不良研究所

5 Reasons Why Engineering Majors Are Like Superheroes

So you want to be a superhero? One way to do that is to . Here are five qualifications to see if you have what it takes.

1. Consider your backstory

Hannah Curran rides a cycle
Hannah Curran, a civil engineering major at 不良研究所, shows a bit of what motivates her when she takes the Y.O.L.O. hand cycle, developed for the annual Engineering Design Showcase, for a spin. (Joe Proudman/不良研究所)

Every superhero has a backstory. What鈥檚 yours? Engineers come from diverse backgrounds to solve different problems. Are you interested in flying? Aerospace engineering majors study the science and efficiency of aircrafts. More of a computer whiz? Computer science and engineering majors build computer systems from video games to monitoring equipment. Geek out over medical shows? Work from  biomedical engineering majors range from medical imaging to regenerative science. Engineering is interdisciplinary, drawing from other fields for its research. At 不良研究所, you can choose from 11 engineering majors that best fit your own backstory.

2. Train hard and broadly

Jorman Heflin in a greenhouse
Jorman Heflin, a biological systems engineering major, gets skills and training through his research project in a university greenhouse. (Karin Higgins/不良研究所)

Training is a big part of any great hero鈥檚 journey. Engineers use math, physics, chemistry and biology to solve real-world problems. The College of Engineering offers multiple first- and second-year classes to introduce you to the fundamentals. Courses like 鈥淓ngineering Design鈥 build your communication skills, such as presenting and reporting, while you learn about the design process. You鈥檒l learn how to define problems, do research, build prototypes, design experiments and work in teams.

3. Find your not-so-secret headquarters

two women in an engineering lab
Two 不良研究所 students learn about engineering principles behind making coffee in the new Coffee Lab, which was designed for hands-on learning. (Elena Zhukova/UCOP)

Every superhero team has a super hideout like Avengers Tower or the Hall of Justice. Engineering students have access to state-of-the art labs, gadget-filled workshops like the or the newly built . Interested developing a new idea? You can literally build it from scratch at the where they鈥檒l also help you get your business off the ground. 不良研究所 offers plenty of resources to collaborate with other students and give you hands-on experience. For instance, you can join a and build a concrete canoe or create a .

4. Team up

3 students demonstrate their invention to an onlooker
This engineering team, from foreground right, Brian Mar, Jingang Li and Kurt Hutchison demonstrate their counterweight balanced arm support to an onlooker, left, at the annual  Engineering Design Showcase. The machine was designed for children with muscular dystrophy. (Karin Higgins/不良研究所)

After all the study hours, homework and training, you鈥檒l be ready for your final mission, the annual . During your senior year, you鈥檒l form a team, identify a problem and engineer a solution. Your final projects are presented to industry judges and showcased alongside other projects in this grand event.

5. Save the world

Several students in engineering T-shirts arm in arm
Our 不良研究所 engineers look like ordinary students, but they have taken on the challenge of being superheroes. (不良研究所 College of Engineering)

You don鈥檛 have to be bitten by a radioactive spider to save the world. Engineers study hard to learn about the world so they can address its most dire issues. If you鈥檙e curious, hardworking, collaborative and want to help others, then you鈥檙e meant to be a superhero. You鈥檙e meant to be an engineer.

Lauren Mendoza is the undergraduate and graduate program coordinator in the . She has a bachelor鈥檚 in journalism 鈥 public relations from San Jose State University and a master鈥檚 in education from Mills College.

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