Another artifact that has played a crucial role in my academic journey as an engineering major is the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. I had a chance to visit the research center when I was in high school and it was very influential in my major decision process because it showed me a real-life application of engineering. I learned about the prestigious research projects that NASA engineers, physicists, and biologists were working on that would give humanity more knowledge about space and the world we life in. I really enjoyed my visit, and one thing that stuck out to me was the thought that at a corporation/employer like NASA, everyone has the same goal, and everyone is motivated to learn more about our world. I hope that my years in the College of Engineering prepare me for a career at a company like NASA. This visit helped me decide that a big school like Ohio State would be a great choice because it can provide countless resources: research funds, interesting classes, employment opportunities, engaging student organizations, and more.

One artifact that has played a crucial role in my academic journey is an Arduino Robot similar to the robot in the above image, which I built at a summer program. I attended the Miami University Summer Scholars Program after my junior year of high school which formally introduced me to computer science, electrical engineering, robotics, and more. The program, which was called “Engineering: Design and Build an Interactive Robot,” was a great way for me to learn by applying skills that I’d learned in the classroom. In just a two-week span we learned about how the Arduino robot works, how to effectively program it, how to assemble it, and more. At the end of the two-week period, my group built a robot that successfully completed an “obstacle course” where it used an ultra-sonic sensor and LCD display to travel in a path and turn based on whether its sensor detected a barrier nearby. At the end of the path, the robot would light up and spin around in a circle. I was thrilled when my group completed the challenge, and I was excited to have learned so much new information. At that point, when our Arduino Robot completed the course, I decided that I wanted to pursue computer science because I really enjoyed the program and felt as though I could build off the knowledge that I gained. In addition to being a very enriching academic experience, I also met many people that am still in touch with today, and it was a great opportunity to get a feel for college life. Overall, the Robotics module in the Miami Summer Scholars Program was an enriching program that has positively impacted me academically, professionally, and socially. The Arduino Robot that I built while I was there is a very important object in my academic journey.