Tarun Pilli
Jorge Eduardo Mendoza
STEM Scholars Seminar
24 October 2016
The Reflection of Interviewing and Engaging with Exemplars at OSU
Networking, relationships, communication are necessary skills to thrive in today’s world. Different skills (i.e. working in teams, leading, following and conveying) are all becoming more and more crucial as time passes, and as such, it is important to develop these skills. The interview assignment allowed for the understanding of skills by engaging first years with an upperclassman, teacher’s assistant, and a professor. The three aforementioned people have knowledge that could be used to aid first years in their pursuit of education. Through interviewing an upperclassman, teacher’s assistant and a professor, STEM first years have become more acquainted with ideas, tactics and relationships that will undoubtedly assist them throughout their years here at the Ohio State University.
In my personal experience with the interview process, I interviewed Alex Cetnar (upperclassman), Jonathan Liew (teacher’s assistant), and Dr. Kecskemety (professor). Alex was a small group leader in RealLife, a bible group that I attend. As a senior studying biomedical engineering, I decided to interview him. I messaged him asking if he wanted to discuss several things, and set up an appointment where I went and visited his room. Jonathan Liew is a TA for my Engineering 1181 Fundamentals of Engineering course, and I had asked if I could interview him over dinner. Finally, Dr. Krista Kecskemety is the professor for the same Engineering 1181 Fundamentals of Engineering class, and I interviewed her during her office hours.
I had met Alex during my second week at OSU. I was searching for a bible group on campus, and had come across RealLife, a primarily student-led organization for Christians on campus. Alex is a senior studying biomedical engineering. He is a small group leader, while also being the drummer for RealLife’s band. RealLife is not the only organization he takes part in. He is also a part of the Biomedical Society. During his junior year, he was the president of the Biomedical Society, but he decided to not be an officer this year; he wanted to focus his time more on RealLife instead. Alex pursued biomedical engineering because math and science were his strong suits, and he had a particular passion for the science aspect of biomedical engineering. His most influential class was a class about tissue engineering – that was the class that really sparked his affection for his major.
Alex is a hard studier, having never received a grade lower than a B in any of his courses up to this point. When an exam is approaching, he spends about 15-20 hours studying for the exam. Alex provided applicable advice with regards to studies and classes. The main way he studies is by making a list, and prioritizing the biggest points on the list. Along with the list, Alex has a calendar which assists him with doing everything in a timely manner. He also made it clear that when studying, it should be broken up into intervals; breaks are a necessity. Learning to say no to others when studying takes priority. Although Alex had never failed a class or came close to it, he had been in troubling situations before. When in those situations, Alex endorsed the idea of talking to the professor. He also recommended re-evaluating the syllabus, and finding the heaviest sections of the course and placing a focus on those sections. I had learned a great deal about studying from Alex. Given the fact that he has never had a class grade lower than a B, his methods seem remarkably affective. I will do my best to implement his study plans in the future.
Jonathan Liew, biomedical engineer, is a teacher’s assistant for my Fundamentals of Engineering class. Jonathan is a biomedical engineer because he desires to assist people through the combined power of medicine and science. Jonathan balances several things, such as classes, TA work, his eagle scout fraternity, and his engineering learning community. Jonathan says that he does not feel too encumbered by his workload, as he organizes his priorities and does everything in a timely manner. Towards the end of the spring semester, applications to become a TA are released, and Jonathan was selected to be a TA.
Jonathan tends to do his easy homework alone, but he is a big advocate of doing difficult homework assignments with study groups. When studying for exams, Johnathan proposes searching for past versions of the exam, and if they are not available, then he suggests doing lots of practice problems. Jonathan, like Alex, claimed that the best thing to do when struggling in class is to talk to the professor and the rest of the instructional staff. Jonathan provided practical advice on how to succeed in my years at OSU.
Scopus, a database primarily for peer-reviewed documents, is what I used to find a paper written by Dr. Kecskemety. Using the advanced search on Scopus, which Dr. Daniel Dotson taught STEM first years about, I searched for Dr. Kecskemety’s name, while limiting affiliations to The Ohio State University. I encountered an article written during her time in graduate school. It was a report regarding the practicality of wind turbines, while also discussing wake modeling and wake dynamics. There was an abstract available, while a link to the entire 204-page document was located at the bottom of the page. I briefly skimmed the paper before I met with Dr. Kecskemety. I had a particular focus on the abstract and conclusion. Overall, the paper was very difficult to understand, and it covered a lot of topics on which I had no inkling about. Scholarly articles are advantageous for the field because they are good for methodologically presenting information, but are disadvantageous as those outside the field might find them difficult to understand.
After I had reviewed Dr. Kecskemety’s report, I went to her office hours for the interview. Dr. Kecskemety has a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, and is a lecturer for many engineering related courses here at OSU. Her research as a professor is studying effects of various teaching methods on first year students in her engineering courses. Her primary research as a graduate student was the study of wind turbines. She tested wind turbines through a computer code. To do this research, she stated that she found Jack McNamara, an advisor who was also interested in wind turbines, and teamed up with him to complete the research.
Along with her responsibilities as a professor, Dr. Kecskemety is also involved with the American Society of Engineering Education and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She joined the American Society of Engineering Education after she became a professor, and joined the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics after she enrolled in graduate school. However, she started going to the local meetings for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics as a sophomore in undergrad school. Dr. Kecskemety recommends that undergraduate research should wait until I am involved in more major-focused courses.
Dr. Kecskemety also advocated some invaluable guidance on studying. When doing homework, she recommends that homework should be started the day it is received. That way, there is more available time to go to office hours and sort out any confusions. Essentially, the more time to do homework, the more time there is to answer questions. Like Jonathan and Alex, she also recommends to take full advantage of office hours, and to be prepared with questions when going into office hours. Talking with Dr. Kecskemety had given me an idea of what is to come through undergraduate school and graduate school, which I plan to attend. She also gave me helpful hints on how to succeed with studying and homework, placing emphasis on not procrastinating.
Overall, the interview assignment broadened my understanding of what I am meant to do here at OSU. Talking to the people I talked to enhanced my vision for my future, while also assisting in my understanding of how to effectively tackle loads of coursework. I enjoyed seeing many perspectives on how to succeed, and learning of the great things people ahead of me have done. Talking to these people has motivated me to leave a legacy and do great things here at The Ohio State University. Learning about opportunities of research, assisting teachers and various clubs and organizations has augmented my idea of what I want to do in the future. Through engaging with individuals who are doing great things, the interview assignment had showcased the potential of me, and every other student at OSU, and the amazing things the students here can do.
References
Kecskemety, Krista Marie. Assessing the Influence of Wake Dynamics on the Performance and Aeroelastic Behavior of Wind Turbines. Publication. Columbus: Ohio State U, 2012. Print.