Tag: engineering

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Major Spotlight: Mechanical Engineering

mechanical engineering grove city college

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!

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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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Scuba Diving, Swing Dancing, and Mechanical Engineering: An Interview with Dr. Erik Bardy

Stereotypically on our beloved campus, it seems that the engineers just live in the Hoyt Engineering building and do homework all day. However, you could just as easily find them on the roof of the Hall of Arts and Letters, in secret tunnels underneath the Student Union, or even exploring the streets of Paris, France. There are so many opportunities for our engineers to experience tours of the engineering systems that operate our campus, as well as travel abroad with our France program. Dr. Erik Bardy serves as a tremendous resource to our students by presenting them with multiple opportunities within the diverse discipline of engineering.

Originally from Poughkeepsie, NY, Dr. Bardy studied his undergrad and Ph.D. in Buffalo, NY, but traveled abroad to France for his Master’s degree.  Bardy found Grove City College through some friends and faculty, and became interested in the possibility of a program where engineers could travel abroad. Bardy explained, “A very small percentage of mechanical engineers get to study abroad…developing international skills in cultural competence and being able to function, operate, and work in a culture where people think differently about how things should be done is important.”

Engineering is a very broad degree and there is so much that an engineering student can consider in specializing their career path. Bardy discussed, “My biased opinion is that [engineering] spans a lot. Your education will not be specialized on one area, you will be trained in a broad spectrum. There are a lot of different things you can do and you have to find your interests within that.” Within engineering, there are classes about alternative energy systems, Biomechanics, HVAC and Aerospace where students can study focuses for potential career paths. The great thing about the engineering program at Grove City College is that students stick together. Bardy said, “Very rarely will you get a non-major in an engineering class. Sometimes physics majors, but usually all engineers.”

The European Study Center is a program designed for mechanical and electrical engineers to have the opportunity to take core classes from Grove City College with Grove City students for a semester in Nantes, France. This program works with the French school ONIRIS, where our students take one course with French students to enhance their intercultural skills. Being fully bilingual and having family history in France, Dr. Bardy has traveled with students to France many times with intersession courses, and plans to take on the ONIRIS program within the next few years.

The importance of communication within engineering is something Dr. Bardy implements through his classes. “Classically you learn how to write technically – abstracts, product descriptions, presentations – and you start learning about your audience,” Bardy explains. Every senior mechanical engineer works with a team on a senior design project for their final semesters with the goal of creating and explaining things to people who do and don’t have technical backgrounds. This is great hands-on experience aside from an internship where students can get a feel for what working in the industry actually looks like.

Now you might be wondering where the scuba diving and swing dancing steps in to all of this – Dr. Bardy does have a life outside of engineering and enjoys these unique hobbies. Bardy became interested in scuba diving through his Ph.D. dissertation where he created a wetsuit designed for military use.  He also enjoys swing dancing with his wife, and can frequently be seen speaking French in the cafeteria to his younger daughter who will most likely become bilingual as well. Despite the stereotypes that may surround busy engineering students, our engineers have plenty of opportunities to use their creative skills all over the world – and sometimes they do leave Hoyt.

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STEM Majors Branching out with BEST Robotics Competition

Imagine an arena full of middle school and high school students cheering nonstop for five hours straight on a Saturday morning. What is possibly worth waking up early and yelling for on a weekend? The amazing talent and hard work of students from all over the region battling robots would definitely justify this incessant cheering.

Each year, Grove City College hosts the BEST Robotics Competition through the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics departments. This STEM-based curriculum is a well-loved priority of Grove City College, that highlights the strengths of college, middle school, and high school students interested in engineering based professions through robotic design. With the leadership of Dr. Mike Bright, Mrs. Stephanie Adams, and Mrs. Danielle Bryan, both students and faculty were able to help make this event a success as volunteers and judges at the Wolverine BEST competition on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The BEST Robotics stands for Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology. These competitions are done on a national level each year to challenge students to create a robot that competes in a game and embodies “boosting” of engineering, science, and technology through their designs. This year’s theme was “Bet the Farm,” so students created a robot with the ability to plant corn seeds, harvest and deliver ripe corn, tomatoes, and lettuce. Robots were also required to corral and secure pigs, as well as feed them, and turn on a water valve. The complexity of this year’s robot was a challenge to all, but equally an amazing learning opportunity for younger and older students to learn teamwork, collaboration, and application of engineering design. 

Not only is this a great opportunity for younger students to learn about practical engineering, but it is also such a gratifying experience for our students and faculty to spread the importance of academic recognition. Dr. Mike Bright explains, “The thing that motivates me is seeing students get the recognition that athletes receive, but for working on technical and academic endeavors.” As this competition takes months to plan, Bright continues, “It can be tense and frustrating in the weeks leading up to the competition, but the energy from the students on Game Day makes it all worthwhile. It is particularly gratifying to walk through the pit area and see students and teachers helping other teams to get their robots ready or patched up so they can run again.”

Students on game day serve as volunteers, judges, and coaches to help teams get their robots prepared. Junior Mechanical Engineering major Matthew Batten has been involved as a coach for the Grove City Homeschoolers “Spartans” Team for the past two years. He explains, “as a Mechanical Engineering major, I thought that helping the team would be a great opportunity to serve the community… I’ve also really enjoyed helping high school students get a taste of real engineering.” According to Batten, the creation and final production of the team’s robots is a rewarding experience that he is proud to experience. Batten continues, “The competition is exciting, and it’s really neat to see six weeks of work come together and watch the guys on the team show what they can do.”

This competition is just one example of how our engineering department involves students of all ages to get excited about engineering design. We are thankful as a campus community to be able to host such an event every year, that emphasizes the importance of the STEM careers on our campus.

To learn more about the competition and how to get involved, visit BEST Robotics Inc. 

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So Now What? A Career Spotlight on Engineering Majors

engineering building

Did you know that one of the top 5 most popular areas of study at Grove City College is the engineering program? We have majors in electrical & mechanical engineering that offer students a wide variety of classes that lead to various fields and specifications in engineering.

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to look at the Communications Spotlight to get a feel for how students have discovered their passions through major classes. This spotlight focuses on electrical and mechanical engineering majors and their experiences in deciding career paths. Here are some students’ thoughts on what type of career paths engineering has to offer.

 

What do you want to do with your Engineering degree?

“I want to have a job that involves engineering as well as communications that might not have the technical knowledge of an engineering degree. I really enjoy public speaking and making presentations, which a lot of other engineers tend to shy away from. I also like the idea of taking a complex engineering idea and putting it in simpler terms that anyone can gain a basic understanding from. My dream job would be simplifying and presenting engineering ideas to business leaders or potential customers interested in an engineering design or product.“ 

-Senior Electrical Engineering major Mathieu Vavro

 

“I’ve been considering a software engineering position with my degree. GCC classes helped me figure out what I wanted to do and what I’m good at, specifically computer science classes.” 

-Senior Electrical Engineering major Braden Ritts

 

“I am not 100% sure what area of the engineering field I want to have a career in, but I do know two things I want to achieve in a career.  I want my skills and knowledge to better the world and its people, and I want to travel.  Ideally I would like to live abroad for an extended period of time.  The Grove City environment has inspired me to impact the world for the better. I want to be able to use my skills to change lives and leave a mark in a positive way.”

-Senior Electrical Engineering major Justine Stanszewski

 

“Upon graduation I plan on working for a year or two in the aerospace industry as a systems engineer. During that time I plan on applying to medical school. The GCC environment contributed to this decision through mentorship from professors as well as discussions with students who have similar interests.”

-Senior Mechanical Engineering major Justin Burke

 

“I have only had professional experience in the automation industry with my internship, so I know that I am interested in a full time career in something related to that field. I also took a Practical Circuit Design course last semester and really enjoyed everything that I learned in it; so I am very interested in a position where I would be doing circuit design full time as well. There are just so many fields to get into that it makes finding a “niche” extremely difficult; but there have been classes that taught me exactly what I do NOT want a career in!”

-Senior Electrical Engineering major Eric Martin

 

“Engineering” is as general a term as “communications” when it comes to diversity in majors and career paths. Grove City College offers students the opportunity to extend their interests and involvements with their majors through multiple organizations in different environments outside of the classroom.

My hope in presenting these career spotlights is to open the door to relating majors that seem completely unrelated so that students can bring their skill sets together to recognize the importance of diverse fields of study.