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Engineering What is it, and why would I want to do it?

Alexandra Chau Mechanical Engineering. Engineering What is it, and why would I want to do it?. Stephanie Dalquist Chemical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA. Why are we here?. MIT program to get high school students interested in engineering Ground rules

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Engineering What is it, and why would I want to do it?

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  1. Alexandra Chau Mechanical Engineering Engineering What is it, and why would I want to do it? Stephanie Dalquist Chemical Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA

  2. Why are we here? • MIT program to get high school students interested in engineering • Ground rules • Ask questions at any time, but be respectful • No question is stupid • Have fun!

  3. Kinds of engineering • Aerospace • Chemical • Computer • Electrical • Environmental • Materials • Mechanical

  4. Ice breaker • Find something in the room that an engineer had to design • Tell us who you are, what your object is, and what kind of engineer designed it • Toss the ball to someone else, be prepared to catch a candy!

  5. Discussion What do you think engineering is? What are your stereotypes of engineers?

  6. Women in Engineering • In the US, women comprise… • 51% of the population • 45% of the workforce • But only 9% of engineers

  7. Benefits of being an engineer • New and challenging work • Cutting edge field • Research, patents, publications • Benefit to society • Many career options • Research, Academics, Industry, Medicine, Law, Business, Policy • High demand • 1.5 Million in the US alone • Money • Average $50K starting salary

  8. Demonstration: Bouncy balls • Snap mold together; pour in powder • One, two, or more colors! • Shake mold gently while pouring • Place in water for 1 minute • Remove from water • After 3 minutes, take ball from mold

  9. What is happening? • Two primary ingredients • Polyvinyl acetate (Elmer’s Glue) • Borax (laundry detergent) • Separates into borate ions when dissolved in water • Borate ions form bridges connecting PVA, making a cross-linked polymer • Also does hydrogen bonding between oxygen and hydrogen • Results in three dimensional polymer with extra space for water molecules

  10. Why does the ball bounce? • Elastic material • Ball deforms as it hits the ground, then back to original shape and into air • Ball bounces off the floor because floor pushes it up! • Conservation of energy • Ball loses some energy as friction and heat • Does not bounce as high as original “drop”

  11. Becoming an engineer • College Prep • Solid math background • Take math classes, including calculus • At least two years of science classes • Chemistry, biology, and/or physics • Pursue other interests as well • Foreign languages, arts and music • Extra-curriculars: sports, debate, communityservice, etc. • Summer programs • Relevant work experience • Do things you are passionate about • Be heavily involved in a few activities, rather than slightly involved in everything

  12. Becoming an engineer • Engineering schools in your area UVM WPI UNH RPI • Top engineering schools Berkeley Cal Tech Carnegie Mellon Cornell Georgia Tech U. Michigan MIT Stanford

  13. Summary • “Engineering” encompasses many fields and applications – a huge number of choices • Engineering is a satisfying and lucrative career where you can interact with a diverse group of people • Planning for your future starts now

  14. Acknowledgements Thanks to everyone who made this possible: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Microsoft Texas Instruments Your school and teachers YOU!

  15. Alexandra Chau alyx@mit.edu 362 Memorial Drive #435 Cambridge MA 02139 Stephanie Dalquist skd@mit.edu 3 Ames Street #39 Cambridge MA 02142-1305 Keep in touch http://web.mit.edu/skd/www/vermont

  16. Wrap up • Fill out the survey for a chance to win Microsoft software • Have a question we didn’t answer? Ask away!

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