#163: HOAES (8)

WOW! It's a new year and in a few days will be the start of a new semester for me. Below are some pictures I took like semester during finals week when I was pulling an all-nighter and decided to take a study break. I've listed my key academic resolutions/goals for the new semester.

• Time management
• Spiritual and mental wellness
• Physical wellness
• Organization
• Be proactive
• Seek assistance soonest
• Healthy eating
• Have a designated and conducive location to study
• Utilize flash cards more

#153: HOAES (7)

This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to go to the Kimballton underground mine in Giles County for one of my mining classes; this mine is overseered by Lhoist North America. It was such a wonderful experience, and also my first time going to an underground mine. The primary production in this mine is limestone. Honestly on my way heading there I had no expectations but just curiousity, so I wouldn't really say it was what I expected or not. I could write all day about it, but I'll just state a few observations/comments for the sake of time, and I need to go to bed soon.

Before heading there, our professor warned us to dress warm since it's an underground mine and the possibility of it being cold is high. Fortunately for my group, it was not very cold so I had no need for my jacket and was content with just a sweater. Also, we were told to bring hard boots if we did not have the proper steel-toe boots, but for some weird reason, I could not find my hard boots that morning; so I decided to wear my uggs and was given a toe shield (I forgot what the technical name is), in order to protect my shoes. Being that its an underground mine, I never thought about the lighting but I was quite amazed by how dark it was in there. Honestly if I was lacking excitement for the tour and sleepy, I could have slept throughout the tour, because it was very dark and cool in there, and the ride was very long; I think our tour guide (Wes) mentioned that the mine is 2300 ft deep, don't quote me on that.

Overall, I had a good time touring the mine and getting to learn a lot. Although I do not have experience as yet in underground or surface mining, I'm looking towards underground right but of course that's a bias preference because that is all I am conversant with at the moment. Something that amazed about the mine though is how after going underground, one completely forgets about time because the difference between day and night cannot be distinguished but time in a way stands still. Like I said, I enjoyed the experience and I think this is because I'm more of a practical person rather than theoretical because to be honest, I am currently not enjoying some of my lectures but I can proudly say that my Rock Mechanics lab is my favorite class because everything is very hands-on, and I am sure you all remember in a few posts ago of how I lamented tirelessly about how much fun I'm having in it.

Rather than saying much, I've posted numerous pictures I took; actually, I did not take as much as I wanted because my camera's picture quality was really poor due to the lighting and such. While browsing the pictures, you will notice that I took a picture of the women's bathroom. This is because I requested to use the bathroom: (1) because I needed to use it, due to the fact that I drink a lot of water, (2) I wanted to know how progressive of a company it was. One of my friends who's an engineer once told me that she interned for a company that none of the men employees knew where the women's bathroom was located and this is because they rarely had women visit and there were no women employees. So in my case, this mine passes my test and I hope they are an equal opportunity establishment, even though I did not see any women miners during the entire tour.

P.S.: Pictures these and many other pictures can be viewed in an album (Kimballton Limestone Mine) on my primary website.

#139: HOAES (6)

So today I had a fantastic time in my Rock Mechanics lab, and I just want to scream to the world that I love Mining and Minerals Engineering, I love machines, and I love rocks! Being in a new major last semester was good, but I wasn't very excited about some of the coursework. However, I am enjoying this semester so far (even though I am only in the second week). Most of my classes last semester were very theoretical and I disliked the fact that I was not very hands-on with a lot of my classes, but one (Geology lab). One of the reasons why I decided to become an engineer is because I like doing practical work and being very hands-on, and I felt that engineering was definitely an appropriate path for me. But of late (meaning the past semesters), I've done less labs of my interest and more writing and I started losing my love for practical engineering.

BUT, I am glad to say that I am beginning to get my love for engineering again and my first lab work today definitely had something to do with it. Before going to the class, I was very tired because my day with classes started really early and I had already had 5 classes and they were all back-to-back, so I was not very excited to go to a 3-hour lab class. But to my wonderful surprise, reasons arose that made me wake up and get my excitement of being a mining and minerals engineering student. The purpose of today's lecture was to learn how to cut rock samples with the rock saw, polish the rocks to make them have smooth edges, measuring the lengths and diameters, and also finding RDQs. All the measuring was fun, but I was very happy when the *TA took us on a tour and asked if we will like to use the machines, and I gladly volunteered. He taught me how to use the rock saw safely with goggles and earplugs and also to be attentive not to cut off my fingers, how to polish my rock and test the level of smoothness.

Using the saw reminded me of my technology class that I had in 9th grade with one of my favorite teachers and mentors in the whole world. It just reminded me of why I decided to pursue engineering as a hobby and possible career, which is because of the hands-on work. This technology class was the deciding factor of my passion for engineering, and I had a wonderful teacher that made a great impact of me; he's the best. Also, it reminded me of the days I was involved with my Robotics Competition Team in high school, built robots and traveled to several locations for competitions with schools around the world. It was a great feeling to be using the big machines again, getting wet and dirty. As weird as it may sound, I felt pretty accomplished after I created a product out of my rock even though it was a small sample.

There are 14 people in my lab section with two girls, and I was the only girl in my group. Initially, the boys in my group were hesitant to mess with the rocks but with the opportunity of cutting the rocks that the TA presented, I just could not resist myself but to do it. As much as I get excitement from my major, as an individual and an engineer, I am always alert about being safe so I made sure I was following the proper steps. I have really small ears and so are the holes, so I notified the TA that the ear plugs wouldn't stay stuck in my ears; some of the boys were laughing at me and said that I need to stop acting like a girl; without being offended by it, I told them that yes I am a girl and an engineer and I am very cognizant that it's all about safety first, so if I am teased for being safe then that is all right with me.

So my advice today to you reading this is to follow your dreams and ambitions. There are times that you will be doing things and preliminary work that you do not enjoy but as long as the long-term goal is your dream, then it is worth it. I had to take some not-so-fun classes just to get to these fun classes, and the knowledge I gained in those previous classes have been beneficial to me in being a better student in the current classes. Also, do not pretend you know it all and shy away from learning new things because it will only hurt you in times to come; there were some calculations that I struggled with today in my lab but I put aside my pride and notified my group members that I did not know how to do it (even though one of them laughed at me), and by the end of class I was proficient in doing the calculations and reading the scales.

To my girls and women in engineering, be spontaneous and do things that make you comfortable. It's okay to be cautious whether you're teased for it or not. Do not be afraid to get dirty, wet, break a nail, and have fun, because you are only cheating yourself from all the fun in engineering and technology. Engineering and **STEM as a whole is exciting, so make the best out of every moment!


*TA: teacher's assistant
**STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

#129: HOAES (5)

So yesterday, I saw my result for my summer dynamics class and I was very happy to know that I got a passing grade (B); as much as I would have love to have gotten an A, I am very grateful for the B. I am happy because this is a class that I struggled so much in this summer, and the fact that it was a summer class made it more difficult. The reasons why I struggled are because this course content was intense, and my learning style was not very compatible with the professor's teaching style.

Dynamics being one of the branches of Engineering Mechanics is a very tough course and I consider it as an advance level of Engineering Physics with the constant presence of kinetics and kinematics. When I was in Engineering Physics (mechanics portion), I struggled in some of the content but I was lucky to have great friends in it, whom I studied with and we tutored each other. Towards the end of that semester, I was able to get a passing grade, but it was not my satisfactory grade. Due to the fact that I struggled in Physics, I was not very excited about Dynamics; I had taken Dynamics for a couple of weeks last Spring semester but dropped it due to the fact that it was very time-consuming and I was also taking Deforms (Mechanics of Deformable Bodies) and that is another difficult class, so I dropped it.

So this summer, I decided to take Dynamics by itself so I can fully concentrate on it, but also having rest some during my break from college. Although I am not a fan of summer classes, I decided to take this class because it's a prerequisite for a class I'm taking next semester and I just wanted to get it over with. Overall, I did not mind the class and even though it was a 4-hour-long class, I was okay with that because I looked towards the fact that it was only a 6-week-class. However, what I found difficult about this class was having to remember a lot of the things I had learned in Physics, Differential Equations, Statics, and also Calculus (1, 2, 3); yes, I passed all those classes but there were things that I struggled with back then so I did not appreciate them creeping up on me again. Also, the professor's teaching style was different from my learning style and there were no TAs (teaching assistants) but I am happy that I had a great textbook to refer to, and I worked arduously with my classmates outside of class.

My advice to present and future engineering students is to be ready to work hard, because the path involves some classes that will come with difficulty. What is also tough is that there will be times in this type of class whereby the professor may not be able to communicate well with you, so one has to make ways to succeed. Ways that can be made to succeed are by asking for help from whoever has accurate knowledge about the subject, reading books beyond the assigned textbooks, and also getting help from classmates. you start taking higher-level engineering classes, do not forget the content because they will most likely show up in future courses and practices.

Remember that engineering is a tough path for some but can be endured. Therefore, be the best student you can by working hard and passionately.

"Main Vari Vari" from the movie Manghal Pandey

#70: HOAES (4)

As I progress in my engineering classes, I have come to realize that engineering is a field that is oriented towards a lot of group work. In the past 30 days, I've had at least 4 group projects and those projects are worth a good amount in my grade cumulation for each of these classes. Being that fact that engineering is heading or has already headed towards the path of being a field focused on group/team work, I will highly advice anyone who has interest in getting into any engineering field to be a little extroverted.

Do not get me wrong, shy and laid back people have equal chances in excelling in engineering, and have in the past; however, it is imperative that one has willingness to work with others in order to pass some engineering assignments due to group projects. As for me, I enjoy working alone sometimes, but there are times that I really appreciate working with others because we tend to bounce off ideas from each other. However, I am conflicted certain times with group assignments due to the fact that not all members contribute equally as should be, and the work tends to be done by few of the members.

My advice to a present or future engineering student is that you must be lenient and accommodating of others when it comes to group assignments. Perform your task and contribute evenly in the project, even if some members try to take over all the tasks, because the professor probably has a good reason why she or he made the project a group assignment. Also, if some group members are not contributing as should be, first speak to them about it and if they refuse to listen, then do not be afraid to notify the professor about it, because if that individual does not contribute their part in the assignment, it will later hurt your overall group grade, which affects your grade.

Wan man geng - Menace Da General

#69: Priorities

According to learnersdictionary.com, priorities are "the things that someone cares about and thinks are important." In my life today, there are many things that come my way and I care for most of them, however, there are just certain things that I consider to be my priorities because without these things, I don't think my life will be this blessed and amazing as it is now. Over the past twenty years in my lifetime, some of my priorities have changed and some have remained the same, and I am sure it will be no different in the future in welcoming changes due to growth. But as for now, my priorities are...

My relationship with God

Family

Friends

Education

Philanthropy/Activism

Writing

Health and fitness

P.S.: There may be some things missing (such as dance, music, etc.) in this list that others may think should have been included in this list, however, I do believe that the things listed above are really the things that have made/make me a better person today.

We break the dawn - Michelle Williams

#50: HOAES (3)

Being an engineering student in the 21st century is exciting and comes with many opportunities and adventures, but the fact is we are living in the age of technology. Therefore, we the students of today have to be familiar with many computer programs for engineering projects. Personally, I think some of them are really exciting and some aren't. It becomes overwhelming sometimes to learn these programs and they take up so much time, in order to get a better understanding of its functions.

After being enrolled in many engineering classes over the past years, I've come to learn and understand some of these programs and there are some that my head is too stubborn to comprehend till this day. I am no expert in any of them, but I do my best in a good amount of them. The best advice I can give future and present engineering students is that in order for them to get better knowledge and skills for these programs, they must dedicate a lot of time practicing these programs. I've come to realize that the more time I spend on programs by myself and play around with the menus, the better it is for me to effectively use the program.

However, the more classes one takes as semesters go by, there are not many times available in the day to just sit in front of a monitor practicing programs. Therefore, one has to manage their time accordingly and try to struggle with the program on their own before getting help. I am not proficient in sticking to the second part of the advice because I get so frustrated sometimes with the programs that I just give up and get help, which is not a bad thing, but struggling is also good because you will have the right questions when help is finally received. For instance, if someone feeds you all the information, you won't think thoroughly of something but just work on automous mode and recall on all the things the person did when they were helping you and not knowing why. Honestly, I am telling you this now because I know it is the truth, but being the fact that we're all humans, it is easier said than done. But do try your best to stick to it.

It gets aggravating at times when learning these programs like I said earlier, but in classes to come, you tend to appreciate the fact that you learned it because you have more ways of approaching certain problems. That is what usually puts a lot of engineers and engineering students at an advantage sometimes compared to others without engineering background, because they aren't conversant with these programs. Therefore, pay attention to all programs you're learning today and will be learning tomorrow because you never know when it may sneak up on you. Trust me, I say this with experience.

Here are some programs I've encountered and had to learn over the past years:
Autodesk: *AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Inventor
Carlson Mining
ArcGIS
LabVIEW
MatLAB
*Microsoft Excel


*Used in most of my classes

Jasmine Mans - Roses



#24: HOAES (2)

As said few weeks ago, I'll be writing opinions, excitements, rants, etc. about being an engineering student. Well in this entry, I want to give advice to present and future engineering students and can also be beneficial to *STEM students as a whole.

• Have great time management
• Get help as soon as it is needed
• Do not make life all about academics and no social life
• Have a graphing calculator that will become your bestfriend
• Have a designated study environment that is conducive for you
• Do not depend on seeking sympathy from an engineering professor
• Must have appropriate priorities that are fitting around your academic schedule

* Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Vulindlela - Brenda Fassie

This is an entry for Herstory Of An Engineering Student

#10: Herstory of an engineering student

Due to the fact that I've reached a stage in my life whereby I want to retain many memories of my present life, I decided to start documenting some important things in my life. One of the definining and prioritized things in my life at the moment is my education. I will like to start documenting my journey in that field of study, and if my entries can be of help to another engineering student out there, boy or girl, then that'll be a plus!!! I've decided to name these entries "Herstory of an engineering student." Who knows, I might make it into a book in the future, but let's see where God takes me first.

Britney Spears - Everytime