Engineering FYI, April 2013

The Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s independent student newspaper, profiled a recent MindSET activity session hosted by the Maryland Beta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi. Nearly 30 middle school students from nearby Nicholas Orem Middle School came to the University of Maryland (UM) J.M. Patterson woodshop for a bridge building module. The “workshop also included a tour of the Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility on the campus, a magic show, lunch and a talk from engineering faculty members. Two days earlier, members of Tau Beta Pi also visited the middle school to host a rocket-building workshop.”

The session was facilitated through a Tau Beta Pi and Teach For America partnership. Alex Krupp, an associate for the National Alliances Team at Teach for America, said these workshops inspire the students who attend them. “I’m thrilled by what they’re doing, and it shows that Teach for America is not alone in the movement to end educational inequity,” Krupp said. “I believe they bring a very specific awareness to help combat the issue.” Read the article

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Earlier this month, Union Wireless announced that Steven R. Sundberg, WY A 2014, was the 2013 recipient of the Union Wireless Scholarship in conjunction with the University of Wyoming’s Engineering and Applied Science Scholarship Program. Sundberg is a senior majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of Wyoming (UW).

According to the report, “the scholarship reflects the technical educational pursuits of the management of Union Wireless, including its CEO John G. Woody, and CTO Eric J. Woody (WY A ’01),” both of whom graduated with degrees in electrical engineering from UW.

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Nuclear (engineering) expert, Arnie Gundersen (NY G ’71), recently testified to the Vermont Legislature that several nuclear (power) “plants around the U.S. are closing because they are no longer economic or they need expensive repairs.” His testimony was related to discussions about a clean-up bill for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Click here to read the full article from Vermont Public Radio

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