I’ve done a wide variety of service projects since I’ve been on campus and they’ve all been a ton of fun. You get a chance to meet and bond with other people that you might not otherwise get a chance to talk to. Many of these projects have given me some great memories. I’ve cooked for families and teens, cut down trees, played in dirt, built candy bridges, and made film canister bottle rockets. All in the name of community service. Sounds more like fun to me.

Five of us once prepared a stir fry and chocolate chip cookies for the families in Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald house provides housing to families that have children at Mott’s Children’s Hospital. Everyone we talked to was extremely grateful for the meal. And it was the first time that I ever prepared a meal for 40 people. It was like being on Iron Chef. We had 5 stoves going, all four burners on each stove. Cooking rice on some, veggies on others, and chicken on the rest. The pure insanity was awesome, as we tried to complete the meal for the 6 o’clock meal time. And you know what? We hit it right no. Exactly like Iron Chef. And it tasted yummy too!

Another time I volunteered at the Hands On Museum where I made bottle rockets out of film canisters, baking soda, and vinegar. Lots of little kids came over to try it out and everyone, all ages, loved it. Half the time the parents were the ones that would come over to see what we were doing. We’d try and see how high we could get the film canisters to shoot or how far in one direction they would go. And the cool part was that the kids could see some science in action. They could learn about chemical reactions and pressure in a fun and easy way to understand.

I’ve also worked with second graders at Angell Elementary on a couple of design challenges. With one group we made candy bridges out of gum drops and toothpicks and then tried to see whose could hold the most weight. The kids were able to learn about simple construction techniques such as triangles being the strongest shape for weight bearing. Also, they learned about the design process as they tried something, and then tried something else to see if it was more effective. And all the while they were playing with candy and having fun!!

Other projects that I’ve worked on have included activities at Nichol’s Arboretum and Matthei Botanical Gardens. They regularly need help maintaining their land. And I quickly learned that “cutting down shrubs” meant “cutting down trees.” They were definitely trees. But how many people can say they spent the morning sawing down a tree? And you get a lot of time to talk with people as you drag a tree around. Another fun project involved playing in dirt where we cleaned out one of the pools We pulled out all of the plants, removed the eroded sediment (lots of dirt hauling!) and then replaced the plants. We used wheelbarrows to bring the dirt in buckets to the big dumpster. The problem then became that I was short and the dumpster was kind of tall and the buckets were heavy. So I had to be very careful when lifting the bucket, because more than once I dropped the entire bucket in the dumpster and then one of us would have to jump inside the dumpster to get it out. It was great.

I didn’t do a ton of community service before I came to college, but since I’ve been here it’s become something I’ve been significantly involved in. It’s a break from the stress from school and I always have fun meeting new people. Plus, you always feel good afterward, knowing that you’ve been able to help others. There are millions of ways to volunteer around Ann Arbor, if you just look a little bit there’s something that you will have fun doing.

I searched on Google for recipes, settling on one that didn’t look too complicated but still had great reviews.  I ventured to the grocery store for the appropriate ingredients (my apartment wasn’t exactly well stocked since about the only thing I can cook is a quesadilla and macaroni and cheese).  Grocery shopping after 10pm is always fun and the lines are never long! 

Then comes the cooking.  Making the marinade involved mixing together maple syrup, soy sauce, and mustard in a bowl big enough for all 4 pounds of scallops to fit into.  I mixed it all together, cut the scallops in half, and left them to marinate.  After marinating, I wrapped the scallops in the bacon and cooked them in the oven.  They turned out to be yummmm!  One of my first forays into cooking was a success!  But now to the fun part: the actual potluck event!

I arrived at the potluck with my bacon dish to find a strong aroma of bacon and dessert.  What could possibly be a better meal?  Bacon, desserts, and friends all in the same place.  There were bacon wrapped dates which melted in my mouth.  Cheesy potatoes with bacon.  The bacon explosion, which was an insane combination of Italian sausage and bacon.  Rollups with bacon, steak, pickles, and onion.  And then for dessert there were cookies, crème puffs, German chocolate cake, carrot cake, mint chocolate cheesecake, a gigantic bowl of cocoa crispies and rice crispies layered, and finally the ultimate in this themed potluck: bacon flavored cheesecake.

Somebody had been daring enough to combine the theme, bacon and baked goods into one.  Instead of butter when making the cheesecake, he used bacon grease to give it bacon flavor.  I was hesitant to try it, I mean, bacon is not something I generally associate with cheesecake.  But it was surprisingly good.  It tasted like cheesecake, with this slight aftertaste of bacon.  Probably not something I would ever eat more than a bite of, but for this potluck, it was a winner.

I had never been to one of the themed Cooker’s events before, but I will definitely be going to all of them from now on.  Not only did I successfully cook something, but I also got to enjoy an amazing spread for dinner in the company of a great group of people.  These kind of events are perfect for bonding with your friends and at the same time, getting a tasty meal that keeps your stomach happy. 

Yes, that’s right, it is spring in Ann Arbor! Well, not really, but as soon as we start getting days above 50, I break out the flip flops and I don’t look back. I cannot wait for it to actually be warm! Until then, I will pretend it is.

There are, after all, many signs of spring in Ann Arbor. The first one: our annual spring football game! It’s Coach Rod’s first spring game tomorrow. In addition to the game, there will be locker room tours and an alumni flag football game. Getting to see the locker room and walk onto the field is an incredible opportunity for Michigan fans!

Other signs of spring: Goodness Day is coming up, campus is full of tour groups, and patio seating at restaurants is making it’s re-entry. More and more students can be found hanging around the Diag and other places of campus. It’s a wonderful life!

How do I stay updated on all the cool stuff happening in Ann Arbor? A variety of ways, but my most recent obsession: I joined Twitter! In case you have not heard of it - it is a service where you can broadcast your status in 140 characters or less and you can follow what others are doing. That did not sound appealing to me at all until Michigan coaches and varsity sports started Twitter pages! If Twitter is good enough for U of M Athletics, it is good enough for me! Search for MPowered Entrepreneurship, Solar Car, and the Michigan Wolverines! I also started a Twitter page for the Women in Engineering program! Grace and I will be updating it regularly with cool stuff we do around Ann Arbor so be sure to check it out and follow us if you are on Twitter!

That’s it for now! It’s kind of cold outside at the moment, but that won’t stop me from wandering out with my sunglasses and flip flops on! It is April after all.

Go Blue!

In the middle of April at the end of my second year here at the University of Michigan I was still jobless for the summer. I had a few interviews during the middle of the school year, but apparently, I just wasn’t a “fit”—whatever that means. Or as one company put it, “It’s like building a great baseball team. No matter how good the pitcher is that I meet, I already had a pitcher (and a back-up pitcher, and I need an outfielder).” And so, I was still on a search to find my “perfect fit.”

I also needed to find a research project for the following semester to complete for credit, so research for the summer seemed like the best option, especially since I wanted to pursue a PhD and I had no research experience. I talked to my advisor and she handed me a list of names from all of the different departments related to biomedical engineering, my major. And so, I started emailing. I sent emails to four very well-known professors on campus. That is, they are well-known to people who know them (most people on campus); I, on the other hand, had no idea who they were, minus some internet searching.

My emails were pretty standard “looking for a position… one day earn a PhD… biomechanics… blah, blah, blah.” My email to Dr. James Ashton-Miller, however, was much different. His research interested me so much that I went on to talk about how I did gymnastics for 14 years, that I volunteered in the hospital, etc. Of course, in the end, that email was much longer than the other ones I sent out. I will say, though, that Dr. Ashton-Miller was the first (and really the only) professor to respond. I think my enthusiasm for his research really shined through.

I started working for him within a couple weeks. He gave me a variety of projects from which to choose—all so interesting. I chose to work on a new project to help devise a technique to teach people to fall safely so that when people fall (especially the elderly), they don’t break their hip. This was my “perfect fit.” I was so excited because I would be able to apply my background in gymnastics and my experiences in coaching (and falling) to make a difference in the world. Dr. Ashton-Miller instructed me to read several different articles, to start patent-searching (because he needed to write a patent for his newest idea), and to start writing a proposal for the IRB (Institutional Review Board) so that we could perform experiments with people.

I don’t think many students can say that they have sewn a pocket onto a pair of spandex shorts and then had their professor wear these custom-created shorts—so that they could drop him on his hip! Yes, that’s right: I hooked my professor into a pulley system and then dropped him on his hip. This is all for the sake of research, of course.

I have gained so much more from my research position than just new research skills and knowledge: I’ve been able to connect with the graduate students in my lab. During the summer we even went to Cedar Point together (for those of you who don’t know, Cedar Point is a huge roller coaster park in Ohio). Additionally, we had to all work together to help Dr. Ashton-Miller organize the logistics for NACOB (North American Congress on Biomechanics), a joint biomechanics conference between Canada and the United States, in which the top researchers in the field, government officials, and students (831 registrants total) gather to share their research and network with each other.

For the conference, Dr. Ashton-Miller asked me to create a 9 foot poster to display all of the different biomechanics labs on the University of Michigan campus. It needed to be 9 feet long because that is how broad the research at our university is. For the poster, I researched all of the labs and wrote little blurbs about what they do. Some of those labs were the very labs of the professors I had emailed at the beginning of the summer. I realized that I had definitely lucked out in finding a job that I really enjoyed—and it was all because of a simple email. Things always work out for the best and you never know what you can have unless you try: those are some of the best lessons one can learn from an email

As I set up the projector and let my heart rate reach normal, I mused on how I had come to be a researcher. While others around me saw it coming, I was never very set on graduate school and pursuing a research career. And while I have become very excited about my current project and the chance to take complete ownership of my work, I am not sure about my future in research. Regardless of where I end up, and what I end up doing in the next chapter of my life, research at Michigan has been an invaluable part of my education.

I first pursued research at Michigan through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), which “consists of first and second year UM undergraduate students collaborating with UM faculty and research scientists on projects that run the entire academic year, September through April.  I was originally interested in Biomedical Engineering and I choose a project on polymer scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. It seemed interesting enough and allowed me to work about 8-12 hours per week, which was great because I got work-study pay (which, putting myself through school my first two years, was much needed funds).

My first day of research involved making polymer scaffolds using sugar balls, melted polymer goo, a number of chemicals I never heard of, and a finicky vacuum chamber. It turned out to be a 7-hour process, taking up an entire Saturday. It might have been more enjoyable had I not had mono at the time, but I felt like crap and I didn’t fully understand what I was doing and why I was doing it. The rest of the semester proved to be similar, except for the being sick part. The graduate student I worked with, coming directly from China, was hard to communicate with, and though he made an honest effort the language barrier and my lack of knowledge in the subject of biomaterials and polymers did prohibit it from being wholly enjoyable experience. Yet, by the end of the year I had learned a lot, and I felt a great deal of accomplishment at having contributed to a new technology that might help many people in the future.

I hadn’t given up on research but I did want to work for a different research group. I was excited by the biomedical research happening in Prof. Martin’s group, and though I couldn’t initially work on that, another one of his graduate students, Jihua Chen, was working on thin film organic transistors, and I decided to work with him. I learned loads and my work got published in the paper, “The influence of side chains on the structures and properties of functionalized pentacenes.”

The next semester I was still in the Martin Research Group but the project involved coating conducing polymers on implantable neural electrodes. My study showed the relationship between protein adsorption, contact angle, and functionalized polymers. I tried to get funding to continue the research over the summer, but failed. Instead, I found a funded project on thin film block copolymers with embedded nanoparticles with the Green Research Group. The research could be used for applications in the electronics industry. I loved the group and I learned to use many types of characterization equipment, such as the Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, Focused Ion Beam, Atomic Force Microscope and others. I even learned how to make gold nanoparticles (which, in solution are red to deep purple, not gold colored at all). My research in the Green Group continued for some time, but I came to realize that my passion was not in such fundamental science. I like knowing more of what the research is used to do, rather than vague ideas of how the research might be utilized someday.

But, any research experience is invaluable experience to have. After becoming quite proficient is the use of the SEM, I got a job as an intern conducting failure analysis on solid oxide fuel cells. Having worked on polymers and biomaterials, I got to learn about ceramics, metals and solid-state semiconductors. I also got to spend random blocks of time (8am-noon, 10pm-2am) in front of the SEM with my laboriously prepared and polished samples. I loved the company I worked for, called Adaptive Materials Inc. I not only helped them understand issues and limitations in their current cells, but also initiated experiments to better understand the problems and find solutions. Additionally, I developed excellent presentation skills, learned about R&D in industry, about start-up companies and entrepreneurship, and formed good relationships with some great people.

Well, after all this research, I headed into my senior year at Michigan and decided not to do any research for a while. I’d had enough! My friends were looking into getting Master’s degrees outside Materials Science, in subjects like business and industrial operations engineering. My classmates got jobs with consulting companies, while others just went straight into typical engineering jobs. I only knew 2 or 3 people thinking about pursuing graduate degrees in MatScie, and most of them only planned on a one-year coursework masters. So I, finishing a semester early (3 ½ years undergrad, woohoo), decided I could possibly handle one more year to get a masters.

Well, that changed. I was given the opportunity to get a fully funded research masters, working on casting issues of single-crystal, nickel-based superalloys. Awesome. Apparently fate decided that I needed research experience in all subsets of materials (polymers, biomaterials, ceramics, electronic/semiconductive materials, nanomaterials, AND Metals). But, I promised myself, I would finish in a year and a half.

Well, that changed. Eight months into the project I was offered the chance to work on another project that would round out my masters thesis and allow me to get a PhD. At that point, I loved my project, I loved my research group, and I loved being a graduate student and was happy to stay. And I also love Michigan, and might never leave.

I’ve learned a number of lessons in all this research. I know that lab work isn’t for everyone, but I found that a certain type of research, or research environment, might be a good fit. Had I stopped after one experience I wouldn’t be where I am, making progress on materials development and doing work that has a real world impact. I’ve learned about many subjects and deepened my appreciation for the blood, sweat and tears that go into advanced technology. For myself, I have a confidence in my problem solving skills, my intelligence, creativity, and ability to positively impact our world. I didn’t enjoy every second of research, and in fact loathed many parts of it. Yet finally being at a place to see it all come together does make it worth it, and does really open many doors for my future. So, try research. Find your passion. Find a group that lets you grow and develop your strengths. Research might surprise you. Let it.

]]> http://wise.web.itd.umich.edu/?feed=rss2&p=181 http://wise.web.itd.umich.edu/?p=178 http://wise.web.itd.umich.edu/?p=178#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:21:00 +0000 eileen http://wise.web.itd.umich.edu/?p=178 I attended the Society of Women Engineers officers’ retreat this past weekend. It was a crazy weekend loaded with plenty of activities.

Saturday began with a treacherous snow storm, as if our trip could be more challenging. After arrival, we started off with a simple, friendly, and pressure-free ice breaker game, designed to get to know each other better. Few rounds later, the goal was clear to see how open we can be to the new colleagues. Everything was about community building, and the directors really tried hard to tie us together.

Then, after pleasant dinner time, the work began. Two lectures back to back on the introduction and history development of the Society of Women Engineers, and Officer How to 101. We learned a good deal about how to be a responsible and respectable officer, including phone etiquette and the secretarial duties. In addition, everyone strives to achieve the vision in SWE, which is to be a supportive community to women in STEM fields. Sounds like a world-saving plan to me. Later, there was the committee meeting in which we keep challenging ourselves for more innovative ideas and improvements. I am profoundly grateful that I am able to participate in this intellectual process while being part of a welcoming and industrious community.

A few hours and too many notes to take later, it was the “play” time; and what’s a better way to spend pass time than to play Mafia? Our mind was being tested and tortured just within two breath-taking rounds. The death scenes were all over campus, twitching body in Lurie fountain, black hair under an unusually big pile of books, tipped over rowing boat in Huron River, and body on the diag. Our story teller made every scenario so vivid and graphic that it was hard for us not to be intrigued. Finally, the victory of Mafia concluded the long night.

If I were to make a conclusion, it shouldn’t be how bad mid-night snacking is. Rather, in addition to all the essential skills that I should inquire as a SWE officer, I somewhat get a hang of the balance between work and play. When it comes to work, how much play time should one have that is reasonably proportional to the amount of work done? This has been a good experience, since I feel that the knowledge I gain can be used for many realistic applications. Therefore, cheers to a new year with a SWEet beginning.

Course Schedule:

9/2

First day of class, meet with my group to discuss project outline and teammate expectations. Apparently, my group has a program geek and a party go-er.

9/11

My first effort of Matlab, a computer program, with Victors as raw material. Assignment of the day: turn the tune of Victors into a bunch of foreign-looking computer signals. State of mind: Terribly confused.

9/16

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Perfect Score on our first Technical Communication report. We have to write a brief, informal report on our findings on the first lab. A pleasant surprise indeed.

10/4

A few days into the class, I realize that there are only four girls in the entire class, which is around 35 people. Four!

10/18

Although no prior music knowledge is required for the class, we are converting music signals into music staff notation in one of the labs. Ever heard of the staff notation? Last time I saw those active dots, Miley Cyrus was probably still a baby.

10/31

There is always a first for everything. Our first project is to create an on-screen keyboard using graphical user interface, and assign corresponding frequencies to the keys. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense to you, because it didn’t make sense to me when I did it.

11/2

Note of the day: if you don’t keep up with the class, especially programming, the class just becomes confusing. Thankfully, the program guy in my group expresses interests in individual programming, and I think it’s a great opportunity for him to take over.

11/30

Time flies. The leaves on the trees all fall off, and our final project is coming together nicely. It is a combination of everything that we have learned in the class so far, obviously. The process is stimulating, yet stressful. The program guy does basically all the programming for the project, so the rest of us decide to make some contributions and finish the final report for the project.

12/7

The first big snow storm marks the end of the semester. The project is very well done; in fact, it exceeds the project requirements by far. We proudly present our project to the rest of the class and enjoy the clamors. Feels good to finish the course and accomplish something truly extraordinary.

Course evaluation:

I survive the freshman engineering class that focuses largely on the importance of teamwork, which is a huge factor in the American engineering system. As one can tell, I have many flaws in working with people, and I am definitely aware of it. However, despite a grade that I hope would have been better, I learn a lot. I learn to work with different people with different backgrounds and knowledge; even though sometimes the tasks aren’t evenly distributed, and there are constant disputes, we still manage to accomplish assignments. Additionally, communication is important in working with a team, because there are gives and takes when implementing ideas in the projects. But lastly, I enjoy the process, and that’s how I get the most out of it!

In my first engineering class here at U of M, the class was divided into groups of 4 or 5 people to do a research project. This was probably the least successful group I’ve ever been in. Everyone in the group had different expectations for the project, we had too many leaders, and we didn’t communicate to the level we needed to. We were all freshmen, and hadn’t yet realized the difference between group work in high school and college. I can definitely say that I have learned many things about working in groups since then.

Two teams that I have been in since that were very successful had one main approach in common. Both of those groups split up work by specialty. One of these groups was in a lab class I took. I had more experience in lab settings than my group mates, so I oversaw the test run in class and made sure they were carried out correctly. One of my group mates was a fantastic editor and the other was good at managing people. When it came time to write our lab reports, I did the data heavy sections while another group mate did the other sections (and played a project manager role). The editor of the group put our sections together to make one cohesive report. It felt weird not being involved in every portion, since when I was done with my part I sent it off and had little to do with the final paper. This is a different approach (and by all means does not work for every group situation)than what I used to do in high school projects, but if everyone is competent, I’ve learned that there is really no reason that I need to be involved in every task.

At my internship last summer I saw very similar practices in use. When I was altering the design of a product, the final version needed to be in a fancy version of a CAD-like program that I didn’t know. It would have taken hours for me to learn enough to make the drawings perfect. When I was at the final drawing stage, I sat down with the 3D-modeling specialist and he whipped it up in 15 minutes. This is a very simple example, but you get the point.

I’m not sure if I had a point to conclude with…teamwork is really important in engineering, and you have plenty of opportunities to master this in school. Teamwork has become much more important in research and industry settings, and the stereotypical anti-social engineer is becoming less common.

The office consisted of people from all around the world with an amazing assortment of unique experiences. Even though the section I worked in was primarily devoted to the technological development phase in the company’s affairs, everyone had different interests, skills, and dreams. The way that all of the employees there were able to depend on one another and combine their talents into a single, cohesive unit was absolutely incredible. I had a tremendous amount of respect their ability to work together as a group.

My team of six interns was split into two groups: a group of two and a group of four. Unfortunately, part of the reason for this division was due to desk space limitations. Two of my teammates were located on the other side of the building. The remaining four of us were situated in the “uber cube.” The separation coincided nicely with how our work was divided up. Each subgroup had a specific component of the final project to work on. Thankfully, the advanced technology we had at our disposal made it easy for all of us to communicate with one another throughout the day.

My teammates were great about constantly offering to help each other with any work they were struggling with. We were in this project as a team, and as a result, we didn’t succeed unless everyone on the team succeeded. We punched in a lot of overtime and spent countless hours stressed over the tiniest of details, but in the end, we were able to produce a product that every single one of us was proud of. The other employees in the office commended us for a job well done; our assignment had been regarded as being particularly time intensive and intricate, especially for a team of college interns that only had three months to wrap up everything.

The friendships I made and the networks I became a part of are ones that I hope to maintain for a lifetime. The people in that office were my family for an entire summer and they taught me more about the work world than I ever could have dreamed. This past October I went to Toronto to visit three of my teammates. It was really amazing getting to see them again and I guarantee that it won’t be the last time that our paths cross. As much as I’m going to miss Boulder and the people that I met there, I can’t wait to see what new experiences await me in California.