The Engineering Experience

Purdue students at a Black Lives Matter March     On March 13th 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year old Black woman and emergency medical technician from Louisville, was shot five times and killed by police officers in her own home. On October 9th 2020, I attended a socially-distanced candlelight vigil for the late Breonna Taylor, organized by the Black Students Union. Students came from all corners of campus to gather outside of Class of 1950 and honor the memory of Breonna Taylor. Brave Black men and women stood at the center of the crowd to speak, sing, and recite poems. Every single word they delivered echoed their passion for attaining justice for Breonna Taylor as well as their sympathy for the hardships the Black community, especially Black women and transgender women, face in this country everyday. Finally, they handed out candles to the crowd and we had a moment of silence for Breonna Taylor.        This event was incredibly moving, well orga...

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...