Winter
2020

Student News & Voices
Find news that affects engineering, engineering tech, and engineering ed  students, what they're up to, and what they have to say...in their own words.

 
Harmonious Pursuits: Melissa Requist is a musician, athlete, and biomedical engineer-in-training at the University of Arizona. For her, these things are inextricably bound together. Sports inspired her medical dreams, music drives her engineering problem-solving process, and engineering inspires musical creativity. How does she balance it all?
 Read more here.  
 
Accessibility , Not Disability: Jen Schlegel has struggled her entire life with cerebral palsy, finding it extremely difficult to get around. Now an engineering student at Ohio State University, she is working to solve transportation issues for disabled passengers of autonomous vehicles. Read more here.

Surveillance State U: Some universities are implementing cell phone-tracking systems and apps to help take attendance in large classes. While attendance may be up, is this level of scrutiny helpful or intrusive? The Washington Post reports. Read more here. 

Student Columnist Search: ASEE's award-winning Prism magazine seeks a new student columnist, as our excellent Alice Dai is graduating. If you have a passion for writing and strong opinions on the state of engineering education, please send a resume, cover letter, and 2-3 writing samples (preferably published) to Prism Associate Editor Jennifer Pocock at j.pocock@asee.org using subject line "Student Columnist Application." 


Academic & Professional Development Resources
Tips on navigating politics, from classroom to office.

Get Out!: When mired in schoolwork and research, it seems like the most important thing in the world. You're investing time, money, and effort into your degree, which will have a bearing on your future career. But what if goofing off can help you get that job? Inside Higher Ed talks about why getting out of the lab and pursuing hobbies might give you a leg up.  Read more here.

BONUS: Building lasting close friendships becomes much harder in adulthood, but also has great benefits for mental and physical well-being. The New York Times explains why this is and how to cultivate these relationships. Read more here.   
 
Unconscious Learning: Think you learn more from traditional lectures than in-class problem solving and other "active learning" techniques? Many students do. But Harvard researchers beg to differ. Their new study shows that students retain more from active learning than traditional methods, without even realizing it.
 
Political Posturing: Academia is an endless game of politics. When you really just want to get on with teaching and research, you also have to be collegial, secure funding, and appease the Powers That Be . The Chronicle of Higher Education shows you how to recognize subtle political maneuvering and counteract it.  Read more here. 


Funding & Internships
Opportunity abounds!

This month's highlights:
 
Microsoft disAbility Scholarship: This scholarship enables high school students with disabilities to go to college and target a career in the technology industry. It will be awarded to high school seniors who plan to attend a vocational or academic college and have a financial need. The amount of this renewable scholarship to be awarded is $5,000 per year, up to $20,000 total. Deadline: March 1, 2020. Learn more here.


Catching the Dream: Catching the Dream is a 501(c)3 organization specializing in Native American communities and opportunities. It has multiple deadlines and a high acceptance rate, so you can apply at just about any time of year. Next deadline: March 15, 2020. Learn more here.  

United Negro College Fund:  The UNCF STEM Scholars Program is an initiative designed to identify and provide scholarship and academic support for African American high school students who aspire to earn STEM degrees and to pursue STEM careers.  The program awards 100 scholarships each year. The application is open for high school seniors who are entering college as first-time freshmen in fall 2020. Deadline: March 19, 2020.  Learn more here. 


Videos & Entertainment
Because sometimes you just need a break!

Video: Incendiary Devices - What happens when you randomly combine two objects to make a third, rather unlikely object? This is how the coffee table made of matches was born! Watch it flame out here.

Video: Chucking Cheese -
 Looking for a new way to toss a cheese ball into your friend's mouth from across the room? Ben Cusick, creator of the YouTube Channel, NightHawkInLight, shows you how to create a high-velocity leaf blower gun that can shoot cheese balls clear across the quad. You'll need a good drill and a little knowledge of fluid dynamics. Watch it here.

Podcast: The View from Venus -  The View from Venus podcast is geared toward women in academia--but if you're not a woman, don't let that stop you! It tackles problems that most people in engineering face, like impostor syndrome and having to do a million different things all at once. Check out episode #4, "Doing All the Things!" with guest expert Roopika Risam.   Listen here .