also another aspect the team must take into consideration. Good luck to the team this year, I am excited to see how the finished product turns out!

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It is Finals Week!

It is the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, finals week is fast approaching. While some students dread finals week, others say that it is their favorite time of the semester. Why is that? It is the time where there is a whole day reserved in the middle of the week to study, called Study Day.  There are no other assignments due and just some tests to take. Once the final test is over, a feeling of relief comes over me. I am done with that class forever!

So how do finals work at Grove City College? Below is the final exam schedule for this semester. Every professor is required to give a final exam.  Exam week begins with night class exams being held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Thursday is Study Day. Study Day is great because there are no other activities scheduled and the buildings on campus are all open for students to utilize. If you get up early, you can choose the best spot to study. The rest of the exams are then held on Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday. Final exams have a two-hour time limit, though in many of the exams I have taken I do not need the full two hours.

 

As a senior, I will list the pros and cons of finals week from my experience here at Grove City College.

Pros:

-Not easy to get distracted because there are no other assignments due

-Just focus on studying

-No other activities or events are planned

-Study Day is essentially a “free day”

-Can study anywhere

-Many churches open their doors and allow students to study there

-Once you finish the final exam, you are done with the class!

-Winter break is approaching soon!

-You can take the exam as fast as you would like, and then leave when finished

-No more homework or assignments

Cons:

-You do have to take a bunch of tests

-More material to memorize since it is comprehensive

-So many essays!

-A two-hour time limit may be not long enough for some students

-Not much social time since everyone is studying

-Can get boring if you have already studied and there is nothing else to do on campus

-We get out later than most schools for winter break

-Possible bad weather

-If you make some friends in that class, you may not have class with them again

-You may really enjoy the class and not want it to end

 

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Entrepreneurial Successes: Homecoming Businesses

The Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation at Grove City College

The Entrepreneurship department at Grove City College is a high-energy, supportive, and fun community, but perhaps the best part is that students come out of the program fully equipped to start businesses and many start them even before graduation! The Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation at Grove City College hosted a tent at Homecoming this year, and I took the opportunity to get to know some of our alumni and student business owners and their businesses. Everyone in this video is either a current student here, or graduated this past year, in May 2017. The Entrepreneurship department and the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation serve students of all majors, so be sure to check them out regardless of what you’re studying!

For more information about each of the businesses see each of their websites:

Graphrite (Keith Meikrantz ’18, Austin Zick ’18, Maddie Williams ’18, Samuel Kenney ’18): https://www.graphrite.com

PeeWee Packs (Ross Harrington ’17, Hannah Vaccaro ’18): https://www.linkedin.com/company/peewee-packs/

Hoot Book Revival (Natalie Webb ’17): https://www.hootbookrevival.com/