CEC 2022 graduates

Entrepreneurship meets Intrapreneurship: Support for 21st century learning among mechanical engineering students

Martha Bushong — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 18:12:43 +0000

Entrepreneurship meets Intrapreneurship: Support for 21st century learning among mechanical engineering students Martha Bushong Thu, 04/28/2022 - 14:12

Much of the future of American industry depends on technologies developed and produced by companies such as Micron and Independence Hydrogen. At the College of Engineering and Computing, close ties to local companies like these benefit student learning especially when students can meet with company executives.

Twice during the spring 2022 semester, course leader and adjunct professor George Siragusa, a senior capstone project faculty advisor, organized an opportunity for engineering students enrolled in Mechanical Engineering (ME) 352 to participate in virtual panel discussions with executives from these two companies.

As part of their required coursework and preparation for both sessions, the student engineers reviewed prepared materials, brainstormed, and then compiled a series of questions for the guests. Speaking directly to the class live via Zoom, the company executives offered unique perspectives and insights across a broad spectrum of topics.

Special guests included Kevin Hicks, senior facilities mechanical engineer for Micron’s Manassas operation and chair of Mason’s Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board and two members of the Manassas Fab Engineering team, Alexander Mieses, a recent Mason mechanical engineering graduate, and Ryan Schomberg.

Another guest, William Lehner, Independence Hydrogen's founder and CEO also participated and says he couldn’t have been happier to share his experiences with the students. “When I was asked by George (Professor Siragusa), my USN shipmate, company adviser, and friend, to support the course by providing entrepreneurial insights, I jumped at the opportunity. It’s important for entrepreneurs to share their successes and failures with each other. It’s a simple way to show my deep appreciation to all the mentors and advisors in my own career by paying it forward.”

“Mr. Lehner brought an interesting perspective of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. He referenced the challenges he'd faced and the significant period of time he had to live off his savings as his company was not profitable for years,” says Evan Charlton a mechanical engineering student. “It was valuable to know just how much determination it can take to be successful as an entrepreneur, and the kind of technical and financial challenges you'd face.”

Through this experience, the students also gained valuable insights about internships, interviews, and landing that first job. “As a senior with no internship yet, it shed some light on how to go about looking for that first job once my studies are all complete, says Andrew Potts. “I knew of the resources that are offered here on campus but the value of those resources is tremendous, and that's important to know. The advice we heard on interviews will also stick with me because I know one day, I will be in that position, anticipating my first interview.”

As students transition from the classroom, to internships, to their first job they will be able to draw on the experiences of people like Hicks, Lehner, Mieses, and Schomberg.

“Our course architecture layers in a variety of ways to have our students attain, then demonstrate career readiness competencies that directly translate to skills desired by today's hiring managers,” says Siragusa. “These panel discussions offer our student engineers insights and real-world perspectives to guide them on their early career journey forward."

About Micron

Founded in 1978, Micron Technology, Inc. is $21.4B company, 40,000-employee, American producer of computer memory and computer data storage including dynamic random-access memory, flash memory, and USB flash drives headquartered in Boise, Idaho with divisions in Manassas, Virginia. Micron is among the top exporters in Virginia and contributes to Virginia’s overall state and local economy.

About Independence Hydrogen

Independence Hydrogen, Inc. (“IH”) is a privately held company that is a pioneer in building the American hydrogen economy. Based in Ashburn, Virginia, IH opens the door to fuel cells with reliable, affordable, and clean hydrogen services. The IH team is 100 percent veterans from military and government service, many with combat leadership experience which defines a company culture of integrity, service to others, and operational-drive performance mentality. IH’s mission is to make communities cleaner, safer, and

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mechanical engineering

CEC 2022 graduates

New Mason IT grad says ‘just go for it’

Rena Malai — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 19:59:42 +0000

New Mason IT grad says ‘just go for it’ Rena Malai Mon, 04/25/2022 - 15:59

It was a friend’s serendipitous homework assignment that had Dania O Abu-Irshaid, upcoming George Mason graduate from the Department of Information Sciences and Technology, switch her undergrad work from pre-law to a STEM path.

She says she’s always had a natural knack for coding, and it’s something that’s always interested her. But when she helped a fellow Mason student with a Python coding exercise, that’s when it clicked.

“I was thinking about pre-law, but after taking a class in it, I didn’t feel like it suited me. I was undecided,” says Abu-Irshaid. “Then my friend was struggling with this homework assignment and I ended up finishing it for her in five minutes. She looked at me and said, this is what you should be doing.”

When Abu-Irshaid made the move to study IT, with a concentration in cybersecurity, that’s when things really picked up for her. As the oldest child in her family, she was relied on to be the tech savvy expert and help fix wifi routers in the house or explain internet nuances to her parents. Although she is the first female in her family to study and work in STEM, she’s confident of the opportunities coming her way.

After graduation, Abu-Irshaid will enter a ten weeklong internship with the Virginia Department of Elections, where she will work in the cybersecurity sector. She also sees potential for a corporate position with one of the big contenders—namely Walmart. As a resident advisor at Mason to freshman engineering students, Abu-Irshaid says some of her mentees good naturedly tease her about her Walmart aspirations to this day.

“I’m like, guys, Walmart isn’t just about celery and sticky buns, they have a corporate side,” she says. “But they’ll still ask me how Walmart’s going and what kind of merchandise I have.”

With a bright future ahead, she says she’ll miss her time at Mason, particularly the diverse community and her role as an advisor.

“I love the community and culture at Mason. There’s always something to do, and something to look forward to on campus. But I’ll hopefully be back, in some capacity,” says Abu-Irshaid.

Her message for future grads is to just go for it, whether it’s a job, course of study, or opportunity.

“It’s really as simple as that, and it’s what got me everywhere,” she says. “Just go to that club meeting, go to that class, ask your professor that question. You’re not going to get the results unless you go for it.”

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Information Sciences and Technology Department

Graduation

CEC 2022 graduates

When robots meet sumo wrestling

Tama Moni — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:50:52 +0000

When robots meet sumo wrestling Tama Moni Mon, 04/25/2022 - 13:50

See Our Battlebots in Action

Systems Engineering students at the Norwalk Havoc Combat League on March 26.
From left to right: Rashed Almazrouei, Brian Romero, Nicholas Lechner, and
Sean Becker (team lead).

Battlebots is a nationally televised competition where robots battle in a closed arena. It is a breathtaking spectacle with robots colliding at high speeds and sparks flying. The winning robot must get a high score by hitting the opponent multiple times and pushing the opponent around the arena.

An enterprising team of Systems Engineering students in their Senior Design Capstone course designed, built, and tested a remotely controlled robot to compete in the 12-pound division in the Norwalk Havoc Robot Combat League (NHRL).

“The competition is unbelievably thrilling. The tension in the maintenance and repair bay preparing for the duel is high. Then you put your robot in the arena, and your heart is pumping at 120 beats per minute. Sparks flying, fans cheering. Whew!” said Brian Romero, a Systems Engineering student.

The team, led by nationally ranked combat robotics builder and Systems Engineering student Sean Becker says: “In the Systems Engineering class, we conducted a detailed analysis of the alternative attacking and defending mechanisms that are mounted on the robots.” The team built a Monte Carlo simulation and played out bouts between robots with different attack and defense mechanisms. “Based on the simulation, we came up with a unique design that attacks the opponent where they are least protected,” explained Sean Becker.

“We also took a step back and conducted a thorough design and analysis of the Life-cycle of a robot in the competition,” explained Systems Engineering student Nicholas Lechner. “This led us to realize the importance of modularity in the robot design.” Teams can have only 20 minutes between bouts to disassemble the robot and replace malfunctioning parts. “If you have ever watched a Battlebot fight, you know how much damage is done,” says Nicholas.

The team developed CAD designs and ran a Finite Elements Analysis on the components. The team fabricated the components, assembled, and tested the robot. “We broke a lot of components in testing and had to go back to the drawing board to redesign over and over again,” explained Sean Becker. “I never really appreciated the importance of testing, testing, testing,” says Brian Romero.

“We also practiced and timed the maintenance and repair to be ready for the competitions,” says Systems Engineering student Rashed Almazrouei. “It is like a Formula One race car pit stop. The parts and tools have to be lined up, and everyone has a specific role. The interaction has to be choreographed perfectly,” Rashed explained.

The team drove up to Norwalk, Connecticut, to compete in the Norwalk Havoc Robot Combat League on March 26, 2022. The robot won four six bouts and finished third overall.

“As systems engineers, and by applying the systems engineering methods, we had a big advantage over the competition,” says Sean Becker. “The Life-cycle analysis and the attack-defense simulation reduced the time and costs by learning in the digital world, what we would have to learn by competing in ten competitions.”

“We would like to thank all our professors in the Systems Engineering department for sharing their wisdom with us,” says Rashed. “Also, your encouragement, support, and belief in us as engineers made a big difference,” says Nicholas.

They are not out of the tournament yet. Since succeeding in the 12-pound class, the team is raising funding and applying to the 250-pound class Battlebot competition, which will premiere on the Discovery Channel.

To learn more about Systems Engineering, Robotics, and the Battlebot team, contact Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department Chair John Shortle.

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