Mar
2019


Student News & Voices
Find news that affects engineering, engineering tech, and engineering ed  students, what they're up to, and what they have to say...in their own words.

 
Student Spotlight Video: Introducing the ASEE student chapter from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez! Check out the exciting outreach activities this group has developed. Watch it here.
 
Students Make a Splash: : Entrepreneurs Nisan Lerea and Matt Nowicki are former engineering students from the University of Pennsylvania who needed a water jet to cut steel for their senior project. The university didn't have one, so they built their own version. They're now co-inventors of Wazer, an affordable personal water jet cutter. Read their story here 
 
Dolled UP: Jordan Reeves is making Barbie more inclusive by partnering with Mattel to make dolls with disabilities. At 13, her Maker cred is already impressive. She created her own 3D-printed, unicorn horn-shaped, glitter-shooting prosthetic that fits her left arm, which ends just above the elbow. Her Unicorn Project inspired Jordan and her mom to start a non-profit, Born Just Right, to help other kids with limb differences learn to improve their lives with making too. Read more here. 

Trolling the Trolls: In a twist in the ongoing saga about predatory journals, Rick Sanchez (the drunk, swearing dimensional traveling scientist in the adult-oriented cartoon Rick and Morty) has finally made his academic mark. Farooq Ali Khan, an undergraduate instructor and Ph.D. student in Hyderabad, India, sent out a fake paper written by "Beth Smith" titled Newer Tools to Fight Inter-Galactic Parasites and Their Transmissibility in Zyrgion Simulation. Read more here


Academic & Professional Development Resources
Tips on navigating politics, from classroom to office.

Nope, Nope, Nope:  There's no doubt that the academic world is tough. It requires rigor and sacrifice of time, sleep, and sometimes relationships. What do you do when you need to fit in yet another project? Conventional advice says: Wake up earlier! Work more! Sacrifice more! This is terrible advice. Learn what to do instead. Click here  

Support for Student Parents: Researchers found that leaving academe to have a family accounts for the largest "leak" in the STEM pipeline for women, from graduate school to tenure. A common reason is the absence of resources like paid leave, childcare or staff support. Inside Higher Ed follows grad students who started a campaign for parental rights to help temper the difficulties of raising kids while studying. Read More.

Low-Income Lowdown: Inequality is rife in elite universities-not just in the admission process but also in the support given to low-income students. Anthony Abraham Jack was recently at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to celebrate the release of his new book: a case study of how elite institutions like the one where he teaches, Harvard, fail low-income students.  Click here.

How to 'Win' at School:  Being admitted to a great school can feel like a prize-until you actually get there and have to do the work. This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education give 10 tips to win at graduate school, but they're also great for anyone embarking on any huge academic endeavor, from high school to undergrad to thesis writing and beyond.   Read More .
 

Funding & Internships
Opportunity abounds!

This month's highlights:

Utah FORGE Geothermal Student Design Challenge: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), in partnership with the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), invites both high school and university (undergraduate and graduate) teams to explore the future of geothermal energy and visualize the world of geothermal energy by participating in the 2019 Geothermal Design Challengeā„¢. Deadline: April 10, 2019 (10 pm ET).

Non-academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity
:
INTERN is a grant program wherein the PI of an active NSF award may request supplemental funding for one or more graduate students to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences that will augment their preparation for a successful long-term career through an internship in a non-academic setting. This opportunity is open to doctoral students.
Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge: The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and VentureWell support the Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) challenge which recognizes undergraduate excellence in biomedical design and innovation. Prizes range from $5,000 to $20,000. Deadline: May 31, 2019.  
 
National Geographic Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge: The Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge, a key component of National Geographic and Sky Ocean Ventures' partnership to reduce plastic waste, asks problem solvers to develop novel solutions tackling the plastic waste crisis. Teams will compete for aggregate prize purses of up to $500,000, and qualified participating teams may have the opportunity to receive a minimum of $1 million in aggregate investment from Sky Ocean Ventures. Deadline: June 11, 2019. 


Videos & Entertainment
Because sometimes you just need a break!

Video: Photo Finish? How does what you see through the phone affect how you approach the world? Wired explores this, from selfies that make you self-conscious to landscapes that take you out of the world. Watch it here.

Video: Gearing Up
 Watching gears turn is somehow immensely satisfying. They're even better when you make them yourself! Watch this video for intricate moving paper gear ornaments and then learn this engineering origami method. Watch it here.

Video: Hot Dog!  Sometimes, engineering saves the world. Other times, it introduces you to off-the-wall ideas. Behold the Puff-N-Fluff, a full-body doggie dryer. It might work if your pup will stay still long enough to suffer the indignity!  Watch it here.