Outreach at COSI

As part of my experience in the STEM EE Scholars program, I was given multiple options to participate in an outreach program, which would involve providing an STEM-related educational experience to children of various ages. The purpose of STEM outreach is to provide the children of our community with fun and enriching ways to learn about different science fields and inspire them to continue learning about them. After considering some of the volunteer opportunities, such as assisting teachers during their classes or creating demonstrations and projects, I decided to volunteer at COSI (Center of Science and Industry), a science museum in Columbus, Ohio.

When COSI was mentioned as being one of the outreach opportunities, I instantly thought of my own experiences with the science museum as a kid. For example, when COSI employees visited my elementary school, bringing with them dozens of activities which created long lines of restless children, impatient to try everything. Or when I my family actually went to COSI where I was intrigued by all of the hands-on activities and displays, amazed that everything somehow related to science. Looking through all of my outreach opportunities, COSI is the one that stuck out to me, and I knew I wanted to give children the same experiences that I had.

During the two Sunday mornings I spent volunteering at COSI in autumn semester of 2016, the STEM EE scholars and I were given the responsibility of performing three demonstrations and explaining them to the children and their families visiting COSI. It was a lot of fun seeing both the children’s and their parents’ curiosity transform into understanding as they learned something new. Even the younger kids who didn’t understand the demonstrations were still able to have a lot of fun with trying something new. I feel that I have gained a lot from volunteering at COSI and I look forward to going back next semester.

 

STEM EE Interviews

For an assignment in the STEM EE Scholars course, the students were required to interview an upperclassman, a graduate student, and a professor. Talking to a variety of people at OSU is extremely helpful in guiding freshmen through not only the first year but also the years to come. I decided to interview underclassman, Taylor Brentin, graduate TA, Connor Majstorovic, and professor, Lauren Corrigan.

Being an engineering, undeclared major, I chose to interview people who are associated with the field of engineering so that I could gain a better understanding of engineering majors. Through the Academic Path Peer directory, I found out that Taylor Brentin entered her first year as an engineering, undeclared major like myself so I thought it would be helpful to ask her questions about how she was able to choose her major. Because Connor Majstorovic is the GTA for my Engineering 1181 class, I knew she would be able to give me good advice about how to be successful in that class and others. After hearing some of Lauren Corrigan’s advice at a STEM EE event, I wanted to ask her more questions about how to be a successful engineering student and to gain some information about civil and environmental engineerin

My underclassman interview with Taylor Brentin was very helpful because I was able to gain important information about how to go about choosing a major, how to study, ways to get involved on campus, and how to get an internship. Because Taylor entered her freshman year as an engineering, undeclared major like myself, she was able to give me good advice by telling me about her experiences. I learned that a good way to see if I am interested in a major is to research which courses are required for that major. Taylor also told me about civil engineering since I may consider choosing it as may major. The civil engineering classes she described to me sounded very interesting which motivated me to research more about civil engineering and talk to more people about it. Regarding study tips, Taylor told me that it is helpful to study with other people, go to office hours, or find a quiet place to study alone. She also mentioned that a good way to study for science and math classes is to do a lot of practice problems. Besides majors and classes, I also wanted to know what kinds of opportunities are available outside of the classroom. Taylor suggested joining the clubs Women in Engineering (WiE) and the Society for Women in Engineering (SWE) as they are both good ways to meet other women engineers and find opportunities to network with companies. She also mentioned her friend who participated in Concrete Canoe and talked about how potential employers like to see students who participate in projects since doing a project requires team-work, collaboration, and creativity. I also asked Taylor about internships and how to get involved in one. She said that she was an intern at the City of Columbus which she found through the Engineering Career Services. Talking to a student who was in my position a few years ago was very helpful and I will use her advice to help me be successful during my first year and in the future.

My interview with the graduate TA, Connor Majstorovic helped me learn more about being a successful undergraduate and how to prepare for grad school. Connor told me about how she decided on her Biomedical Engineering major because of her desire to be in the medical field and interest in engineering. She also gave me some advice about being successful in classes including keeping up with weekly homework and quizzes, getting help from professors, and always making sure to fully understand what you are learning as opposed to doing just enough to pass. She also mentioned that she wishes she had gone to more office hours which is something I hear a lot from older students and will keep that in mind. She also gave me advice about getting involved in undergraduate research. She recommends reaching out to people by using resources online or in person to find a professor involved in an area of interest. After learning about Connor’s undergraduate experiences, I asked her about being a grad student. She decided to go to grad school to help her on her career path to research and medical development. She prepared for grad school by doing internships, maintaining a good GPA, and forming relationships with professors. Connor’s information and advice gave me a better picture of what I should be doing now and what I can do in the future to be successful.

My interview with Lauren Corrigan, a professor in the Department of Engineering Education really helped me get a better idea about what it is like to be a civil and environmental engineer, gain a better understanding about research and internships, and how to get involved on campus. In order to help me better understand some of the different engineering majors, Lauren explained that while civil engineering is more about physically building structures, environmental engineering is more about conducting scientific research. Also, I had been hearing a lot about the importance of research and internships and wanted to know if one was better than the other. Lauren explained that research is helpful for someone who wants to stay in academia and continue to grad school while internships are better for someone who wants to work in an industry. Based on my goals, this helped me decide that I would like to focus on getting internships. I also asked Lauren if she is involved in any organizations on campus. Lauren explained that she is involved in Underwater Robotics and recommends that engineering students get involved in similar organizations that involve working on projects since they stand out on resumes and are good things to talk about during interviews. Because I was able to gain a lot of helpful information and specific answers to my questions, I now know that professors are great resources for finding information and getting advice.

In addition to interviewing a professor, I was required to read two scholarly articles written by the professor I interviewed. Because I had decided to interview Lauren Corrigan shortly after being assigned the interview assignment, I quickly found an article written by her on her page on the OSU website. However, since I was only able to find one article by Lauren, I researched other professors to find a second article. In order to find a second article, I used Scopus, a search engine through OSU’s library website, and searched for articles under Civil and Environmental Engineering since I wanted to learn more about those fields. I found that reading Lauren Corrigan’s article, Inverting the Classroom: Balancing Individual Instructional Styles and Course Standardization, was not too difficult to comprehend since it focused heavily on various approaches to teaching the OSU course, Engineering 1181 (The Fundamentals of Engineering I), which I am currently enrolled in. I think that this article can be advantageous because it covers various methods for teaching engineering to students new to the field and how the students performed under different circumstances. My second article, Incorporating a Sustainability Module into First-Year Courses for Civil and Environmental Engineering Students, by Angela Bielefeldt, was more difficult for me to understand because it discussed courses for not just first-year engineers, but more specifically, first-year civil and environmental engineers, which is beyond what I have learned so far. However, I think this article can be advantageous because, like my first article, it explains teaching methods for first-year engineering students.

In conclusion, my interviews with an underclassman, graduate student, and professor were extremely helpful in gaining valuable information and advice about how to start of strong in my first year as an undergraduate student and prepare my future goals. By talking to three different people in three different positions at OSU and in their educations, I was able to gain a better understanding of what it is like to be a student at OSU and what it will be like after graduating. I am very happy that I had the opportunity to speak with these three people and will use their advice every day as I prepare for and make decisions about my future.

Works Cited

Bielefeldt, Angela R. “This Is the 360 Link Sidebar Helper Frame – Use This to Find Other Links to This Content or Links to Additional Library Resources.”Find It @OSU. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Kecskemety, K.M., Corrigan, L.N., and Abrams, L.M., (2015). Inverting the Classroom: Balancing Individual Instructional Styles and Course Standardization. Paper presented at the 7th First Year Engineering Experience Conference, Roanoke, VA.

Statement of Intent Essay

I am currently a pre-engineering, undeclared major. I am a high school graduate and am at the beginning of my first year as an undergraduate student and have sufficient skills in a variety of subjects such as Calculus, Physics, and English which will be helpful in furthering my education in order to apply to be an engineering major in the field I would like to pursue. In order to accomplish this, I will learn about specific types of engineering and what it takes to be to be an engineer in general. Once I reach my goal of choosing a specific major, I will create a new goal concerning the kind of career path I would like to pursue.

About Me

FullSizeRender  My name is Kailey Freireich and I am a first-year starting as a pre-engineering, undeclared major from Solon, Ohio. I grew up living with my parents and younger sister. Because I had attended the same school district my entire life with the same people, I knew going to OSU in a completely different place with new people would be a challenge. However, I know this new experience will help me to “put myself out there” and broaden my knowledge and experiences to help me prepare for future challenges.

Throughout my high school education, I completed a number of honors and AP courses in both the math and science areas which led me to consider science-related majors. Up until high school, I had never really considered what I wanted to major in had been planning on entering college as an undeclared major. However, after considering a number of majors mid-way through my senior year of high school, I decided on engineering, despite not knowing the specific type of engineering I would like to pursue. Shortly after choosing engineering as my major, I decided to attend OSU, knowing that there, I would be able to gain a great education and plenty of experiences.

During the college-application process, I decided to become a STEM EE Scholar in order to participate in STEM-related activities and services with people who share similar interests. I also wanted to become a STEM EE Scholar in order to explore different types of engineering and career opportunities which would help me choose a path for the future. I am looking forward to attending STEM events, participate in volunteer work, and get to know other STEM students.

I am interested in STEM fields because science, technology, engineering, and math are all used to make significant changes which helped improve lives and society. My interest has gradually developed as I witnessed the use of STEM to create and enhance iPhones, transportation, environmental preservation, space exploration, and so many other achievements that create our society. I believe that with STEM fields, there are no limits and no end to its growth which is why I would love to contribute to new ideas and innovation.

 

Welcome to my Honors & Scholars e-Portfolio

My name is Kailey Freireich and welcome to my e-Portfolio! The purpose of my e-Portfolio is for students, teachers, and potential employers to get to know me by viewing my posts about my skills, achievements, goals, and experiences. Throughout the next few years, I will continue to add to and update my e-Portfolio to show my progress. As of now, my e-Portfolio consists of my background, how and why I chose my major and Scholars Program, and some of my future goals.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]