ProReady

Integrated Teaching & Learning Program offers first college micro-credential

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Integrated Teaching & Learning Program offers first college micro-credential Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/29/2022 - 00:00

Elsiana Kaelika Cruz

��񱦵� students can now expand their skillset with the latest Arduino knowledge – something in high demand in today’s job market.

The Integrated Teaching & Learning Program (ITLP) at the College of Engineering and Applied Science has launched the first micro-credential that focuses on technical content. Their goal with the new Arduino micro-credential program is to serve students looking to improve their proficiency with Arduino microcontrollers.

The Arduino micro-credential consists of six workshops, which include Arduino introduction, motion, communication, miniaturization, electronics introduction, and soldering. The program provides a way to recognize and document the acquisition of specific skills and competencies students will gain from all Arduino and electronics skill-building workshops. Linking the content of all six workshops together allows the student to explore innovative design paths and justify their design decisions.

“In order to become and stay ProReady in the engineering and applied science job market, students with an earned degree must seek continuing education and training to stay technically relevant,” said Ben Weihrauch, senior director of student professional development. “Earning micro-credentials through CU Engineering, such as Arduino, is a great way to be technically current and augment your degree to be more appealing to an employer.”

Upon successful completion of the Arduino micro-credential program, students will receive a digital badge with achievements of the program's requirements and learning objectives. This endorsement will display the student’s capability of combining and applying knowledge of Arduino, micro-controller, circuits, and electro-mechanical systems. The micro-credential will also serve as evidence that the student is able to optimize the implementation of an Arduino into robust, robotic systems.

Josh Miller is a mechanical engineering student and the first to enroll in the ITLP Arduino micro-credential. “The program has supplemented my academic journey. Being able to build circuits and understand resistor code has made me a valuable teammate in my subsequent circuits class in mechanical engineering. It was a great feeling to be the one in class helping others because of the knowledge I had acquired through the Micro-credential program,” said Miller.

The ITLP’s mission is to provide curriculum and support for hands-on engineering education across all engineering disciplines. They offer project consultation and engineering learning to all students. The team is prepared to support up to 10 students for the Arduino micro-credential program’s premiere semester.

For more information about the Arduino micro-credential, please contact ITLP Senior Engineering Project Consultant Lauren Darling via email or schedule an appointment. Visit the ITLP website for additional skill-building workshops and to check out their facilities.

The Integrated Teaching & Learning Program launched the first micro-credential that focuses on technical content. The new Arduino micro-credential program will serve students looking to improve their proficiency with Arduino microcontrollers.

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Students: Learn how CU Engineering is committed to your career success

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 17:24:09 +0000

Students: Learn how CU Engineering is committed to your career success Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/07/2021 - 11:24

Ben Weihrauch

[video:https://www.youtube.com/embed/PlrbX6rxkiw]

Welcome back to campus for the fall 2021 semester!

In addition to a world-class education, CU Engineering is committed to your career success through the ProReady initiative. Whether you are a new student or soon to graduate, we have many great opportunities for you this semester.

Job and Internship Recruiting

Our employer partners will soon be recruiting CU Engineering students to fill their internships and full-time jobs. We have five primary career fairs this fall in a virtual setting, unless otherwise noted:

Aerospace & Defense
Chemical & Biological engineering
Civil, Environmental & Architectural engineering (in-person)
Computing & Software
STEM Industry – representing all majors

Be sure to have a completed profile on Handshake, where you can find thousands of posted positions and register for career fairs, company info sessions, and fair-prep workshops. Connect with the Engineering Career Services team for online resources, virtual drop-ins, and individual appointments.

Education Abroad

Despite COVID challenges, there are still many Education Abroad opportunities! Applications for spring and summer 2021 are open, so head to the Education Abroad Fair and start planning now. In addition, consider declaring a Global Engineering minor or simply taking global-focused courses to fulfill your humanities & social science requirements.

Active Learning

Undergraduate research is a fantastic way to gain relevant experience. Start to learn about research opportunities available through programs like the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship (DLA) and CU Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (CU SPUR).

On behalf of our college and campus partners, we are excited to support you on your ProReady journey this year. Visit the ProReady website for a comprehensive list of resources and support services.

Sincerely,

Ben Weihrauch
Senior Director of Student Professional Development

Learn how we help you become ProReady with internships, career fairs, study abroad opportunities and more.

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ME students invent device for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 16:14:47 +0000

ME students invent device for delivering COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/31/2021 - 10:14

Sarah Kuta

CU Engineering students have invented a novel solution to this global problem, which has the potential to affect millions of people living in rural areas around the world. Meet PortaVax, a portable vaccine carrier that can keep up to 250 vaccine doses cold for several days using insulation and dry ice.

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Undergraduate researchers learn valuable lessons from remote research

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 17:40:38 +0000

Undergraduate researchers learn valuable lessons from remote research Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/24/2020 - 11:40

Undergraduate researches share their experiences as participants in the ME SPUR Program. ME SPUR, modeled after CU Summer Program for Undergraduate Research, enabled undergraduate students to work with mechanical engineering faculty on research that could be conducted remotely.

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An inside look: Interning with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 18:56:45 +0000

An inside look: Interning with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/03/2020 - 12:56

Kyle McDonnell

Before his internship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, mechanical engineering student Kyle McDonnell didn't know cost engineering was an engineering career path. He said his internship gave him a taste of what working at the Corp would be like and a taste of the construction field as well.

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Time for reflection: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:33:01 +0000

Time for reflection: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/18/2020 - 13:33

Sarah Kuta

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench into the internship and job plans of many CU engineering students and recent graduates. Even so, these steadfast Buffs have been able to overcome all the extra logistical hurdles and uncertainty caused by the novel virus.

ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.

“You shouldn’t have to navigate this alone,” says Ben Weihrauch, senior director of student professional development for the college. “Being persistent and resilient, along with widening your job search targets, will be key in navigating the current hiring market.”

After graduating from CU in May, Gabriella Abello spent the summer weighing all her options. Graduate school? Find a job? Something else entirely?

Though the pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty in her life, it’s also given Abello time to consider what she actually wants to do in her life.

“If this wouldn’t have happened, I would’ve just taken the first job I got and started at an engineering firm and just kinda gone with the next steps and that’s totally fine,” says Abello, who studied architectural engineering and environmental design. “But the pandemic has allowed me to slow down and think, ‘OK, what do I really want?’ I know that I want to be an engineer, but what else do I want and what direction do I want to go?”

Ultimately, Abello decided to enroll in graduate school in Denmark, where she studied abroad as an undergrad. She was accepted to the Technical University of Denmark, where she’ll begin work on a master’s degree in architectural engineering in January.

Though her plans are now firmed up, Abello tried to approach the unexpected downtime caused by the pandemic with an adventurous outlook — she opened herself up to new ideas, new opportunities and new paths that she may have otherwise overlooked. And she’s glad she did.

“What everyone needs right now is patience with themselves and everyone around them,” she said. “You just have to get creative with what you want to do and make time for yourself.”

After graduating from CU in May, Gabriella Abello spent the summer weighing all her options. Graduate school? Find a job? Something else entirely?

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Lemons into lemonade: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:28:48 +0000

Lemons into lemonade: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/18/2020 - 13:28

Sarah Kuta

ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.

Abigail Fernandes made the best of a bad situation — and then some.

Fernandes, an experienced software engineer, recently completed a CU master’s degree in computer science with a focus on machine learning. In the summer between her first and second years of the program, Fernandes completed an internship at Uber; afterward, the company offered her a full-time position.

With a job offer in hand, she wrapped up her graduate degree and felt confident about her post-graduation plans. Then COVID-19 hit and all of Fernandes’ plans went out the window. Uber rescinded the offer, citing the pandemic. Fernandes tried not to panic, but felt totally blindsided by the decision. As an international student from India, she knew she had to follow the strict rules associated with her visa in order to remain in the United States legally.

The college, however, helped her find a job as a computer science research assistant so that she didn’t have to worry so much about her immigration status while she scrambled to apply for other jobs and prepare for technical interviews.

Within a few weeks, she received four job offers from top tech companies with offices in Boulder, New York City and Seattle. After lots of deliberation, she accepted an offer with Amazon Go in Boulder.

“It worked out better than I could have imagined, in hindsight,” she says.

Looking back, her uncertainty was tempered by the outpouring of support she received from her professional and personal network. After Uber rescinded her offer, she wrote a candid post on LinkedIn and was surprised by how many people reached out to offer help, referrals and anything else she might need.

She also benefited from the mindset that all her hard work would lead to something positive.

“I told myself when it happened that whatever happens is for the best,” she says. “I knew I had to continue to work hard and at no point think about giving up. I’ve had enough experiences to know that. Things haven’t gone my way but eventually, I’ve been very happy where I ended up.”

Abigail Fernandes made the best of a bad situation — and then some.

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Waiting patiently: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:23:19 +0000

Waiting patiently: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/18/2020 - 13:23

Sarah Kuta

ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.

Dhwani Khatter (CompSci’20) is playing the waiting game.

In March, before the world turned upside down, Khatter got a job offer in Georgia in her chosen field, cybersecurity. Unfortunately, before she could even start packing, the company reversed course and terminated the position because of the pandemic.

She moved forward, accepting a cybersecurity position with a different company, this time in Dallas. But the uncertainty didn’t stop there. All summer, Khatter grappled with an ever-changing start date for her new job. First, it was the end of June. Then the end of July. Then early August.

Finally, the company decided she could start the new job in the middle of August, virtually. By the time she got the news that her job was going remote, Khatter had already signed a lease and moved from Colorado to Dallas.

Though the pandemic made the last few months incredibly stressful, Khatter is keeping a positive attitude about the situation. One silver lining? She’s grateful for the extra time she spent with her parents because of the pandemic.

“You just have to adjust,” she said.

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Connecting and networking virtually: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:14:14 +0000

Connecting and networking virtually: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/18/2020 - 13:14

Sarah Kuta

ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.

Adam Chehadi is an internship pro — he’s participated in technical internships since he was a junior in high school — but even he’s been thrown for a loop by the coronavirus pandemic.

Chehadi, now a third-year student in electrical and computer engineering with a minor in computer science at CU, was supposed to participate in an in-person software engineering internship at Workiva in downtown Denver.

Instead, the cloud computing company shipped a computer to his house and asked him to complete his data services internship remotely. This summer’s internship has been unlike any other Chehadi has experienced, but so far, so good.

One aspect of office life he misses: Casual interactions with coworkers. Now, he’s learning how to connect with people over Slack and on virtual video meetings. It’s different, but people are people, whether you’re rolling over to their desk in your office chair or chatting over Zoom from your separate home offices.

And since many software engineering jobs can be done remotely these days, the internship is giving Chehadi an opportunity to consider whether a fully remote job is something he’s interested in after graduation.

“I believe adaptability is more important than ever as we are in the midst of navigating this period of uncertainty,” he says.

Adam Chehadi is an internship pro — he’s participated in technical internships since he was a junior in high school — but even he’s been thrown for a loop by the coronavirus pandemic.

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A new challenge: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 18:59:32 +0000

A new challenge: Stories of resilience in the COVID-19 era Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 08/18/2020 - 12:59

Sarah Kuta

ProReady resources can help engineering Buffs overcome delayed start dates, rescinded job and internship offers, unexpected swaps to remote work and everything in between.

Ahmed Ferjani was studying abroad in Spain when the coronavirus pandemic reached the United States.

Ferjani, now a fourth-year CU mechanical engineering student with a minor in business and biomedical engineering, was gearing up for an in-person internship at L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York. But the pandemic had other plans.

While he was still in Spain, Ferjani got word that the company was moving his material science internship online. He returned home to Denver in July, then booted up his laptop and got to work.

Though Ferjani was bummed he wouldn’t get to meet any other L3Harris interns face to face or explore the company’s Rochester facilities, he says he’s grateful to have an internship at all.

“It was bittersweet,” he says.

Though he’s disappointed, he’s choosing to focus on the positives. For starters, interning remotely is much safer and will help prevent the spread of the virus. The internship is also an opportunity to try something new and prove to future employers that he’s nimble and up for anything.

“I’m thinking of it as a new challenge,” he says. “A new challenge to sell myself out there, prove my worth. Being able to say I can work from home, that I’m flexible — it’s a different skill set. We have to adapt, especially nowadays.”

Ahmed Ferjani was gearing up for an in-person internship at L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York. But the pandemic had other plans.

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