Research was one of the main reasons I chose to come to Penn State. I was so excited that there were clubs and programs to get freshmen involved in research. I learned about the Women in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program through the Women in Engineering Program (WEP). One of the girls was talking about how great her experience was with the program and I knew I wanted to apply. The applications go out in November and the program is only for freshmen. I found out I had been accepted into a lab during the last few weeks of the fall semester. Most labs let you choose between scholarship money and credits as payment for your time. Everyone in the program gets 2 semesters of research experience and if you aren’t enjoying your research you can switch labs for the second semester. Then if you want to continue the research you can talk to your professor about continuing to work with them. My research was with computational catalysis and it was the first time I got to see what chemical engineering was. It was so exciting and my research professor was an incredible mentor.
Besides research, I have also been involved in some other clubs on campus. At the beginning of each semester, Penn State holds an involvement fair for students to meet all of those clubs on campus. Penn State has so many clubs that the fair can sometimes feel chaotic. I’m one of those people that likes to have everything planned out and be really prepared for every situation. Before the club fair on hub lawn the first week of classes, I went through the huge list of all the clubs and wrote down all the ones I was interested in. When the map was posted for the club fair, I printed it out and highlighted all the spots of the ones I was interested in to make sure I didn’t miss any of them. This system may have been extra preparation, but also made everything less overwhelming. In the extra time I had after visiting my top clubs, I walked around and stopped at some other clubs to see their cool presentations (and to get the free stuff). If you don’t talk to the club at the fair you can still go to the meetings or contact them through their website to get involved. One of the clubs I talked to at the fair was Undergraduate Research in Science and Engineering. They help students get involved in research. The club also had events to get to know other students interested in research. Below is a picture of the club trip to DC!
It is also a good idea to join clubs that have nothing to do with engineering. The meetings are a great place to meet people who aren’t in engineering or STEM majors. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from people talking about the same classes and hear what completely different majors’ college experiences are like. I joined a club called Sisters on the Runway that supports domestic violence victims. They put on a charity fashion show every spring to raise money for the local women’s shelter. I got to be one of the models in the show and wear some clothes from the local stores. It was so much fun and raised awareness for an important cause. Clubs are an important part of the college experience. It offers a chance for balance and making friends! I hope you find some great clubs to join when you start your first semester!!
Rachel Rizzardi
Team A Mentor
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