Mechanical

Ben Finan (IntDesEngr'22) receives alumni engagement medal

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Ben Finan (IntDesEngr'22) receives alumni engagement medal Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/15/2024 - 00:00

Finan has maintained active involvement with CU Engineering and the IDE program since his undergraduate years. His leadership and commitment are evident through his mentorship of undergraduate engineers and teams.

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Humsini Acharya's Impactful Path from the New Venture Challenge to Innovative Leadership

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 18:36:09 +0000

Humsini Acharya's Impactful Path from the New Venture Challenge to Innovative Leadership Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/08/2024 - 11:36

Learn about Humsini Acharya's path as an entrepreneur and IDE alum.

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Racheal Rupprecht recognized with Alumni Engagement Medal

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Racheal Rupprecht recognized with Alumni Engagement Medal Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/07/2024 - 00:00

As an engineer with Medtronic, Rupprecht's continued commitment to the IDE community, learning and service is exceptional, and she is a great role model to our current students and alumni.

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Saving the world, a hair tie at a time: Q+A with Sydney Kobak

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 18:50:06 +0000

Saving the world, a hair tie at a time: Q+A with Sydney Kobak Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/18/2023 - 11:50

Sydney Kobak, an Integrated Design Engineering graduating senior with a mechanical engineering emphasis and business concentration, has been recognized by the college for her academic engagement. Kobak won fourth place out of 97 teams in the New Venture Challenge for her business pitch for Piña Designs, and has been a dedicated member of the IDE advisory board, helping to craft an alumni panel and give feedback on the program. She is currently studying abroad in Italy.

How does it feel to be recognized?

It feels amazing and so heart warming to receive this award. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to even have been considered while also feeling very proud and happy for myself; it was definitely the cherry on top of an amazing four years.

What is Piña Designs?

Our mission at Piña Designs is to create a lasting positive impact on climate change, one hair tie at a time. At Piña Designs we make biodegradable and sustainable hair ties made from discarded pineapple leaves and natural rubber. We are a female-owned and operated company and we are so excited to launch hopefully sometime in 2024!

What are your views on collaboration?

I think that collaboration is vital to success in all facets. Through my academic experiences at CU �鶹ӰԺ I have learned the most through collaboration and interaction. On top of that, I think that getting a variety of perspectives from different backgrounds and views is what can yield amazing and creative results.

What has been your experience as a part of the BOLD community?

The BOLD community has been such an amazing experience for me personally. I have gotten to meet lots of women in STEM and also got the opportunity my Spring 2023 semester to mentor some amazing freshman STEM women! It has created lots of opportunities for professional development and also gave me a nice sense of community throughout my years at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

Whats important for people to know about your jouney through CU �鶹ӰԺ and IDE?

I think the most important thing for people to know about my personal journey is that among the successes I have had, I have also had plenty of failures and if I could go back in time and change them I wouldn't. For me, the times I fell flat on my face were the ones that shaped me to be the person, student and engineer that I am today and I am grateful for them.

I also think that in general IDE really shaped my academic experience and has made me a better engineer and person. If I could recommend any program at CU �鶹ӰԺ I would highly suggest IDE, it gave me a unique learning experience and a lot of skills that I think differentiated my experience from traditional mechanical engineers.

What are your hopes for the future?

In a general sense, I hope that we continue to see an increase of women in engineering and STEM fields and on a more personal note I hope to see people wearing Pina Design’s in 2025.

If you were to give advice to a younger you, what would you say?

If I could give the younger me some advice I would say to raise my hand more and speak up! Don't be afraid to be loud and it's okay to be incorrect, that's what learning is for.

Sydney Kobak, a graduating senior, has been recognized by the college for her academic engagement, including balancing her classwork with a startup venture and her leadership in the Integrated Design Engineering program.

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Undergraduate student presents research at national conference

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 19:30:38 +0000

Undergraduate student presents research at national conference Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/31/2023 - 13:30

Grace Wilson

Robert Wang (IDE'25) participated in the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship (DLA) program at CU �鶹ӰԺ in the summer of 2023. He did research on the benefits of interdisciplinary engineering education programs similar to the Integrated Design Engineering program at CU �鶹ӰԺ, where he has an emphasis in mechanical engineering and a concentration in Chinese.

His research as an undergraduate was accepted by the American Society for Engineering Education, and he was able to travel to Baltimore and present at the conference through the support of the Professional & Academic Conference Endowment (PACE) grant and the College of Engineering and Applied Science's Dean’s Matching Travel Grant.

He also ran into an Integrated Design Engineering Alumni, Micaela Bara (IDE'22) who was also presenting at the 2023 ASEE conference on redesigning a multi-disciplinary measurement lab and statistics course.

Q+A with Robert Wang

What inspired you to do the research you did on interdisciplinary engineering programs?

In the hopes that I find something that I want to pursue in the future, I want to have various different experiences while I’m here at CU �鶹ӰԺ. I found this DLA opportunity on IDE programs to be a valuable experience that would indicate whether or not research is something that I want to do in my career. Also, I myself am an Integrated Design Engineering student, so I was personally interested in this research and its ability to help the program.

How would you describe the research that you did?

Much of the research that I did involved set up, data collection, and data analysis. To prepare for the research, I first had to go through training for human research and submit an IRB approval with Professor Zarske.

The purpose of this was to verify that the research that we were doing was ethical. It took a decent amount of time to create the survey and focus groups. Most of my time was spent on data collection/organization and data analysis. Since our study focused on surveying and interviewing the students, our studies were more qualitative.

I think that a person’s research experience is largely dependent on what kind of research they are doing. Various different skills can be improved through research, like creativity, data analysis and problem-solving.

How would you describe the experience of doing research through DLA?

DLA was an invaluable experience that taught me various different skills and helped me create important connections. I was able to learn about the process of research, and through this I improved my data analysis, technical writing, public speaking, and more. I had the opportunity to work with Professor Zarske and make a meaningful relationship with her, which I am thankful for. I believe that this DLA experience will play an integral role in my future.

What was it like working with a faculty mentor?

I absolutely loved working with Professor Zarske! She was a fantastic mentor, and I learned a lot of valuable skills from her. I appreciate her understanding and patience, and the support that she provided me throughout the DLA experience helped me both within and outside of research. I’m grateful that I was able to work with and learn from Professor Zarske, and I’m glad that I was able to build a great relationship with her. I think that being able to work with a mentor and building that connection is an invaluable experience that everyone should participate in. There’s a lot that I learned that I wouldn’t have been able to in class.

What was it like getting your work accepted by ASEE and presenting your research at a conference?

I was both overjoyed and relieved when our conference paper was accepted by ASEE. Professor Zarske and I put in a lot of time and effort this past year to set up, conduct, and analyze our research. After submitting our final draft, I was worried about whether or not our peer reviewers would accept our paper. Receiving our notification of acceptance was a huge sigh of relief, and having our research validated by other academic peers left me with a sense of accomplishment. I’m grateful that our work was appreciated by the other members of ASEE.

What would you say to other students who have an interest in possibly pursuing research?

Just go for it! You'll never know if research is something you are passionate about if you don’t try it out. The DLA program is a great way to step into research and see if it’s something that interests you.

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Award winner embraces kindness as part of perseverance

Anonymous — Tue, 02 May 2023 22:07:08 +0000

Award winner embraces kindness as part of perseverance Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/02/2023 - 16:07

Grace Wilson

"I used to think that I was just lucky, but I've realized that isn't true. I've worked so hard for what I have, and I'm proud of it," Yamelit Medina-Lopez (IntDesEngr'23) said.

Medina-Lopez, Yamy to most, is a recipient of the 2023 Perseverance Award from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

She was hired as a manufacturing engineer for Ball Aerospace before the fall semester of her senior year.

She sought to to understand how young girls choose STEM through independent research with Integrated Design Engineering Teaching Professor Mindy Zarske.

She also joined Craniate, a project from Teaching Professor Shaz Zamore in the ATLAS Institute that provides a hands-on visual STEAM education tool for underserved K-12 students across the United States.

Additionally, through her years at CU �鶹ӰԺ, Medina-Lopez has been heavily involved in the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), becoming the CU �鶹ӰԺ Chapter President from 2021 to 2022.

But Medina-Lopez didn't originally apply to engineering at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

"I actually didn't believe that I could get in," she said.

Her parents, however, believed in her. When she got an interview for the GoldShirt in Engineering program, they encouraged Medina-Lopez to take it.

GoldShirt Bridge

GoldShirt acknowledges the truth that high school experiences are not uniform, and some students with incredible engineering potential don't have the same access to higher math classes, physics and chemistry and other college-prep opportunities in their high school.

The program works to provide equal access to highly capable engineering students through mentorship, access to resources and academic opportunities. Medina-Lopez, a first-generation college student, was also able to connect with other students with similar experiences.

"GoldShirt had a big impact on me. It meant a lot to have great friends who were going through the same thing as me and who came from similar backgrounds… They completely understood me," Medina-Lopez said.

Before their first semester in college, GoldShirt students attend the GoldShirt Summer Bridge, which familiarizes students with campus and gets them started on engineering projects. Many of those projects are taught by Integrated Design Engineering instructors, and after the classes, Medina-Lopez chose to pursue her degree through the IDE program, then called Engineering Plus.

Project-based learning

"I like the way they approach teaching, and I value how much they care about their students. It meant a lot to have people believe in me, especially during hard times," Medina-Lopez said.

The Integrated Design Engineering program allows students to choose both an engineering emphasis and a concentration that can be outside of engineering. It also teaches engineering concepts through hands-on projects.

"People think that engineering is just technical, but those classes really taught me what it means to work on a team and so many time management skills," Medina-Lopez said. "And, when I was doing my job search, my resume was stacked thanks to the projects I did in IDE."

A community to count on

Like most first-year engineering students, Medina-Lopez struggled to adjust to the level of homework, and had a hard time attending meetings for SHPE in her first year.

"A core memory that I have is that, as a freshman, the president of SHPE would reach out to me a lot and just make sure I was OK because I wasn't going to the meetings. Him reaching out to me made me feel like I had a community," Medina Lopez said.

Medina-Lopez's second year was her hardest, and she learned that before she could be at her best for other people, she had to be good to herself.

"For me, I learned that perseverance is about continuing to push, but also taking care of yourself, knowing not to burn yourself out so much. It's important to take a little break and take a deep breath. You're still human, not a robot, you know?" Medina-Lopez said.

Yamelit Medina-Lopez wasn't sure if she should even pursue engineering. Now, through the support of her communities, hard work and by taking care of herself, she's graduating as a Ball Aerospace manufacturing engineer and community leader.

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Students invent device for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 18:16:23 +0000

Students invent device for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/11/2022 - 12:16

Gary Yu, a mechanical emphasis and business concentration student was the test engineer for the 2021 first-prize New Venture Challenge Portavax, a portable, super cold vaccine transportation unit that can safely hold and transport up to 250 vaccine doses for four days.

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Labs use 3D printers to create face shield parts for health care workers

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Labs use 3D printers to create face shield parts for health care workers Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/01/2020 - 00:00

Rachel Sharpe, Senior with a Mechanical Emphasis and Engineering Management concentration teamed up with the ITLP and other engineers at CU to help create personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis.

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Student Spotlight: Rachel

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 07:00:00 +0000

Student Spotlight: Rachel Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/09/2018 - 00:00

Hi Rachel!
What is your current e+ Emphasis and Concentration?
e+ Mechanical Emphasis + Engineering Management, Entrepreneurship and STEM Education Concentrations

Why did you choose the program?
I chose Engineering Plus for two reasons. The first was that I fell in love with my experience in Engineering for the Community (GEEN 2400). When I heard Engineering Plus took a more project-based approach, I knew I wanted to be a part of the program. The second reason was that I really wanted to be a part of the start-up/entrepreneurial community, this involves the ability to wear many hats. By doing Engineering Plus I could do just that, study Mechanical Engineering, while developing skills in other areas such as finance and accounting, marketing and classroom interactions, to name a few.

What do you want to do after graduation?
After graduation, I want to work for an entrepreneurial company. I want to be part of a creative, fast-paced environment where I can continue to wear many hats using my engineering, business and communication skills. Eventually, I'd love the experience of launching my own company.

What will you be doing this summer?
This summer I will be doing a 10-week program called Start-Up Summer. In this program, I will have the opportunity to intern 40 hours a week for an entrepreneurial company based in �鶹ӰԺ while simultaneously learning skills necessary for success as an entrepreneur. With other participants in the program, I will be spending an additional 10 hours a week forming my own startup leading up to a pitch competition at the end of the summer.

How did you find your internship?
I was a part of a team developing a marketing plan and pitch for my Technology Ventures and Marketing course last semester (associated with one of my Concentrations). The company my team chose was Give & Go, the winning 2017 New Venture Challenge Team. A member of that team, knowing about my interest in entrepreneurship was kind enough to forward the opportunity onto me!

What advice would you give to an Engineering Plus student looking to find their "dream" internship?
Search internships, take a good look at the job descriptions and question in what role/company could you see yourself being most excited to work. Becoming familiar with what your dream job would be, apply and don't be discouraged if you don't get it at first. Once you know what your dreams are, then you can start becoming intentional about where you place your time and energy building a theme for your resumes, websites and elevator pitches that conveys your story. Most important, by aligning your extracurricular activities with this theme, you will start building a community and a network that's rooting for you.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I'd want to share additionally to other e+ students that they shouldn't wait to figure out who they are or what their dreams are. If you don't decide what you want, others will decide that for you. You have to know what makes you happy and align your life with that. Pay attention to where your mind goes, when it's not doing what it has to do, pay attention to when you feel most content, and if you find something that makes you passionate, run with it! Most important, start confidently talking about your passions when you vocalize them, people will think of you when they see opportunities that remind them of you! I wouldn't have any of the opportunities I do to work at the ITLL, TA for Technology Ventures and Marketing, or recently to join the Campus Innovation Action team if I hadn't began talking.

When Rachel heard Engineering Plus took a more project-based approach, she knew she wanted to be a part of the program. Her she can be a part of the start-up community, study Mechanical Engineering and develop skills in other areas like classroom interactions, finance and accounting, marketing and more.

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Student Spotlight: Beatriz

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Student Spotlight: Beatriz Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/20/2017 - 00:00

Hi Beatriz! What is your current Emphasis and Concentration?

Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management

Why did you choose Engineering Plus?

During the spring semester of my sophomore year I began noticing that I had a strong interest in taking business classes in addition to the engineering classes that I was already taking. After speaking to different business programs throughout the university there was no path that would fit my need or timeline for graduation; without having to spare a full summer and pay a high program fee. One day I came across the e+ booth in the engineering lobby and spoke with Jackie Sullivan, our program co-director, and another professor. It was a no brainer that the culture of the e+ program would fit my hands-on mindset, my creativity, and most importantly it would fit my need to take business classes while still graduating on time.

What do you want to do after graduation?

I plan to continue working in the sports product industry!

What did you do this summer?

This summer I interned at the Adidas North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon as a Footwear Quality intern.

How did you find your internship?

I researched every large sports company in the US and sent online applications to every internship program I could find. To my surprise Adidas responded, and within a month I had a contract and a plan for the summer!

What did you enjoy most from your summer internship experience?

I loved every single second of this experience. But most notably I loved the transparency and appreciation that the company shared with all of us interns. We were given unlimited resources and contacts to have a successful summer, as well as direct communication with the full executive board who were interested in truly learning from us just as much as we were from them.

How has this experience shaped your perspective for life after graduation?

This experience has made me feel confident and excited to join an innovative and exciting industry after graduation. I have no doubt that Adidas is the company for me, and I can say that I will be living that “three stripe life” for the foreseeable future.

What advice would you give to an Engineering Plus student looking to find their “dream” internship?

Prepare yourself to jump! I would never have imagined that I would have even stood a chance with a company like Adidas. Yet here I am about to start another journey with the company as a 6 month intern working at the Hong Kong location during a semester off before my final year. Send in your resume, reach out to employers, and follow your passion!

Beatriz used the program to create a path that would fit her graduation timeline without having to spare a full summer and pay a high program fee. She used the summer to intern for Adidas instead.

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