Engineering Summer Labs Unite Theory and Practice
Nine students in Principia’s on-campus, dual-degree Engineering Program traveled recently to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks to put theory into practice, completing intensive, two-week summer labs alongside UND students. Working in teams and individually, they tackled technical topics, including mechanical measurements, manufacturing processes, surveying, hydraulic machinery, and physicochemical principles.
Because they regularly attend UND classes via distance learning from Principia’s classrooms, students already had a strong familiarity with the faculty. But being on the UND campus in person engaged Principians in a new way. “We got to know people from Alaska, Wyoming, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Nova Scotia, and even Guam,” says senior Ben Robinson, a civil engineering major. “It was wonderful to be there with Principia’s engineering majors, while making new friends, too.” At the end of the two weeks, students summarized lab results in written reports and oral presentations.
Following their time at UND, most of the Principia students went on to gain valuable pre-professional experience at summer internships, including work on the Mars 2020 Flight Systems System Engineering Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and on a large-scale data center building project at Holder Construction, among others. While at their internship locations, students completed technical reports related to the UND labs before returning to Principia to begin classes this fall. “The reports explained the theory behind the lab experiments and the importance of doing them,” says Paige Cooley, a mechanical engineering major. “The time in North Dakota was meaningful because I got to see the practical application for everything I’ve been learning the past three years, and I feel more prepared going into my senior engineering design project this year.”
Completing the summer labs placed participating students on track to graduate in May 2019. “Though students have five years to complete the program, the group that traveled to North Dakota is gearing up to finish in four years,” explains Dr. Chris O’Riordan-Adjah (C’99), director of Principia’s engineering program. “I’m particularly grateful to the Asher Foundation for providing a portion of housing costs for our students while they were in North Dakota. This summer experience is a key component to our program. Students developed essential skills and will be well-prepared to launch careers in various engineering fields.”