Workshop 2: 10/4/2018

The first workshop had went better than expected, and we had multiple students tell us that they would show up to another if it was held. However, the second workshop was a let down, since we only had one student show up. A few changes were ready to be implemented, but the lack of attendees prevented us from trying to implement them (since there would be no way to gather adequate data). There are many reasons why students might not show up, as it was a week before fall break and some classes have exams during this time, so it would not be surprising if most students decided not to come due to other exams they were studying for. Hopefully the next workshop will have a better turnout and the changes we want to make can be implemented.

Workshop 1: 9/20/2018

Workshop 1 was more of a pilot workshop. This workshop didn’t have much structure, and it was planned to be more free flowing to determine what the attendees want to get out of the workshop. There were 5 people total who attended. While this was less than we were hoping for, to be honest, it was more than we anticipated.

This pilot workshop, in my opinion, was a success. People were asking questions, learning, and seeking our help. At the end, we asked students if they felt that they had been effective and accomplished what they wanted, and most students answered yes. In the future, we would like to incorporate some way to get students to work together on homework, since most of the time students worked independently.

Introduction

The capstone project is a way for STEM EE scholars to engage in a project that exhibits one of the Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S. For my capstone project, I have decided to work on a calculus workshop that aims to provide current calculus I and II students with another resource to enrich their learning. I am doing this project with a close friend fellow STEM EE scholar Alex Demos. As a prior student of calculus, I know that some of the concepts that students are seeing for the first or perhaps a second time are quite confusing and are very different from other forms of math encountered in prior math courses. Calculus require more critical thinking than just rote computation, and this causes some of the problems to become very frustrating very quickly. These workshops will be another resource for students who may be stuck during homework, or for those who need another way of looking at a concept, so  that the learning process is not hindered by feelings of futility while trying to solve a problem.

The other purpose to these workshops is to try and get an understanding who goes to workshops like these. Do only students who struggle in calculus attend? Is it only students in calculus I, or do students from all calculus classes attend? Do the students attend office hours, and if so do they find them useful? These are the types of questions this project aims to answer, and with this knowledge it may better help shape resources offered to students.

OHI/O Hackathon 2017

The best way to gain experience programming is to create projects and apps, even if they are simple programs that doesn’t do much. This year, Ohio State hosted the 5th annual hackathon, and it was the first that I attended. A hackthon is similar to a marathon. In marathon, people run for an extended period of time. In a hackathon, people make projects and apps for an extended period of time. HackOHI/O was an event where many people gathered to make projects for 24 hours, and then had the opportunity to be judged to win awards.

During this event, I helped my team of 2 other friends brainstorm and design an app during this time. The process was tiring. We had decided to use Android studios, a platform used to design and build apps. I had never used it before, so I had to learn the basics very quickly. It took a lot of brainpower to learn Android Studios and to try and write code destined to be faulty and then fix it all within 24 hours. Nonetheless, the process really sharpened and enhanced my skills in problem solving, brainstorming, and critical thinking. In addition, I was able to talk to people from companies such as Battelle and JP Morgan Chase and to learn about internship opportunities. At the end of the hackathon, my team and I won a sponsor challenge which was very exciting and motivates me more to continue to do events like these to improve my skills.

Engineering Expo

Coming into Ohio State as a first-year student who has limited knowledge of programming, getting and internship was not on my radar. After a few weeks, I learned that trying to get an internship as a first-year is not futile; it carries its benefits in experience and learning how to talk to employers. Ohio State has an annual Engineering Expo where tens of companies come and recruit students and alumni for jobs and internships. I had heard about the expo, but was unsure of whether to attend or not. I had almost nothing to put on my resume, no work or prior internship experience, and almost no knowledge of programming. I could not see the benefit of attending. However, many people advised me to attend so that I learn how to talk to employers, as well as how to write and prepare a resume.

Attending the Engineering Expo has been the most fascinating experiences I have had on campus so far. There were all these prestigious companies such as Nation Wide, Fifth-Third Bank, JP Morgan Chase, as well as agencies such as the NSA. At first, talking to the employers was difficult. I did not know what to say, and I was just looking at them while they asked question like, “What are you looking for?” and I had no prepared answer. But, as the event went on, and I talked to more and more employers, I gained confidence,refined my thoughts, and was able to articulate to employers what I was looking for and what I was interested in. On top of all of that, I gained experience writing a professional resume and really digging deep into what experiences I have that are valuable. Overall, attending the expo was one the best decisions I have made yet as it gave me so much experience to reflect and build on.

G.O.A.L.S.

 

The Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S. are the fundamental attributes to a student in the Honors and Scholars program.  Each facet takes on a role in making the student more open minded and aware of the world around them as well as striving for excellence in academia.

The “G” stands for Global Awareness. This is the appreciation and understanding of not only one’s own culture, but of the various other cultures that one may find themselves surrounded with on a day to day basis. Understanding other cultures is essential to being able to work with others and to get along with other. The “O” stands for Original Inquiry. This means that one must be able to think creatively and critically to advance the world in all fields. Doing research is one way to develop original inquiry. The “A” stands for Academic Enrichment. This facet is where one must gain knowledge through academics and rigorous studying. By advancing one’s academics, one may learn more about cultures and ideas, develop one’s own ideas, and do research to promote various fields and contribute to society. This facet is a critical one.

The “L” stands for Leadership Development. One must be able to use the skills they have gained (perhaps with respect to the other facets of the G.O.A.L.S.) and lead others. One should take charge and share his or her knowledge with others to help advance the rest of society along with them; to do this one must be able to lead. Leadership development is essential and should be given the proper time so that one may be able to lead others forward. The “S” stands for Service Engagement. Society has given much to help one grow and achieve that status they are at. So to continue to growth of society and the expansion and to make the community stronger, one should give back in the form of helping the community where is needs, be it in teaching children, helping the elderly, or giving to those who aren’t fortunate enough to afford some of the things he or she was able to have. Service engagement promotes a reciprocity virtue in the community that only serves to benefit everyone.

The two facets that are most relevant to me are academic enrichment and global awareness. As an engineer, it is important that I understand the needs and wants of the people who will be the people I am serving. Thus it is important that I am aware of their values and ideas so that the solution to whatever problem I am working on may be mindful of their ideas. Furthermore, knowing the ideas and cultures of others may help to bring solutions that would not have been thought of before. Academics will be a vital piece in my future since the majority of the work I plan on doing will be math heavy. Thus, I should take it upon myself to grasp the fundamentals of math and computer science as well as specializations in these topics so that when the time comes that I must employ the skills I have I have the proper knowledge and keen critical thinking skills to efficient solve the problem given to me.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

Nader Zidan is a first-year engineering student who plans on majoring in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). Nader has recently graduated from Dublin Jerome High School. In the future, Nader hopes to graduate from The Ohio State University with a B.S. in CSE. From there he wishes to work in the technology industry writing and developing software to continue to advance the world in modern day technology. Nader enjoys engaging in debate clubs where he discusses with other students on various topics, helping him refine his thoughts and positions on current events and topics. Nader enjoys to swim competitively and has four years of high school varsity swim team experience. He also enjoys reading, listening to music, cycling, and working on programming projects.