The Engineering Experience

It’s that time of year where we take a moment to reflect what we’re thankful for.  Women in engineering at Purdue created a list of some of the reasons why we’re thankful for Purdue. Helpful professors Many professors show a genuine interest in teaching and helping students. They care that you understand the concepts and not just that you can pass the class.  Help rooms Some courses have help rooms, which give you a place to work with other students on homework and get help from TAs when it’s needed. Office hours and review sessions They’re hosted by TAs and professors and they give you an opportunity to ask questions and enhance your understanding of class material. Office hours also give you a chance to get to know the people who are teaching you.   Professional opportunities I am thankful to go to a school that offers a lot of opportunities to find summer internships and jobs after graduation through a mu...

Professor Wible Starting college can be a difficult time. You’re in a new environment away from your family and close friends, and it can take time to find new friends and establish new routines. Additionally, while the number of women entering the STEM fields has increased, only 27% of the first-year engineering discipline are women. This number has been growing over the years, but it is still a relatively small number. Fortunately, promoting and celebrating diversity in the classroom is a goal of many Purdue engineering professors. One first-year engineering professor who teaches with this goal in mind is Professor Wible. She is the instructor for two first-year engineering courses: Transforming Ideas to Innovation I and II (ENGR 131 and ENGR 132). Throughout her time at Purdue, she has consistently worked to make sure all her students feel included and that they have a voice in her classroom. In the eyes of Professor Wible, diversity is a celebration of the different type...

Purdue has so many opportunities to study abroad! There are over 200 programs to more than 45 countries. The programs can be departmental, exchange, or co-sponsored and are offered during the semester, fall break, spring break, Maymester, and the summer. Although some of these programs have a language requirement, many departmental programs do not. Every year, Purdue has a large study abroad fair for students to attend and learn about the many different programs offered through Purdue. Additionally, there are advisors in the study abroad office to help you plan out your study abroad experience and an online program search with filters. This past summer I studied abroad in Italy as a part of the Honors College Study Away 4-week Maymester. The program consisted of two courses: the first focused on Da Vinci and the Renaissance and the second examined the art of travel. These two courses counted towards my civil engineering degree as two general electives. Monday through Frida...

Summers are an awesome time to try new experiences and progress your degree forward! Whether that is studying abroad, doing research, taking some classes, or completing an internship, it is the perfect amount of time to do something new. This past summer I had the opportunity to check two of those things off my list – I spent the first two weeks studying abroad in Sweden and spent the next 11 weeks at an internship with a pharmaceutical company! Taken from a bridge overlooking Stockholm! Going to Sweden for two weeks was eye-opening. Not only was I able to experience a completely different culture than back here in the U.S., my program specifically dealt with topics regarding environmental sustainability. Throughout my time, I had the chance to tour a wastewater treatment plant, a waste-to-energy plant, a paperboard company, Parliament, an iron ore mine, the Ice Hotel and even spent an evening with reindeer! Through all of my experiences, I was able to understand...