Sophomore Year

One of the many meaningful experiences I have had during my sophomore year at Ohio State was going on a tour of a research lab. Because such precise experiments are being performed, it is not possible to just walk into any research lab you want. However, through GES, we were given a quasi hands-on tour of a research lab and got to learn more in depth about the kind of research they were doing. This experience reaffirmed my belief that I wanted to do research in a lab at some point in my undergraduate career.

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Another meaningful experience I had during my sophomore year at Ohio State was volunteering at the Science Olympiad State competition. As a kid, I had ever been in Science Olympiad but it seemed like an interesting event so I decided to volunteer. It was very moving to see how passionate the kids were who were participating in the tournament. Many of the contraptions that they created blew me away as well.

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G.O.A.L.S. Update

Now that a year has gone by, I can reflect on the progress I have made towards some of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of my freshman year. My first goal was to look into studying abroad in Europe — since then, I have done some research into the different study abroad programs and have narrowed down my options. It is my hope to pick one by next year and go over the summer of my junior year of over winter break of my junior year.

My second goal from my freshman year was to look into finding a research assistant position in a lab — since then, I have looked around but have yet to be successful in finding a lab that is doing research that really speaks to me. I plan on continuing my search throughout my junior and senior year.

Internship – Hyland Software

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This past summer, I was very fortunate in having the opportunity to work as an intern in the Quality Assurance department at Hyland Software. As an intern in the Quality Assurance department, I got to work hands-on with the software before it was released to the customers to test it for bugs and document any changes that were made.

My daily duties consisted of creating test plans for SCR’s, or software change requests, and testing specific pieces of the software to verify that they were functioning to spec. Working with a team of around 10 people, I learned a lot about communicating with different members of the team as well as building relationships professionally in the workplace. My internship last summer was something invaluable to me and I am confident that the skills I developed while working at Hyland will continue to benefit me for years to come. My end of the year presentation can be found here: Hyland Presentation-1cmnpjb

Freshman Year

One incredibly meaningful experience I had during my first year at Ohio State was the unveiling of the amount of money raised at the end of Buckeyethon. I had never participated in a dance marathon before, let alone one that was the size of Buckeyethon — I was blown away by the energy and positivity of the whole experience. At the end of the night, I got chills when they unveiled how much money had been raised. Seeing the reactions of the kids and their parents was one of the most moving experiences of my entire life.

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Another meaningful experience I had at Ohio State during my freshman year was going to my first Ohio State football game ever. I had never been to any kind of professional football game at any level, neither college nor professional, and I rarely went to any sporting events of similar size. When I stepped into the stadium and heard all the screams and felt the stands moving underneath me, I was taken over by pride for my school and felt a burst of adrenaline that I had rarely felt before.

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G.O.A.L.S.

 

One goal of mine is to look more into possibly studying abroad somewhere in Europe (Global Awareness). It has been a long term goal of mine before I even came to college to go to Europe, and it would be perfect if I could not only visit there but also expand my education both in the classroom and out of the classroom.

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A second goal of mine is to look into finding a position in a research lab as a research assistant of some sorts (Original Inquiry). Everywhere on campus I notice labs that are super nice and clean, and I would love to learn more about what kind of stuff is going on in them and if I could play a role in the research they are doing.

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Career

As a sophomore in Industrial & Systems Engineering, I have started to complete more of my major specific classes, including ISE 2400 (Design of Work), ISE 2500 (Intro to Manufacturing), and more. Through my earlier coursework at Ohio State, I have also developed a strong understanding of basic math, physics, and programming, including calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra, Java, and MatLab.

Outside of the classroom, I have developed and built upon these skills through extracurricular involvement and internships. As an intern at Hyland Software, I not only developed my communication skills and gained experience working independently, but I also developed my technical skills of working with software and a new test plan program. I look forward to challenging myself through my career path in the future.

 

Artifacts

 

Green Engineering Final Project

In our scholars class, we were assigned to do research on a current green technology and its pro’s and con’s. For our project, we chose to do research on the carbon dioxide emissions associated with gasoline powered automobiles vs. Tesla cars. After doing some research, I learned a lot about how Tesla cars run. While Tesla’s have zero carbon dioxide emissions, they do have to be charged. Therefore, this electricity has to come from power plants which do produce carbon dioxide emissions. In the end, Tesla cars are much better for the environment than gasoline powered automobiles but there is still carbon dioxide emissions associated with them. My presentation can be found in the following link: Green Engineering Project Presentation

Soccer

I was lucky enough to have played varsity soccer in high school for all 4 years that I was there. Soccer has always been a huge part of my life; I’ve been playing for almost 13 years now. One of the best parts of playing soccer is getting to be part of a team. I grew close to all of my teammates and enjoyed accomplishing things together. In my junior year, I got named captain and took on a new level of responsibility. I was now in charge of making sure everyone stayed on task and being a leader and role model to those around me. During this time, I learned a lot about what it means to be a leader and take responsibility for others around me. I hope to continue playing throughout college and even after I graduate.

About Me

My name is Nathaniel O’Halla and I am currently a sophomore studying Industrial & Systems Engineering at The Ohio State University. I grew up in a small town found in northeast Ohio with a graduating high school class of around 200. Growing up, I loved to play pretty much any and every sport, especially soccer, as well as hangout with friends outside of school. I’ve always had an interest in math and science which was what primarily guided me towards engineering as a major. In addition to this, sustaining the environment has always been important to me, prompting me to join the green engineering scholars program.

In school, I’m a very determined, hard working individual that focuses on paying attention to detail. Throughout my freshman year and sophomore year, I have worked to become more involved in student organizations, including Engineers without Borders and GES, and plan on continuing to explore co-op and internship opportunities. I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people and challenging myself both in and out of the classroom. I look forward to the challenges that the future holds. My email and phone number can be found below;

ohalla.1@osu.edu

216-339-2546