Taking Opportunities Outside of Your Comfort Zone

           Throughout my entire high school career, I had a plan for what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was going to go to Penn State, get a teaching degree, move back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and become a high school math teacher at my alma mater.  It was my ultimate dream.

            Then slowly but surely, during my senior year of high school, my plan began to change. My high school calculus teacher convinced me to look into engineering, and I decided it was a profession worth pursuing. I went to Penn State, attended WEPO, and decided to major in Mechanical Engineering. By the end of my first year at college, I was completely happy with my altered plan.  I would graduate from Penn State with an engineering degree, move back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and get a job close to home with Westinghouse, or one of the other big engineering companies located in my area.

            At the beginning of my sophomore year, as I began looking for a summer internship, there was only one thing I was concerned about: staying close to home. I talked to every company who had offices in the Pittsburgh area with the hopes that one of them would give me an offer.  A few months later, I had gotten my wish, and had three options sitting on the table. I could spend the summer with PPG in Barberton, Ohio, with Shell Oil Company in New Orleans, Louisiana, or with Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

            I thought the decision would be easy. Obviously, I was going to choose Westinghouse. It was my dream job! I would only be working 30 minutes from my house, in the area where I spent my entire life growing up.  But when I looked at my choices from a career perspective, I found the offer with Shell would be a better opportunity. Sure, New Orleans was really far away, but Shell also had an office in Pittsburgh.  I decided to accept the internship with Shell, with the hope that after spending a summer with them in New Orleans, I could ask to spend the following summer at their office in Pittsburgh, if everything worked out. I reluctantly packed up my things and headed to New Orleans with the thought, “Well, it’s only three months.”

            A little over a year later, I am currently spending my second summer in New Orleans, not

because I had to, but because I chose to.  Last summer was an eye opening experience! I did so many new and exciting things I would have never done had I decided to stay in Pennsylvania. I spent two nights on an offshore oil platform, ate crawfish at a crawfish boil, and held a baby alligator on a swamp tour. The experience I was dreading simply because it was different, ended up changing my entire perspective on life. I realized that I should be taking advantage of the opportunities in front of me, even if they lead me to places I never expected to go.  I was given the opportunity to travel to China for Penn State at the end of this past semester, which was another fantastic experience (check out fellow WEPO Lead, Mimi Overbaugh’s blog for more details)!  I honestly think, that without taking that first chance, and taking the small step outside of my comfort zone to New Orleans, I may have turned down the once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Shanghai.

            My advice to you is to not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone! As an engineer at Penn State, you will be given a myriad of opportunities, and I highly suggest you take advantage of them.  Study abroad, take that internship across the country, go on a co-op during the fall or spring semester. Don’t be afraid to do the things that scare you. You’ll never know if you like something if you never try it! Take it from me: the high school girl who thought she had it all figured out.  I was probably the last person who wanted to travel the country, let alone the world! I was perfectly content on spending my entire life in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, never exploring the other things around me. However, after only a few unique and exciting experiences, my entire prospective has changed, and I could not be happier that it did.  Eventually, I think that I would like to end up back in Pittsburgh, but I have an entire lifetime to figure that out.  While I’m young, I’d like to travel, see the world, and allow my engineering career to take me wherever it may! As Ernest Hemingway once said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”  So, as you begin your career at Penn State, try to step out of your comfort zone, and take advantage of those opportunities which will make your journey unforgettable.  Trust me, you won’t regret it. 

Katie Ciccaglione is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and she is the Professional Development Lead for WEPO '14! 

Getting Involved in Undergraduate Research

As an incoming freshman at WEPO, I remember being in awe of all of the upperclass(wo)men engineers. It seemed like every time a member of the leadership team stood up to introduce herself, she rattled off an infinitely long list of activities she was involved in and engineering experiences she had.  I remember thinking to myself that I’d never be able to do all of those things.  Low and behold, I am now entering my junior year as a mechanical engineer, and I’m proud to say that I have done a lot of those things, and you can too! 

I would like to take the time to tell you a little about one of the engineering experiences that I am involved with at Penn State: undergraduate research.   I currently work in the Engineering Design and Optimization Group Lab (EDOG for short) in the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department.  The project I am working on involves the optimization of thermal ablation probe tips to be used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. 

          

When I came to Penn State, I had no intention of ever getting involved in research, but at the end of my freshman year an opportunity arose, and I jumped on it.  I figured it would be a great opportunity for me to gain a little insight into the wide world of research, even if it was something I wasn’t fully interested in.   Looking back, I am very happy that I made that decision and that I was given the opportunity to get involved.   As you begin your career as an engineering student, I’d like you to keep this in mind.  I think getting involved in research is something everyone should try, because it truly is a great learning experience!

 As a freshman, it is sometimes a little difficult (although not impossible!) to get an internship or co-op.  Research, however, is something that you can easily get involved with in order to quickly acquire some quality engineering experience which will look great on your resume.  As freshmen women, you will have the opportunity to apply to the WISER program (Women in Science and Engineering Research), which will allow you to get some research experience for an entire semester. 

There are also a handful of research fellowships you can apply for if you look hard enough.  For example, the MNE Department offers the Shuman Fellowship for Mechanical Engineering students and the Westinghouse-Toshiba fellowship for Nuclear Engineering students.  It is through this program that I applied and acquired my research position.

Finally, don’t be afraid to approach a professor and ask about the research that they do!  If you are interested in a project that they are working on, simply ask if they have room for an undergraduate research assistant in their lab! Most likely, the answer will be yes!

I highly recommend getting involved in undergraduate research because it is a great way to gain experience.  Not only that, but it allows you to explore your options as an engineer and get exposure to the many opportunities available to you.  I am so happy that I decided to become involved with research, and I honestly think you will be too!

Katie Ciccaglione is a junior in Biomedical Engineering and the Assistant Professional Development Lead for WEPO'13.  

The Importance of Facilitated Study Groups

During your first few days at Penn State you will most certainly have a lot on your mind.  You’ll be getting yourself situated in your dorm room, learning your way around campus, and beginning to get to know your fellow classmates who will soon become some of your best friends.  However, after a few weeks go by and things begin to fall into place, you will soon notice that your classes begin to travel to the top of your priority list. As engineers, we are the lucky ones who are gifted with a rigorous course load right off the bat. There’s no need to worry, though, because I assure you, you WILL make it through. No matter how difficult or frustrating the course work may seem at the time, keep your head up, because it will all work out in the end.  We have all gone through the same trials and tribulations that you are about to embark on and we have all made it through. But I assure you, this would not have been possible without a little help from one of my favorite benefits here at Penn State: facilitated study groups.

As a member of WEP, you will have the opportunity to join a facilitated study group (or multiple) at the beginning of each semester.  There are groups for all of the basic math and science classes which all engineers must take, including Math 140, Math 141, Chem 111, Chem 112, and Physics 211, just to name a few.  If you decide to join (which I highly recommend you do), you will be placed in a group of about 8-10 other girls who are also enrolled in the given course. The group will be led by an older women engineering student who has already received an A in the course, and therefore knows all there is to know about the course material. Your group will meet once a week to go over homework problems and review material and any other questions you may have.  By joining a facilitated study group you are not only receiving extra help outside of the classroom, but you are doing so for FREE. Many other study groups on campus, such as PSU Know How and Lion Tutors, charge money, which can get pretty costly if you need help with multiple courses.  Therefore, joining a WEP facilitated study group is the best route to take!

In addition to being free, joining a facilitated study group has many other benefits which I would like to quickly point out:

1.  Your facilitator and group members can offer additional insight which you do not get in the classroom.  Sometimes the way your professor explains things does not immediately click with you. By having the opportunity to learn the material from someone else, you are allowing yourself to hear it in a different way. I joined a facilitated study group for Chem 111 my first semester, and my facilitator, Steph, was able to teach us an easy trick for determining the molecular geometry of a molecule, something which seemed much more difficult when explained in class.
2.    Once you join, it is not mandatory to attend.  Facilitated study groups are made solely for your benefit.  I recommend joining one for all your classes which are offered, even if you think you won’t need help. It is very nice to have the option to attend the weekly session, just in case you do have a few homework problems or questions that you need help with.  Just be sure to communicate with your facilitator and let her know if you plan to attend!
3.  Joining a group allows you to make new friends!  Although WEPO and WEP Wednesdays will give you the opportunity to meet many other women engineers, you will most likely not have the chance to meet them all. Joining a facilitated study group is a great way to widen your friend circle and get to know other women in engineering.  I became friends with some of the girls in my facilitated study groups, and we would even meet multiple times during the week to work out some of our homework problems together! 

As you prepare to make the move to Penn State, I know classes and studying are probably the last things on your mind. However, when the time comes to sign up for a WEP facilitated study group make sure you do! Trust me, when it comes to exam time you will certainly be grateful that you did! 

      Can’t wait to see you at WEPO!

 Katie Ciccaglione is a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering. She is a rover for WEPO 2012.