Posted by Hilary Parker

Mechanical and aerospace engineering major Zhen Xia is accustomed to solving problems that have cut-and-dried solutions, but an internship at IBM this past summer taught him how to approach problems that don’t have one right answer.

As part of a new internship program, Xia spent three months working with senior marketing executives at the IBM corporate offices in Somers, N.Y. From analyzing the brand’s image to establishing a business case for a new product launch, he found himself in the midst of the complicated intricacies of the business world.

“Unlike technical problem-solving where everything is black and white, problem-solving in business deals heavily with people and customers who have many different viewpoints,” Xia said. “In business, there are various shades of gray, which make things exciting and interesting.”

Mechanical and aerospace engineering major Zhen Xia worked at IBM corporate offices in Somers, N.Y., with senior marketing executives including Florence Hudson, who earned her degree in the same field from Princeton in 1980. (Photo: Alan Zale)

This is precisely the type of knowledge that the creators of the Preparing to Lead internship program hoped rising seniors would gain from the experience, which closely pairs undergraduates with business leaders to provide opportunities that wouldn’t be possible in traditional internships. Offered by the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, the program was first envisioned by center director Sharad Malik to help prepare Princeton students for leadership positions in a technology-driven society.

“Our expectation is that Princeton students will rise to the highest level, and this program allows them the opportunity to experience corporate leadership before they even begin their careers,” said Malik, the George Van Ness Lothrop Professor of Engineering.

The valuable learning experiences were made possible by a strong alumni network, which counts among its ranks many leaders in technological businesses. In the inaugural year of the Preparing to Lead program, five executives from a variety of corporations worked with the School of Engineering and Applied Science to design internships for six current undergraduates. Students applied for the program through the Office of Career Services TigerTracks system, and partner corporations interviewed applicants and made hiring decisions.

“How better to expose our students to corporate decision-making than by placing them in close proximity to senior executives?” asked Bob Monsour, associate director of external affairs for the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, who facilitated the internships.

Florence Hudson, the vice president of marketing and strategy for IBM mainframe System z, served as Xia’s mentor throughout the summer. A 1980 Princeton graduate with a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Hudson jumped at the chance to share what she has learned throughout her career. Over the course of the summer, she met with Xia regularly to discuss leadership and engage him in real projects.

“Being a business leader with an engineering degree from Princeton, and knowing how much I didn’t know about business when I graduated, I knew I wanted to teach a Princeton engineering student what I’ve learned about business and leadership,” Hudson said. “It’s important to understand how to lead others to do what’s right, how to link the business needs and value to the engineering and technology, and how to succeed in the complex world of business.”

During Xia’s time at IBM, he also worked closely with John Burg, System z product marketing manager, which provided him with another valuable perspective on corporate leadership.

“I loved my weekly talks with Florence and John,” Xia said. “They shared a lot of their personal experiences and career development advice. One of my most memorable conversations with Florence was about speed bumps. She told me that life is like a series of speed bumps: obstacles may slow you down but will never stop you as long as you believe in yourself.”

WildPackets chairman Mahboud Zabetian (left), a member of the Princeton class of 1988, shared his corporate experiences with senior Saed Al Shonnar at the network software company in Walnut Creek, Calif. A chemical engineering major, Al Shonnar plans to put his newfound corporate knowledge to use in future entrepreneurial ventures. (Photo: Bob Monsour)

While Xia spent his summer at a corporate giant, other students in the Preparing to Lead program had the opportunity to witness the inner workings of much smaller businesses. Saed Al Shonnar, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, spent two months conducting market research for WildPackets, a network software company in Walnut Creek, Calif. Al Shonnar reported to WildPackets chairman Mahboud Zabetian, a member of the Princeton class of 1988.

With an interest in entrepreneurship, Al Shonnar applied to the Preparing to Lead program seeking to examine the inner-workings of a small company. He wasn’t disappointed.

“The internship is exactly the kind of experience I was hoping to have this summer,” he said. “I have been closely exposed to the dynamics of a small- to medium-sized company and I learned more about business aspects applicable to most companies.”

The first year of the Preparing to Lead program also placed Eva Leung at medical device firm Integra LifeSciences in Plainsboro, N.J., Geoffrey Hamilton at e-mail marketing company Return Path in New York City, and Ruth Fombrun and Malik Saunders at Sealed Air, a global packaging company, in Elmwood Park, N.J., and Greenville, S.C., respectively.

Ruth Fombrun was one of six Princeton undergraduates who completed internships this past summer through Preparing to Lead, a program that pairs rising seniors with business leaders to provide opportunities that wouldn’t be possible in traditional experiences. “Unlike other engineering-related internships I considered, ‘Preparing to Lead’ offered me exposure and learning opportunities in both business and engineering, which was critical for someone like myself whose interests had migrated closer to business and further from a traditional engineering career,” said Fombrun, a chemical engineering major who worked in the treasury department at Sealed Air, a global packaging company in Elmwood Park, N.J. (Photo: Courtesy of Sealed Air)

“Unlike other engineering-related internships I considered, ‘Preparing to Lead’ offered me exposure and learning opportunities in both business and engineering, which was critical for someone like myself whose interests had migrated closer to business and further from a traditional engineering career,” said Fombrun, a chemical engineering major who worked in the Sealed Air treasury department. “I learned so much more about business and finance than I ever could have imagined.”

Malik and Monsour said they are pleased with the success of the program in its first year and look forward to improving upon it in years to come. In addition to enlarging the program to include opportunities for more students at a greater number of companies, they hope to increase the amount of time interns spend interacting with their corporate mentors. To introduce more students to the program, this year’s interns will participate in a panel discussion during the upcoming academic year.

Xia, for his part, looks forward to telling interested students about his Preparing to Lead experience and helping the program to grow.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience at IBM,” he said. “Every week, there was something new, so I wouldn’t say there was ever a typical week. I was constantly able to work on new things.”

Article Courtesy of Princeton University

Princeton undergraduates who have engineered a self-driving car designed to navigate city streets without human help have been selected as semifinalists in a hotly contested Pentagon competition with top prizes worth $3.5 million.

The Princeton team was among 36 semifinalists named last week by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in its “Urban Challenge” — a competition whose purpose is to spur innovation in autonomous robotic vehicles.

In May, DARPA winnowed the field of competitors from 89 entrants to 53. Each of the remaining teams received a site visit this summer from DARPA officials. Princeton’s site visit was July 9. After completing its site visits, DARPA announced the semifinalists.

During the final week of October, Princeton and the other semifinalists will compete in a National Qualification Event at an urban military training facility located on the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif. Vehicles in the competition must be able to merge into moving traffic, navigate traffic circles, avoid moving obstacles and obey California traffic laws — without any human assistance.

 

The Princeton team takes a break from the grueling site visit to pose for a photograph with DARPA officials (in red hats). Photo by Thomas Franken.Twenty finalists from that competition will then go on to the final competition on Nov. 3 at the same site. DARPA will award cash prizes to the top three winners: $2 million for first prize; $1 million for second prize; and $500,000 for third prize.

The Princeton team is unique among the other competitors in that it is entirely an undergraduate-led effort and receives little assistance from outside industry, according to team spokesman Gordon Franken.

“The fabulous thing about Princeton is that it is a place where a group of undergraduates can go out and enter a national competition like this,” said Franken. “At another university, we may not have had the opportunity to be involved at all or we would have been working for graduate students or professors.”

The Princeton team operates on what is comparatively a shoestring budget — so far it has spent about $75,000 while many other teams have corporate sponsorship and budgets of $1 million or more. Franken said the team will need an infusion of cash to make it to the finish line. “We are looking to raise up to $100,000 in donations and corporate sponsorship to cover upcoming logistical expenses, travel and additional technology,” he said.

 

Michelle Won from WZBN-TV interviews Princeton team member Brendan Collins before the site visit officially begins. Photo by Thomas Franken.The Princeton team was a surprise finalist in DARPA’s last Grand Challenge competition in 2005, a race across the Mojave Desert.

The Princeton effort is entirely an extracurricular activity; students must keep up with regular coursework while working at a brisk pace to meet DARPA milestones.

“Yes, we want to win, but mainly this is about enhancing the students’ academic experience,” said Alain Kornhauser, a professor of operations research and financial engineering who is the team’s faculty adviser. “In terms of what they are learning, DARPA’s site visit last month was probably worth a year of tuition.”

When Stanford students come back to school this month after a hot summer, they’ll be in the ideal frame of mind to consider a new engineering degree that is rare, if not unique, in the United States: the atmosphere and energy major.

The interdisciplinary undergraduate program is being launched as governments and businesses around the world try to reconcile their need for energy with increasing concern about the effects of pollution on human health and the climate.

“The major will create students who will have the skills to do things that are in high demand,” said Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. “To come up with creative solutions to global warming and pollution while also addressing energy needs.”

“Problems in the atmosphere are very closely linked to problems with energy,” he added. “Global warming, urban air pollution, acid rain and other atmospheric problems are driven by pollution from energy. Right now there is a big disconnect between understanding these issues and solving them.”

The undergraduate major, new for the 2007-08 academic year, follows in the footsteps of Stanford’s graduate Atmosphere/Energy Program, which has grown quickly since starting in the 2004-05, when 15 students enrolled. The next year, 22 signed up. Applications to the graduate program have grown from 37 three years ago to 70 this year.

Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of their education, graduates from the master’s program have gone on to jobs at places as diverse as Fortune 500 energy companies and environmentally focused, non-governmental organizations, Jacobson said.

About 60 universities around the country offer majors in atmospheric science, but none of them couple that so strongly with a curriculum in energy, he said. A student in a traditional atmospheric science major may therefore gain a deep understanding of how excessive carbon dioxide influences climate but won’t know as much about what drives people to use the energy sources that emit the gas, or what energy alternatives could satisfy those needs more cleanly.

At Stanford, however, students will not only take classes titled Aerosols, Clouds and Climate Change and Weather and Storms, but also Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency and Powering the Rim: Energy issues for the Pacific.

One such student will be junior Emily Gorbaty of Baltimore.

“In my future career I would like to work toward mitigating global warming, and I found that no other major addresses this issue as well as atmosphere/energy,” Gorbaty said. “Ultimately I want to help implement renewable energy in developing countries, specifically India, China and Southeast Asia.

Jacobson said about a half-dozen undergraduates also have expressed interest in the new major so far.

Technically, the degree conferred will be “Bachelor of Science with an Individually Designed Major in Engineering: Atmosphere/Energy.” More importantly, Jacobson said, the skills and knowledge conferred will be unique preparation for addressing urgent global problems with meaningful, practical solutions.

read more: http://www.stanford.edu/group/atmosenergy/

As Ellen Visscher placed a red sticker on her nametag, designating her major as civil and environmental engineering, she looked around the main level of the Engineering Career Services and said: “This is a little chaotic.”The University of Wisconsin-Madison freshman had just stepped into the largest career fair in the history of the UW-Madison campus. Almost 300 employers and more than 2,000 students gathered on three levels to meet and network for three days, from September 18 to 20. By the end of the week, 1,500 students had interviews.

Career Connection 2007 maintained the fair’s tradition of expansion, with 288 employers setting a new attendance record. According to Assistant Dean Sandra Arnn, director of Engineering Career Services, hundreds of UW-Madison students outside of the College of Engineering attended the fair in addition to the thousands of engineering students. The students navigated the large crowds for the opportunity to talk to employers hailing from as far as Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.

A student discusses his resume with a recruiter at Career Connection. By the end of the event, 1,500 students had interviews. (Large image)

Darin Bowe, a senior mechanical engineering student, was one of the fair attendees hoping his interaction with employers would lead to employment after graduation. This year’s fair was extremely well organized, says Bowe, who also says he was amazed at the number of companies and organizations.

His feedback echoed comments Arnn heard from other students. “This was a very successful career fair with the most direct feedback from students we’ve ever had,” she says. “Students were primarily excited about the number of employers, including the 30 new organizations at this year’s fair. That—and the fact students had about 18 hours of potential time to interact with those employers.”

Bowe has attended Career Connection throughout his undergraduate years. His experiences have helped him to anticipate questions employers ask and have given him an overall sense of confidence, he says. “But the nervousness is still there for me,” says Bowe. “I think the hardest part about approaching an employer is how to find that key sentence they are looking for and to try relating to them.”

For Visscher, the fair was all about practice. “Once I told employers I was just testing the waters, they got really informal and gave me a lot of information,” she says. “I feel good because I know what to ask and how to ‘work the stands’ when I am looking for internships.”

On the other side of the recruitment table were some faces that empathized with the students. Many recruiters were UW-Madison graduates—some as recently as last year—and several agreed it was a strange reversal of roles.

More than 2,000 students met with almost 300 employers at Career Connection 2007, the largest career fair ever held on the UW-Madison campus. (Large image)

Brian Canfield, a recruiter for the Wisconsin air movement company Greenheck, graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in spring. He says many students at the fair had been in class with him only a semester ago.

From his newly professional perspective, Canfield says he noticed the contrast between nervous students and those with a knack for conversation. He was not the only employer looking for students with interpersonal abilities.

Tom Helsley, a recruiter for the Texas-based signal processing company ISA, has come to Madison for years. “We’re looking for people with the personality to match the technical skills—you can tell a lot about a person from how they carry themselves,” he says.

Helsley wasn’t at the fair to fill immediate positions. “I’m looking for that golden nugget of a student,” he says. “My approach is to develop a long-term relationship that could result in employment. I’ve talked to people I won’t hire now because they aren’t ready to be hired, but that may well change in the future.”

Canfield agrees that the hiring process is based on a relationship between a student and an employer. “It’s like dating,” he says. “You won’t date someone who’s not interested in you. It has to be mutual both ways, and you need to be persistent and follow up to show interest in developing that relationship.”

For the engineering students, the process of building a relationship began before Career Connection opened its doors. Bowe’s advice to students was simple: “Don”t be unprepared,” he says. “Research the companies before the fair”.

Several recruiters echoed that sentiment. Employers including J.F. Ahern, DRW Research & Information Services, and Marshall Erdman & Associates all advised students to examine a company’s profile before talking with recruiters. “Don’t just interview to interview,” says Federal Mogul recruiter Dan Lewison.

Overall, the fair reflected a strong market for engineering students. More than half the organizations present offered internship opportunities, while more than a third had co-ops available. More than 100 employers sought civil engineering majors and another 115 employers looked for computer engineers.

In the end, Bowe says he received valuable feedback at Career Connection, including five interviews in the days immediately after the fair. Visscher, too, says, her experience was positive. “The fair was intimidating but pretty exciting at the same time,” she says.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Concrete Canoe Team dominated the 30th annual Dutch Concrete Canoe Challenge this weekend in the Netherlands. The team took first place overall, with victories in five out of the six race categories. The team’s 20-foot, 176-pound canoe, Descendent, also won the construction and innovation categories for its design and use of environmentally sound concrete.Eight members of the UW-Madison team and their adviser, civil and environmental engineering Associate Professor Chin Wu, traveled to Amsterdam for the competition, also known as the Beton Kano Race, which ran from Sept. 7-9. The team was invited to compete after winning the U.S. national championship for the fifth consecutive time in June. The UW-Madison team was one of 12 participating teams, most of which hailed from the Netherlands or Germany.

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) paid the UW-Madison team’s trip expenses to the race.

UW-Madison College of Engineering Associate Dean Steve Cramer, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, was the team’s 2007 faculty advisor. “It’s a well-deserved trip,” he says. “The team was closely knit and very committed. They worked hard.”

The competition is an opportunity to remind all students that engineering has become a global field, says Cramer. “It’s important that as many students get international experience as possible,” he says. “The success of these students has provided them the chance to gain global experience.”

Canoe team project manager David Blodgett, a senior civil and environmental engineering student, says the team “couldn’t be happier” with the competition results. “We owe a big thank-you to ASCE and ACI for funding the trip and being so amazing in helping us get there,” he says.

Blodgett said the races were very physical, describing the men’s sprint in particular as a “true battle.” At the start of race day, he thought the day was sure to be full of “concrete canoe carnage.”

The sprint races were held in a narrow canal with overhead bridges, according to Blodgett. He says the 20 or more European canoes would have been solid contenders in the Great Lakes Regional Conference, but the UW-Madison team was able to pull off decisive victories.

The physicality of the races took its toll on Descendent. After a “brutal T-bone” in the co-ed race, Blodgett says the boat appeared to flex at least four inches and some decorative concrete actually broke off the canoe.

Overall, Blodgett says it was a “great pleasure” to be part of the competition. He also said the canoe team experience in general was positive. “I’ve gained a lot of experience as a leader in terms of motivating and teaching people of all skill levels and backgrounds,” he says.

The actual race wasn’t the only event of the trip. Blodgett and team member Ivy Harmon, a fellow civil and environmental engineering student, toured Delft Hydraulics, which the U.S. Congress has consulted on flood protection issues. Blodgett says seeing the latest research in sediment transport, fluid mechanics and water wave theory was “really amazing stuff.”

The eight members who traveled to the Netherlands will be able to share the experience with their teammates and the student body as a whole, says Cramer. “It will open everybody’s eyes to a larger world,” he says.