Grove City College offers its students a wide variety of majors to choose from. One of the College’s most reputable majors here is Mechanical Engineering, also known by the acronym MECE. Grove City College ranked 55th nationally for the program and has been listed as a top 100 school in the country for undergraduate engineering programs for several years now. Mechanical Engineering students are driven, dedicated, and challenged by a unique way of thinking and problem solving with hands-on experience through real world application. Grove City College MECE students are passionate about what they do and enjoy the opportunity to “think outside the box” when tasked with assignments and projects. This major is challenging because it consists of mainly math and physics, but completing the work makes for a strong sense of achievement.
Josh Eibeck, a senior Mechanical Engineering major here at Grove City College, sat down and shared some his thoughts and reflections on his decision to study MECE. Josh has found his time at Grove City to be challenging, yet extremely rewarding, as he has been able to put his math science and skills to use on assignments and projects. The aspect of the Mechanical Engineering major that excites Josh the most is doing something different everyday! He enjoys working on new projects and problems daily that allow him to expand his knowledge and teach him lessons that can applied far beyond the classroom.
Grove City College offers its students a wide variety of majors to choose from. One of the College’s most reputable majors here is Mechanical Engineering, also known by the acronym MECE. Grove City College ranked 55th nationally for the program and has been listed as a top 100 school in the country for undergraduate engineering programs for several years now. Mechanical Engineering students are driven, dedicated, and challenged by a unique way of thinking and problem solving with hands-on experience through real world application. Grove City College MECE students are passionate about what they do and enjoy the opportunity to “think outside the box” when tasked with assignments and projects. This major is challenging because it consists of mainly math and physics, but completing the work makes for a strong sense of achievement.
Nate Carver, senior Mechanical Engineering major here at Grove City College, sat down and talked about the highlights, struggles, and advice for upcoming freshmen based on the experience that he has had with choosing to be a MECE student. Nate loves the college path he has chosen and looks forward to graduation so that he can put the concepts and skills that he has learned to use in the real world.
Rachel Ault is a junior mechanical engineer at Grove City College who spoke with me to shed some light on the Mechanical Engineering major for those who may be interested. She was interested in the major since high school, where she took some pre-engineering classes that she excelled in and enjoyed. With a strong background in math and science, Rachel knew that engineering would be a great way to apply her skills in a career.
During your first and second years as a Mechanical Engineering student, the classes you take are broad looks into different industries. These classes begin to give you a feel for the kinds of industries you enjoy and may want to focus on as you progress in the program. Rachel spoke highly of the variety of avenues and applications in engineering that you can pursue at Grove City College. She recommends getting internships to experience the industry in a real-life setting, and notes that the professors are very helpful in obtaining internships.
Rachel really likes that the professors all have different specializations that bring new methods and variations to each class. Dr. Bardy has had experience in the heating/cooling field, so his class in thermodynamics is highly detailed (and Rachel’s favorite class). Dr. Clauss is a chemical engineer, which brings a different perspective to the mechanical industry. Finally, Dr. Archibald and Dr. Allison both have experience with design and manufacturing, which rounds out the department with a variety of expertise.
The workload of a Mechanical Engineering student is nothing to sneeze at in Grove City College, which is recognized for having one of the most prestigious mechanical engineering programs in the United States. Rachel noted that the “one hour in class, three hours outside of class” maxim holds true, and you have to be a highly self-motivated individual to excel in the program. When I asked her what her favorite part of the department is, she responded: “I really like that with our labs we have experience in the shop, and that we get that hands on experience with mills, lathes, and various other things like that. I like that since it is a smaller college, you get more one-on-one time with professors, and professors are more willing to spend time with you and help you.”
If you think the Department of Mechanical Engineering may be for you, learn more here!
Dr. Wolinski of the Grove City College Physics Department leads a study on the development and uses of Gallium Oxide nanowires. Six young men of the department work week after week tuning machines and making discoveries on the possibility of building bridges micrometers wide. Part three concludes the process (as of current) with Kaleb Slaatthaug and Michael Thompson. Kaleb shows the camera how to bake gallium oxide wires onto a gold wafer base. Michael takes it beyond the present scope of the project, and ideas for potential uses of these wires and structures in the future.
Kaleb Slaatthaug
Yes, Slaatthaug. Imagine it as Sloat-howg. His name is Norwegian. He runs a device called a Tube Furnace for the team. The furnace is a device used for the stimulation of gallium oxide nanostructure growth. Kaleb will spend several days setting up a run of the furnace, pumping in the proper gases, getting it to the right temperature, sealing in the samples, then letting it run. He begins by inserting one of Zach’s sample wafers into the furnace, alongside a boat of gallium oxide. By the time the furnace is finished, strings of gallium oxide microstructures coat the face of Kaleb’s sample, attaching to little golden “Oreo Bumps” etched by the SEM. The gold provides the perfect base for gallium to grow on, and now the team has a plethora of structures to explore with the SEM.
Michael Thompson
But where to go from here? Michael Thompson has been with the project for years now, and knows a few things about the broader scope. The initial goal of the project was to build a bridge at microscale. With plenty of structures to work with, the project aimed to build a bridge out of nanowire. This goal has been significantly pushed back, but remains in sight. Michael’s job is to make building a bridge into a possibility again. He works with a device called a Nanopositioner, essentially a laser with several mirrors. It can show him the difference between wavelengths of light, and use that information to tell the thickness of a substance. This should allow for Michael to determine the thickness of a given wire and thus its usefulness for their project. First, however, he has to spend his time programming and calibrating his nanopositioner to get him results.
Have you enjoyed this series on the Nanostructure Study? If so, there are so many more studies and blogs to read about on Insider! Make sure to check them out, along with the video below for more details on Dr. Wolinski’s group.
Dr. Wolinski of the Grove City College Physics Department leads a study on the development and uses of Gallium Oxide nanowires. Six young men of the department work week after week tuning machines and making discoveries on the possibility of building bridges micrometers wide. Part Two consists of Zachary Johnson and Ryan King, programming and running tests with the SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). The device images, engraves, and scans samples to give the team a good view of their work.
Zachary Johnson- Introducing the SEM
Zach begins today’s journey with the SEM. He does much of the actual sample scanning for the group. After Seth Byard creates a sample, he sends it to Zach to take some photos. Zach fits cut up silicon wafers into the SEM and vacuum seals the electron chamber for a clear image. After that, most of his work takes place on the computer, isolating the micrometers of area he wants to photograph. Inside the chamber, electrons bombard the sample and bounce off every which way. A specialized sensor inside can follow the motion of electrons and generate an image of what they bounced off of. At this point, Zach zooms and refocuses repeatedly until he has gone in far enough and has a clear image. The electron beam can focus in to allow for better photos, and can even concentrate enough to carve the samples themselves!
Ryan King- Software to Keep the Electrons Scanning
However, in order to use the SEM at all, Zach must control dozens of variables at the time, an arduous process for sure. Yet Ryan has come to solve this problem. His job for the research team is to create a program for the SEM, a job requested by the manufacturers themselves! Tescan, the company that built the SEM, has quite a number of clients who cannot keep track of the variables. In fact, they have a number of buyers who break their machines by running too many parameters at once. Ryan’s program keeps track of the parameters running and gives updates about them- warning users of dangerous situations before they run out of time. Ryan’s work is a pivotal part of the research, and is quite impressive to boot.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the video in the link below for the full story!
Dr. Wolinski of the Grove City College Physics Department leads a study on the development and uses of gallium oxide nanowires. Six young men of the department work week after week tuning machines and making discoveries on the possibility of building bridges micrometers wide. Part One of the series kicks off with an exhaustive look at the work of Seth Byard and Tim Magargee, the first steps of creating nanostructures for the study.
Seth Byard- Preparing Samples for Wires
Seth begins the whole process by synthesizing the samples his group will work with to create all their structures on. Without these basic building blocks there’s no point to the project. It all begins with a disk of silicon. Seth coats the silicon wafer with gold in a Sputter Coater- the first block on a long journey ahead. The atoms thick layer of gold is a substance gallium oxide can cling to, giving a wires proper surface for development. From there he purifies the surface of the wafer with a Plasma Cleaner, then applies a liquid called PMMA. The liquid ensures contact with electrons, giving the team an easy way to see their micro samples using an SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). When Seth is done, the foundation for the whole project has been laid.
Tim Magargee- Testing Machinery
Meanwhile, Tim’s job for the project is to test a machine called the Ellipsometer. It is a device that uses a laser to measure the thickness of surfaces, down to only nanometers thick. Tim has spent his semester testing and calibrating the machine with a more translucent material. He still sputters gold, but clear material allows the Ellipsometer to get an exact read of the gold’s thickness. In the end, Tim ends up with a reliable test of the machine’s efficiency. He can now check his knowledge of a sputter’s thickness against the machine’s readout. When he gets enough tests done he will know just how accurate the readouts are and how much to calibrate the Ellipsometer.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the video in the link below for the full story!
This year I took my first-ever science class at Grove City College. The class was Fundamentals of the Universe (SCIC 201), also known as “Baby Physics” and the class was on Wednesday nights, taught by adjunct professor, Dr. Jim Downey.
Dr. Downey is a very interesting guy. He has an extensive background of education and is very experienced in his line of work. Dr. Downey graduated from Grove City College in 1981 with a B.S. in Physics. He then took a career in the Air Force, both active and reserve Air Force, and he stayed there for 27 years until her retired as a Colonel. Dr. Downey also has a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois, which means yes, he is a rocket scientist! Dr. Downey was a professor at Grove City College from 1992-2003, and then a Harvard Fellow from 2003-2004. He said Harvard was a very cool place to be and to learn. He also taught at the Army War College, which also was an incredible experience for him. Over these different educational experiences and career paths Dr. Downey has lived in six different states, with 11 different moves.
I asked Dr. Downey how it feels to be back on campus as an adjunct professor, and he said, “I have enjoyed the opportunity to teach physics again and particularly this course. When I was a full-time professor, I always loved teaching SCIC 201 as it was a way to expose mostly non-science people to a subject that I love and believe is important for people to know something about. I will admit when I first stepped back on campus it was a bit strange as so many years had gone by. However, it did not take long for the students to remind me how much fun teaching and learning with them can be. And it is always great to see my friends and former colleagues.”
Dr. Downey mentioned some differences in being a full-time professor and an adjunct professor here at Grove City College. He said that as a full-time professor you have essentially committed your life and career to the academy. But he said you also have the opportunity to interact with students on multiple occasions and in a variety of capacities. He said as an adjunct you also have a few advantages, such as, “the ability to focus on only one thing (assuming you are teaching just a single class). Another is a little bit of extra freedom in how you might engage the class because it is not your main job and perhaps the only thing that can happen is you are not invited back to teach again!” He also said the opportunity to bring in your professional experiences and perspectives can also be useful. Dr. Downey said the largest downsides are having to engage and disengage between your regular job and being an adjunct and a lack of opportunity to develop deeper relationships with students. You also are not really part of the rhythm and flow of campus life, so you can feel a certain detachment from the school.
I asked Dr. Downey if he finds it difficult to balance his day-to-day career and teaching here at Grove City. He said, “Yes. Clearly my priority must be to my work at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. What this most often means is that everything related to teaching at Grove City is accomplished in the evening hours and on the weekends. I know there have been times when I would have liked to work more on the class and have had to make choices just to stay on track. And any good professor will always be asking how they can improve what they are doing. However, there are also opportunities to try and share how something like physics can relate to certain aspects of my day job. And the Seminary is committed to having faculty and staff serve outside of the institution in a variety of ways. Ultimately, as in all things in life, you must figure out how to balance it to best serve all interests – not always an easy task yet a reality of life.”
Lastly in our discussion, I talked to Dr. Downey about Grove City College, and what he likes so much about this place from once being a student, and professor, and now coming back to teach once again. Dr. Downey said, “I suppose this could sound trite, but it is, in fact, the students. I am often asked what I miss most about teaching since the last 15 years of my career have predominately been in administrative roles. The answer is always the same – interaction with students. It is a joy and a privilege to speak into the lives of people with the hope that you will play a small part in preparing them for their future and whatever God is calling them to do. My time at Grove City now spans a couple generations between when I was a student and my most recent experience as an adjunct. So, I now have the entire spectrum and hope that giving back in this way closes the loop on how Grove City influenced my own life path.”
Currently Dr. Downey is Vice President for Planning & Institutional Effectiveness at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and he resides in Franklin Park with his wife, and daughter who is a senior in high school, with another daughter in graduate school. Dr. Downey is also an avid Steelers fan!
On Friday, Oct. 26, Grove City College hosted the BEST Robotics competition. Dr. Bright, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, began Wolverine BEST at Grove City College several years ago. This competition provides middle through high school students in the Western Pennsylvania area exposure to engineering, science, and technology. The Wolverine BEST challenge is one of only two BEST Hubs in the Commonwealth of PA. The event serves as an opportunity for Grove City College to showcase its nationally ranked engineering program.
This year, I participated as a Marketing Judge for the competition. Twenty-three schools participated in this year’s competition and I was to judge four of them on marketing presentations for their robots. The volunteer judges met before the competition to go over the rules and rating system we would be using that evening. The marketing presentations took place in different rooms in the Hall of Arts and Letters. There were four judges per room. The students, either middle or high schoolers, would have roughly 20 minutes to present their robot to the panel of judges. The last 10 minutes were set aside for any questions the judges may have. In my room, I was the only judge that was a student at Grove City College. The rest of the judges were faculty members at the College or local businessmen or women. It felt very much like I was on an episode of Shark Tank. After the students exited the room, the judges would converse about our thoughts on the presentation. Of the four groups of students, there was quite a wide range from students who were beyond prepared to those who were very nervous.
To me, I was very impressed with all of the presentations I had the chance to witness. These students clearly had ambition and drive, and at such a young age. I was thankful to have had this opportunity to meet new faculty members and the determined middle school and high school students.
A question one of the judges in my panel asked every group that presented was, “What would you like to do in the future?”
The answers varied from “I would like to be a mechanical engineer,” to “I want to graduate high school.”
My favorite answer was actually said by five of the students that went through our room that evening, and that was, “I am hoping to get accepted to Grove City College.”
Hearing this from such impressive and inspiring young men and women reminded me of how appreciative and thankful I am to attend an institution like Grove City College.
Grove City students were visited this week by representatives of Cameron Energy Company. Cameron Energy is an company that is unique for the industry that they find themselves in. They operate as a small scale fracking company with a strong commitment to improving the environment.
The representatives that visited Grove City spoke to Dr. Stephen Jenkins’ Environmental Science class to give his students a basic understanding of the fracking process. However, they also talked about some of the precautions they take to ensure that they leave the environments of the sites they frack minimally influenced.
Later in the week, Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Kriley escorted several of their students to a live Cameron Energy fracking site. Twenty-four Grove City students, accompanied by their professors made the trip to the woods of Allegheny National Forrest to observe the fracking site. This unique opportunity allowed students to get a first hand look at the fracking process, and allowed them to become better informed in regards to the effects that fracking has on the environment.
Dr. Jenkins said, “I was blown away by the response that we got. I expected only two or three students would be able to find the time in their schedule for this sort of thing, but I am very pleased with the turnout we got.” Despite this field trip being completely optional, many students made the effort to be able to attend.
Fracking is a very hot button topic not only in Pennsylvania, but in the national discussion of our dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels. By simply hearing from the Cameron Energy representatives in class, our students were becoming better versed in a highly debatable issue, which is very beneficial. However, presented with an opportunity to see firsthand what goes into this process is a testament to students taking a real interest in their studies, and expanding their learning opportunities to outside of the classroom.
