By: Ian Shumate
With the world seemingly becoming more technologically advanced and efficient each day, engineering careers have become a hot commodity. The field can vary from designing bridges or buildings to finding a more efficient way to produce a certain medication or fuel. In layman’s terms, the world cannot progress, let alone function, without engineers. However, before observing the Engineering groups on Monday, I did not fully understand their importance.
Upon entering the classroom that morning, I was greeted by Jeremy White, an Engineering teacher at Bellarmine GSP, and his accompanying scholars. They asked me how I was and what it was like to be an amateur journalist here on campus. After that, the class discussed the plan for the week. Jeremy addressed any questions about the week’s speakers and field trips, and told me about the array of speakers and trips they’ve experienced in just two weeks, including a trip to a local powerplant and hosting a speaker from General Electric. As the group transitioned to a brainstorming session for their projects, which is building a bridge in the most cost-effective way possible, I slipped into the next room.
One door down Horrigan Hall is Denise Owens and the second half of Bellarmine GSP Engineering. As I stepped in, I was greeted with that same hospitality as the last group. For the most part, the classes operated the same, except this group had a different project. As Graeme Marshall, a scholar of Engineering here at Bellarmine, explained to me, the scholars are tasked with building whatever they want, but they are limited in the quality of supplies. They are building things as complex as medieval gatehouses and Viking ships out of cardboard, balsa wood, and super glue. As if my 10th grade art project wasn’t already hard enough.
When I asked Graeme what his favorite part of the class was, he responded with, “The field trips. These trips allow our class to see really cool stuff, like natural gas generators, which makes it easier to learn what engineering is like in practice.” I got a similar response from Jeremy when I asked what he hoped his scholars would pull out of these five weeks with him.
“I hope they will experience some real-world engineering, get an idea of the role of these engineers, and use this opportunity as an insight into the field before they start college.”
Overall, I experienced something way outside my comfort zone, but also something that interested me. I never knew how much an engineer could do, and I gained a new appreciation for everyone in the field.
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