September Member of the Month: Samantha Bliss

My SWE experience so far in one word?....WOW!  Being selected as Member of the Month was something that I never expected to receive as a freshman in my second month on campus.  I knew when I came to RPI to major in engineering that I wanted to become involved in SWE on campus, but could have never imagined just how involved I would become and how quickly!  Early in the year I attended several SWE events including the SWEet Social, Career Fair Prep and the Schlumberger presentation and learned just how helpful SWE was going to be as I searched for internships and eventually an engineering career.  These past experiences have me searching for other ways to network with companies and develop personally and professionally.  I am extremely excited to have been selected as a freshman representative for this year and look forward to working on the Executive Board and meeting all of the freshman members.  I also look forward to becoming more involved in regional and national SWE activities and hope to attend National SWE Conference next year as a sophomore!

Schlumberger Stiletto to Steel Toes Essay Contest Winners!

In Schlumberger's Stiletto to Steel Toes contest, three winners were chosen from the RPI SWE section. Check out their essays below, in response to the prompt: "What will kick-start your career?"

1st Place: Megan Curtin

Following a path that one might expect me to has never been anything I have been interested in doing, even at a young age. This is shown really well in one my favorite pictures from my childhood. In it, I am around the age of five wearing one of my typical everyday outfits, a dress and puddle boots. I am in the backyard in front of a pond with the biggest grin on my face because in each hand I am holding a snake that one of the older neighborhood boys had caught. I feel like this picture captures the child I was, I could be quite girly; making fairy houses and being a princess for Halloween, but I could also be rough and tumble; not afraid to get muddy catching frogs. Within reason, I did what I wanted and never tried to force myself to follow a path outlined by society.

Even at this point in my life, my path can parallel some of the more typical ones, but I do not feel as though the one I am treading on is well-traveled.  I am a sister, friend, runner, volunteer, engineer, and much more. Where I have come from has lead me to the point I am at, and where I chose to go will continue to define me. My path is mine and though it may be similar to that of another runner or engineer, it is not quite the same because we started in different places and will chose our own individual ways that best suit us.  I feel fortunate as an engineer because a mindset with many opportunities to apply it is created, all of which lead to slightly different paths.  What I am learning now will help me reach a point later on where I will be able to see a few more of the less traditional paths that are a little more overgrown and I intend to try them out. For the swampier trails I will keep my puddle boats on hand, but I am also willing to try stilettos, steel boots, or even snow shoes if they suit the path I find myself on.

2nd Place: Niyati Desai

I never was a great connoisseur of shoes.  Being the tomboy of my family, my mother and sister had to wrest me from my comfortable sneakers and introduce me to the wide world of female footwear, of which I am now a proud consumer.  Much to my father’s chagrin, I brought a plethora of footwear to college with me, possibly causing him to think that his partner in crime has ditched her steel toes forever in favor of ballet flats.  He need not worry though, because all those Engineering Expositions he took me to throughout my childhood had already left their own type of footprint.  Seeing all the projects and hearing the “grown-ups” talk about how rewarding engineering is and how high the demand for women engineers is, made me realize what I was made for.

            While some women deviate to the shoe and purse sections of stores, I tend to find my way into the technology and hardware departments.  I always knew that I was meant to do something unconventional, and growing up seeing my dad work on his engineering projects gave me a very good idea as to what that would be.  My parents always provide a strong support system for me, just like the perfect pair of platform heels, encouraging me to follow my dreams, which I soon realized included me attending RPI and becoming a great Electrical Engineer.

            Graduating at the top of my high school class, I marched to the podium wearing my white heels.  Having recently mastered the art of walking in heels, I realized that this was practice for the future- wobbling through unfamiliar territory, and making my own path to run and excel on.  Today I run toe-to-toe with my peers in a male-dominated industry, but I’m not worried.  I can step out of my heels and don my steel toes in an instant, running with the guys to overtake them and prove that I can go above and beyond, giving employers a unique mixture of what they are looking for- passion, talent, steel toes, and heels on the side.

3rd Place: Dannah Laguitan

When I was younger, I believed the future contained doors of opportunity, excitement, and surprise that would streamline a life of constant adventure. As I began to understand how the ‘real’ world works, I had to regrettably confront the possibility of daily monotony; it was a difficult concept to face, but it gave me initiative to search and attain that childhood dream. Can you imagine living in a black and white world? I need spontaneity; I need variety; I need a daily medley.

            Some imply that I keep busy, that my schedule is overbooked, and that I am far surpassing the limit. I say nay. How much is being done does not concern me; it is what I am doing that drives me forward. I want to be a part of different experiences to fully enjoy every bit life can offer - the road less traveled[1]. It is a journey I enthusiastically take in the hopes that one day I’ll find the path I’m meant to take.

            This is why a nontraditional job is ideal; to enjoy life, find my adventure, and procure a daily medley would mean that I have experienced, I have learned, and I have lived. Discovering a career that generates an innate energy is what will start my adventure. My dream is to witness the unknown and unfamiliar with a steadfast attitude and be ready to try something new. The unorthodox may be what will kick-start my career.

[1] Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”

Summer Experience-Research with Smart Lighting ERC

This post is in a series about RPI SWE members and their experiences in industry and research over the summer! Check out all the posts to learn more about what our members achieved this summer!

Research with Smart Lighting ERC
By: Kirthana Bhat, Chemical Engineering '16

This past summer I had a research internship at the Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The core goal of the Smart Lighting ERC is to revolutionize lighting by creating the technology needed to produce benefits in human health and safety and energy conservation.

Along with two other visiting undergraduates, I spent the entire summer learning and researching the characterization of full spectrum phosphor LED’s. Phosphors are rare earth compounds that coat white LED’s which create a full spectrum of visible light, by emitting light at longer wavelengths. My research focused on the synthesis and characterization of narrow-line red phosphors. Since there are many ways to create these phosphors, my goal was to create a red phosphor using the best method to increase the performance of the phosphor.

The program ended with a symposium where I gave a presentation demonstrating the progress I made and a final overview of my summer research experience. You can view my poster here.This was a great experience and I highly recommend that everyone takes a chance to see if research is right for you!

Summer Experience-Intern at Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center

This post is in a series about RPI SWE members and their experiences in industry and research over the summer! Check out all the posts to learn more about what our members achieved this summer!

Intern at Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center

By: Emily Frantz, Nuclear Engineering '15

This past summer I applied to countless internships and while I did receive interviews, I was not offered a position any where.  Discouraged, I seeked guidance from my academic advisor who knowing I'm from Lil' Rhodey, asked if I had ever heard of RINSC.  I had not, so I called and assuming their deadline for intern applications had past, I inquired about perhaps getting a tour and how to apply for next year.  By a lucky set of circumstances, they had delayed their search for interns because they were hiring a new facility director and would like for me to submit an application!  If you are having difficulty finding a position, keep trying and working towards it.  It will pay off!

I began work in June training in reactor operations and maintenance.  RINSC is a small research facility with a staff of about ten, then various students and researchers that use the facility, and two interns.  It is the home of Rhode Island's sole nuclear reactor!  The RINSC reactor was built in 1960 and went critical in 1964. It is a 2 Mega-Watt, light water cooled, pool type reactor. For over 50 years it has provided valuable data to researchers and students.  I had the opportunity to train in how to start up the reactor, perform various tests (weekly, monthly, and annually), calibrate various detectors, and many other tasks.  One of my projects was to plan and execute the annual emergency preparedness test.  The situation was a forest fire near the main entrance to the building, where we also store large propane tanks for the generators that had the potential to explode.  After our practice evacuation, I led the discussion on actions we need to take in the future, what we could have done better, and lapses in our procedures.

This was an incredible experience and I highly recommend that everyone takes the opportunity to work as an intern!  I will be returning to RINSC in December to work over winter break and potentially again next summer.

Summer Experience-An AutoMAZING Summer

This post is in a series about RPI SWE members and their experiences in industry and research over the summer! Check out all the posts to learn more about what our members achieved this summer!

An AutoMAZING Summer

By: Sarah Straub, Materials Engineering '16

After having received an offer for a summer research fellowship at UIC, I had planned on working in Chicago this past summer. As an undergraduate with only one year under of higher education my belt, I felt extremely lucky to have a job in materials research. This entire plan was derailed by one phone call over Spring Break.

This random phone call was from an HR representative at Honda R&D Americas. My resume, which I had given to recruiter at the fall NSBE/SHEP Career Fair had somehow ended up on her desk. She wanted me to fly to Ohio for an interview with a group from the Materials Research division!

After having completed my interview and waiting over a month, I was surprised to be offered a position. I considered my options, and because I have little interest in pursuing academia beyond undergraduate, my decision was clear. I was going to Ohio for the summer!

My experience this summer was unlike anything I would have imagined. As an intern of the Chemical Group, my projects focused on corrosion, adhesives, and paints of the newest cars (including the beautiful Acura NSX). Along with assorted testing responsibilities, my group leader delegated to me a project to investigate the curing mechanism of wind shield adhesives. This study, which I was lucky to own from start to end, turned out successfully and I had the opportunity to present my findings to the supplier of the material. My other main project was a study that involved electrochemical corrosion testing with a potentiostat.

While I had not realized it at first, it is now clear that I am very interested in corrosion engineering.

This summer, I had the opportunity to develop skills in experimental design, test matrix development, experimentation methods and data analysis. More important than what I learned from materials research, however, was what I learned about myself by living on my own in a new and unfamiliar place. There is no question that I had a great experience and that I grew a great deal over what seemed to be a very short summer.

As a result of this experience, I am now working with Dr. David Duquette of the MSE department on corrosion and electrochemical research. My advice to anyone who is interested  in interning, is to pursue every option, to take chances and to be in the driver’s seat of your career from the start!