I found the Underwater Robotics team via the Ohio State University Involvement Fair. By not having a focus on rockets they set themselves apart from the other engineering-based clubs like Design, Build, Fly and Buckeye Space Launch Initiative.
Going to the first meeting was exciting albeit nerve wracking. They hosted the meeting at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion at the RPAC. I had never been to the pool at the RPAC before and I was nervous about getting lost. There the president, Jennifer, a few of the sub-team leads, and long time members explained what the club is all about. They showed us the robot that most recently went to the competition in San Diego and their tour/ outreach robot: Puddles and STEM Boy respectively. I even was able to drive STEM Boy around the pool at McCorkle.
The second meeting with the Underwater Robotics Team was were it really started getting interesting. They took us just off campus to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR). The club meets there with all three sub-teams (mechanical, electrical, and software) on Sundays. CAR hosts several engineering-related teams from OSU. The center boasts a few buildings for research along with many machines including but not limited to computer numerical control machines, lathes, and drill presses for building/ prototyping parts.
*inside one of CAR’s research buildings*
It was these two meetings that made me decide to join the team and mechanical engineering sub-team. The mech team’s leader Collin is knowledgable, amiable, and most importantly enthusiastic about mechanical engineering. While I could not see myself being president or vice president – I could see my self being a project or sub-team lead. Based on these meetings, I know that the Underwater Robotics Team will be an incredible resource in building my resume with engaging hands-on experience in actually designing and building something. Not to mention, that the team will also be incredibly useful in building a professional and social network. Joining the Underwater Robotics Team will force me to manage my time in a more efficient manner. Which will definitely help me build lifelong organization and time-management skills.
Because The Ohio State University is so large, I had no trouble finding organizations that meet my interests. I have found several clubs that I’d love to attend – the trouble has been in determining at which few clubs I’ll spend my time. During the involvement fair I signed up for emails from at least twenty-five different clubs. While all those emails were certainly a little overwhelming, they helped me determine which clubs to continue with. I have also joined the fencing and boxing clubs. The university’s size is both a blessing and a curse for student involvement/ organizations: it allows for all sorts of interesting and unique clubs, but because there are so many it can be difficult for all students interested in certain things to find that club. Therefore students can accidentally overlook something they’re passionate about. In the end, however, I believe that the size is to the advantage of students, if they are willing to work to find their niche club.