First Year Spring Project Conclusion

Piano Video

For this project, I learned the song “When The Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish without using sheet music. This project was a good way to practice managing tasks outside of schoolwork. It also pushed my music abilities and strengthened them. At first, I was frustrated by the process of trying to learn the song by listening to the music, but eventually, it started to get easier. I found myself hearing the song differently, after compartmentalizing sections that repeat. A greater appreciation for the song resulted because I realized the work and thought that went to each note to give the unique sound that the song has. On campus in the fall I rarely played the piano, but this project gave me an excuse to play more often. Playing the piano relieves my stress, so while I was working on this project, I was enjoying the process. I struggled with the bridge of the song, so I consulted my old piano teacher for guidance. Her input helped me develop the song into the finished piece. I am happy with how the song turned out and I enjoyed that this project gave me a reason to acquire a new skill that I have been wanting to learn for a while. One thing I would do differently is to develop a schedule. The pandemic allowed me to have more time to practice at home, however, I was not practicing as much as I should have while I was at school. If I planned out a schedule to complete the 10 hours, I may have completed this project more efficiently. Therefore for the capstone project next year I will make an organized plan to follow so that I am ready by the end date.

Spring Project

For my spring project, I will be learning the song “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish on the piano. I will be contacting my former piano teacher for input and advice. There is a baby grand piano on the second floor of my dorm which I will use to learn the song. I will attempt to learn the song by listening to piano versions, rather than utilizing sheet music. This is a skill that I have not practiced much and would like to strengthen. In piano lessons, I typically learned classical music, so this music style is also out of my comfort zone.

Campus Resource Post

For the campus resource assignment, I was not aware of all of the resources mentioned in the assignment, but I knew that I would like to go to the Office of International affairs. Education abroad is something that I have wanted to be a part of my undergraduate experience for several years. One of my sisters spent a semester in Vienna, Austria and one other spent a summer in Rome, Italy. After hearing about their experiences, I have wanted to study abroad as well. A minor in German is also something that I have been considering, and studying abroad in a German-speaking country would be a great way for me to get the credit needed for the minor as well as to practice using the language in the real world. I attended an education abroad getting started session at the Office of International Affairs. To do so, I simply showed up to one of the bi-weekly sessions and signed in. I think studying abroad would be an amazing experience that would broaden my horizons by immersing myself in a culture that is different than the one I live in. This would enhance my Ohio State experience. It would also be a great way to share experiences with new people from OSU and other places from around the world. I learned a lot at this session. I was not aware that some education abroad programs do not guarantee that other Ohio State students will be there. This would be intimidating, but also exciting because I would be able to meet a lot of people with different experiences than my own. At this session, I was introduced to the study abroad search tool. This tool is very helpful because you can customize the type of education abroad experience you are looking for, and see what programs are available based on your preferences. The presenter also mentioned that scholarship applications are often due before the applications for the education abroad programs themselves, which I found to be very helpful information because I could see how many people would miss scholarship deadlines. She also mentioned the importance of having a powerful personal statement established for the application process, which is something that I would ensure to work on in advance of applications. Going into this experience I was not expecting to learn as much as I did about education abroad and I am happy that I went. As an engineering major, I understand that studying abroad for a semester is difficult, so I went into this session hoping to learn about summer and winter programs. The session covered all the different types of programs that the Office of International affairs offers which I found very helpful. Some ways that this service could improve would be to provide more examples of the trips that are offered to students. The presenter briefly mentioned the countries that she studied abroad in, but she did not elaborate on her experience at all. I think that it would encourage more students to engage in education abroad if individuals who studied abroad through the Office of International Affairs shared their personal experiences in this session.   

Diversity

 

I attended a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) “Chop Shop Social.” At this event, there was free food provided in a closed-off section in the Chop Shop restaurant for club members. This event was my favorite because it was my first SWE event that I attended and I immediately felt better about being a minority in engineering. I had the opportunity to sit at a small table with the president of SWE and she was very friendly and happy to answer my questions about different courses and the process of applying to engineering majors. After everyone ate we got to ask questions as a group and had a casual group discussion about different topics brought up by the group leaders and members. I appreciated that the group members were incorporated into this event because it was helpful for me to have my specific concerns addressed, as well as to see that other members have similar concerns to my own. My decision to attend this event stemmed from being a part of the club SWE. My older sister is an engineer and leads a similar club at her university and through her, I have seen the opportunities that have aroused from networking with women in engineering. Also, I am aware that as an engineer I am in a predominantly male program. This is evident to me in my fundamentals of engineering course, which has a large difference in the amount of girl and boy students. I am happy that I joined SWE because it has shown me that there is a community of women who are in similar positions to myself who support one another in the field of engineering. One thing that I appreciated about this event was that when speaking with the president of SWE about engineering, she did not focus on comparing a woman’s situation to a man’s in engineering, but instead talked about specific resources and supports that are available to help me be as successful as I can be. Being in an environment that showed the strengths of being a woman engineer rather than focusing on the drawbacks was greatly supportive for me since I have worries about the engineering curriculum. I think that diversity and inclusion are very present on campus and especially in STEM. The Ohio State University has an extremely large community that contains students and faculty with different backgrounds from around the world. I think that the diversity of the community at The Ohio State strengthens it by compiling different experiences and knowledge that can be spread and shared to enrich others. I have personally experienced this when working with my engineering group for my fundamentals of engineering course. Working with a team has shown me different ways that people approach and solve problems based on their backgrounds, and I have found that I have been introduced to problem-solving methods that I may not have come across on my own. However, I am aware that The Ohio State University is not technically a diverse university by racial standpoints. I think that if the campus were to become more diverse racially it would enhance the idea I discussed earlier, by bringing more people from different backgrounds together to share their experiences. The environment of this event was very friendly when leaders of SWE were answering questions and discussing topics about women in engineering it was all discussed in a positive manner. Since everyone at this event was a female engineering major, I do not think that the leaders were afraid to offend anyone.

Academic Support

I went to the MSLC (Mathematics & Statistics Learning Center) several times during the week before my first midterm for Calculus I. I was nervous upon entering the tutoring center since it was my first time utilizing academic support at the Ohio State University, however, upon entering the tutoring room I felt immediately at ease. The room was full of people that I recognized and people that I had never seen before and I realized that there is no shame in needing help with academics. I am thankful that I went to the MSLC before my exam because a tutor explained a topic to me that was review from high school that I had not been taught before, and it ended up being necessary for success on my exam. My process of seeking help consisted of me asking tutors for help with practice problems. Rather than giving me the answers, the tutors guided me to the correct process until I eventually found the correct answer. I appreciated the tutors investment in each question that I had, because it allowed me to understand and learn the concepts I was struggling with, rather than just having answer to a single problem. This allowed me to apply these concepts on future problems even if they were formatted in different ways. After my experience at the MSLC, I decided that I will return there in the future before exams and when I am struggling with topics in my math courses. Based on my personal experience, I would make the claim that tutoring correlates to student success. After attending the MSLC my scores on practice Calculus I midterms improved drastically, and I ended up receiving a score that I was happy with. I measure student success as improvement rather than based on high scores. Therefore, tutoring in my opinion does provide students with the opportunity to become successful by helping students learn and understand topics that they are confused with. I think that I would enjoy tutoring other people, because I believe it would be rewarding to be able to help people understand concepts that they are struggling with. One hesitation that I would have with becoming a tutor is that I would be concerned with my ability to answer all questions that students have. Sometimes I have questions about concepts in math that are not essential for solving problems, but rather improve my understanding, and I’m not sure if would be able to answer similar questions for confused students. If I were to tutor a subject, I believe that I would be the best at tutoring Calculus I. I took this course my senior year of high school and I am enrolled in it currently as well. Calculus I was not a subject that I struggled with in high school and since this year is a review of concepts I have seen before; I do not find it too difficult now. A friend of mine is in business calculus which covers similar topics and I often help her understand concepts that she struggles with. After my experience with helping my friend I feel confident that I could tutor other students on the same topics.  

 

 

Seminar

Going to a Campus STEM seminar was an interesting experience for me. I attended the “Physical Chem Seminar: “’Exploring the catalytic mechanism of Phenylalanine Hydroxylase with EPR Spectroscopy.’” I went alone and felt nervous walking in at first due to my uncertainty of what I was about to encounter. I was one of the first people in there and as people filled in the chairs around me, I immediately felt as though I did not fit into the audience. Everyone appeared to be older than me, which I gathered from people asking about other children along with their outward appearances. I also noticed that the majority of people who attended seemed to know several people in the room which made me curious about the reason that everyone else in the lecture hall attended this seminar. Was this a requirement for them too, or do they share common interests? I was also curious if I stood out to them. Did I look like I had initiative, or did it look like I was in the wrong room and had not realized it yet? Once the seminar began, I liked the presenter immediately. He was humorous and engaging through utilizing fluctuation in his inflection. When he began discussing his content however, I was unable to decipher what he was presenting. He discussed Phenylaline Hydroxalaes, which are enzymes that regulate the number of amino acids in the liver. He went through his research that he conducts at Michigan State and I was unable to grasp the topics that he was covering. After recognizing my confusion, I became even more intrigued by my fellow audience members. I wanted to know if others were just as lost as I was, or if they have received several years of higher education which made this presentation easily understandable to them. After the presentation was over, there was time for questions, and my questions about the audience were quickly answered. Several people asked very complex questions that not only discussed what the presenter mentioned but also expressed curiosity for what results would occur if different methods or amino acids were used in his experimentation. The question and answer section of the seminar made me realize the amount of knowledge that the majority of the audience, as well as the presenter, had on the topics discussed, and it made me feel inspired to learn as much as I can so that one day I could understand a complicated seminar like the one that confused me so much at this point in my academic career. This seminar was similar to what I expected research to be like in the STEM field, however, I expected to understand more of the information that was being presented than I did. Due to my lack of understanding, I do not feel as though I learned anything from this seminar. However, it did make me self-aware of where I am currently in my academic career and the possibility of how much more I can grow academically became evident to me.

Student Organizations

Last Thursday I attended the Biomedical Engineering Society meeting. This club sparked my interest at the student involvement fair because I thought it would be very beneficial to me as a pre-biomedical engineering major. I feel certain that I want to pursue biomedical engineering, however, I thought this club would help me solidify my plan by providing advice and insight on the major and career. I went alone to this meeting and was nervous at first, however, we were put into “families” and I instantly met three people who all had similar interests as me. With our families, we participated in three competitions including engineering a marshmallow tower and using teamwork to keep balloons from hitting the ground. It was a very fun experience and I got to learn more about the club and the fun plans that are set for this semester. Since this club is only once every two weeks, I am not concerned with the club becoming a conflict. I plan to get my homework done during my breaks throughout the day so that I will be able to attend meetings in the future. The leaders of this club initially were introduced to me during my survey class a week before this meeting. Their exciting attitudes towards the club and the events that they described made me immediately want to join the club. At the meeting, the leaders carried the same energy as in my survey class and made the environment fun and comfortable right off the bat. Their use of making small families for the semester bonded the group right away and I now feel excited to go to the next meeting due to the way they planned and carried out the meeting. Due to the fun attitudes of the leaders, I could see myself enjoying a position as a leader in the upcoming years. I would like the opportunity to help show students about biomedical engineering in order to help them with their plans, just as I hope this organization will do for me. I am attending a Society of Women in Engineering this upcoming Thursday, as well as play in my first intramural soccer game right afterward. Two weeks ago, my team participated in a practice game. I had a great time meeting my teammates and a hard time getting used to playing soccer with very fast boys. This game made me excited for the season because I miss participating in sports as I have my whole life and now I no longer have to miss it. I don’t feel the need to create a new club because there are more than enough student organizations that I find interesting; I wish I had more time so that I could attend more student organizations. I admittedly felt overwhelmed at the student involvement fair due to the hundreds of tables that covered the oval with different clubs. After walking around, I realized that I am grateful to go to such a big school due to the endless opportunities that it provides me I believe that anyone at could find a student organization that is interesting to them, and this is a unique attribute that only large universities can provide. 

About Me

Hi! I am Hannah Mullany, I was born in Munich, Germany and grew up in Chicago. Germany has been important to my family since we’ve lived there. We have returned to see our old home and I am grateful to have grown up learning about the German culture and meeting people with different backgrounds from me. I took German classes outside of school until middle school and then began to take classes at school through high school. Unfortunately, my class schedule does not permit me to take a German course at this time, however, I hope to study abroad and take a German course in the future to continue to learn about the German culture. Traveling has been a big part of my life and I am excited to explore new places on my own while studying abroad to broaden my horizons. I am pursuing Biomedical Engineering for my major and hope to possibly further my education in graduate school. For my career, I am unsure of the specific route that I would like to take, but I am interested in working in a lab to solve medical issues. I hope to get a research opportunity in the near future to help me explore possible career choices. At the Ohio State University, I joined the Biomedical Engineering Society and Society of Women Engineers to help me carry through my career plans. For fun, I play intramural soccer to get involved in the school and to continue playing the sport that I love and have played since kindergarten. Skiing is another one of my favorite sports and I hope to go on trips with student organizations this winter. I also have played piano since I was six and hope to continue practicing that skill throughout my life. My family consists of my parents, two older sisters, one younger sister, and my dog Brodie. Growing up with older sisters as a guide has helped me be more confident in trying new things as well as showed me that I want to follow their example. Having a younger sister has given me the responsibility to lead by example and to watch out for her. I am grateful for this because I have learned how to take care of my reputation and to be responsible. Running is very important to me and was introduced to me by my father. My dad has run every morning for years and has inspired me to pursue it as well. My sophomore year of high school I joined cross country and continued the sport through my senior year. After the first season, I had a desire to run more and signed up for the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon. After training all summer I ran the 13.1 miles with my best friend and my dad. It felt amazing to work towards a goal and accomplish something that I was not certain I could finish. The following two summers we ran it again and brought my mom, two of my sisters, and my neighbor with. This is a brief overview of my life; I am excited to see how the Ohio State University contributes to it. Go Bucks!