Apply to the Student Travel Fund

Do you need money to travel to your next conference, hackathon or networking event? Apply to the Student Travel Fund! Originally made possible by generous donations from the 2013 graduating senior class in conjunction with the annual Ring Ceremony, the fund helps cover costs for undergraduate student travel to conferences and competitions.

Taylor used the funds to travel to a conference.

Yale University, where SplashCon was held

"I am on the TESC Outreach Committee and was given the opportunity with my co-lead to be in charge of Splash -  a one-day marathon of classes in a variety of subjects that is open to all students in grades 9-12 - this year," said Taylor. "Universities such as Yale, Harvard and MIT put it on. I applied to the student travel fund to attend SplashCon, a conference that teaches universities how to run the event. I gained so much valuable information! I will apply what I learned in the workshops, like marketing tips, how to create a timeline for the event, and how to utilize the website. I also look forward to applying what I learned from listening to the other students' experiences."

Ryan used the funds to travel to a workshop in Los Angeles.

"The American Society of Civil Engineers workshop in Los Angeles gave me an opportunity to network with professionals, and interact with other students from other schools," said Ryan. "I was able to learn more about general leadership within the Society of Civil Engineers, how to go about advancing my professional career, and how to better serve the community through interaction with professionals and lectures by accomplished engineers."


Interested? You're in luck! There's a workshop January 26, 2017 in the Qualcomm Room (EBU1/Jacobs Hall). During this workshop the STF Committee will share insights about the application process, best practices for travel, and recording trip experiences. Refreshments will be provided!

#ILookLikeAnEngineer: James Natanauan

We are continuing our effort to highlight undergraduate students at the Jacobs School of Engineering with James Natanauan. James is a computer engineering student and president of the Triton Engineering Student Council (TESC) for the second year in a row. Meet James, a senior with a passion for computers also for making his own music.

Name: James Natanauan

Major: Computer Engineering

Estimated graduation date: June 2016

Why did you choose engineering at UC San Diego?

I have always loved computers. I told myself I would learn how to make them work.

What are your career goals?

I want to go into industry first, and based on the internships I’ve had, I really like the management aspect of the field. I would like to pursue and advanced degree, perhaps an MBA or a masters in computer science or computer engineering.

Do you have a favorite quote or mantra?

“Carpe diem.” You’ve got one life, so you should make the most of it.

What are three things about you that make you an individual?

1. I moved here from Hong Kong when I was 10, but I was born in the Philippines.

2. I’m really into playing music, but I’m just getting into making music. I don’t have any equipment for electronic music, but it’s all acoustic stuff right now. I’ve been playing guitar on and off since I was twelve.

3. Last summer, I bought a bunch of random instruments, such as an Irish penny whistle, a harmonica. I can actually play the guitar and harmonica at the same time.

Musical inspiration?

The Beatles.

What does the #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign mean to you?

It’s really important because we generalize things so easily, and often subconsciously. I remember this one time, I was at a table eating a taco, and this guy came up to me to talk. I was quiet because I was chewing my food, when he said, “You’re so quiet. You’re such an engineer.” That’s still a negative stereotype about engineers - that we’re anti-social, and we don’t get out much. This campaign is important because we need to treat everyone as an individual.

Engineering Student Orgs Table at Annual Engineers on the Green

This past Monday, the Triton Engineering Student Council hosted their annual "Engineers on the Green" event, with over 1,400 students in attendance. 

The engineering student organizations at UC San Diego gathered at Matthews Quad to show off some of their work and welcome new members. From project teams to mentorship programs, industry panels to outreach events, and resume workshops to ice skating nights, all of these organizations offer an endless amount of opportunities and ways to have fun. Here's a recap from Instagram: 

Go Theta Tau! Representing engineering fraternities @thetatau_ucsd #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:11pm PDT

Check out our awesome Concrete Canoe team at UC San Diego #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:19pm PDT

SEDS looks ready to "rocket" with their 3-D printed engine! #eotg #engineersonthegreen

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:26pm PDT

UC San Diego's Society of Civil and Structural Engineers #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:27pm PDT

"To increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community." -- National Society of Black Engineers @nsbeucsd #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:36pm PDT

"Changing lives... Empowering communities... Impacting the world..." @shpeucsd #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 4:53pm PDT

Free games and food at #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 6:16pm PDT

Engineers for a Sustainable World at UC San Diego @esw_ucsd #engineersonthegreen #eotg

A photo posted by UC San Diego Engineering (@ucsandiegoengineering) on Sep 28, 2015 at 6:52pm PDT

Celebrating Pi Day of the century--a daily early

More than 240 people turned out on (the potentially scary) Friday, March 13 to celebrate Pi Day one day early. They helped raise about $1200 for the San Diego Science Alliance by taking part in the annual Pi-Mile Walk and Run. This year, in addition to the slice of pie and T-shirt they earned through their registration, they could also enjoy free pizza, courtesy of The Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society.

The organization also held its second annual pie drop from the top of EBU II. This year's pie was home made, filled with red fruits, including strawberries and cherries, and made a impressive splatter once it hit the ground.

The actual Pi Day will be extra-special this year: at precisely 9:26:53 the date (if written 3/14/15) will match the number Pi to the 10th digit. 

Video of the fun above. All pictures from the event here: http://on.fb.me/1xsNEyV

Hundreds turn out for DECaF career fair

Hundreds of students crowded the Price Center East and West Ballrooms Friday, Feb.20 for the Disciplines of Engineering Career Fair, better known as DECaF, organized by the Triton Student Engineering Council.
 This year, students had access to more than 90 companies. Many of them sent UC San Diego alumni to help recruit for internships and full-time positions.
Jeffrey Silverman, who earned a degree in biology here in 1982, was one of them. He is a managing director at San Marcos-based Varioscale, a company that creates cutting edge equipment to support the electronics industry. Silverman said he was back because he was impressed by the work of a hire he made last year at DECaF, Thomas Harper. "He's done a fine job for me. I want to go find more Toms," Silverman said.

It's going to rain pie on March 13 in the Jacobs School Bear Courtyard

The design for this year's Pi-Mile Run/Walk T-shirt.

Pies will be falling from the sky on Friday, March 13 at the Jacobs School of Engineering, more specifically in the Bear Courtyard. Dozens of people will also be running--but not because of the flying pies.
It's all part of Pi Day celebrations at the Jacobs School, which will be held a day early this year, since the actual Pi Day, March 14, falls on a Saturday.
Festivities will start with the Pi-Mile Run/Walk, which takes participants through a 3.14-mile course around the Jacobs School , RIMAC and Calit2. The start and finish line are in the Bear Courtyard. Registration is $10 and includes a free T-shirt and a slice of pie. Proceeds from the event go to the San Diego Science Alliance, an organization that promotes science education in kindergarten through 12th-grade in San Diego.
Click here for more info and to register: http://tinyurl.com/2015PiRun
The run, organized by the Jacobs Graduate Student Council and the Triton Engineering Student Council, will be followed by the Pie Drop, organized by honor society Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honors society. Students will drop a pie from an unspecified location in the Bear Courtyard.
Here is video of last year's pie drop:


By the way,the actual Pi Day will be extra-special this year: at precisely 9:26:53 the date (if written 3/14/15) will match the number Pi to the 10th digit.

Check out these amazing graduation pictures!

We love how creative our students are getting with their senior and graduation shots. Below are just three examples. Got some creative pictures of your own? You can send them to us via Twitter @UCSDJacobs, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UCSDJacobs or email ipatrin AT ucsd DOT edu.
Congratulations graduates!

A group of Jacobs School students celebrates their graduation at La Jolla Shores.

TESC President Pooja Makhijani tries out her wizarding skills on classmate Akshay Maheshwari.

Structural engineering major Sam Sun poses at the bottom of the Scripps Pier.

Check out this amazing graduation cap art by one of our students

We love this graduation cap art crafted by TESC President Pooja Makhijani out of felt, pompoms and puffy paint! It brings together the Fallen Star, a sculpture set on the 7th floor of EBU I (Jacobs Hall), with the Pixar movie "Up." The Fallen Star, a small cottage perched at an angle on the top of the building, is meant to convey the feeling of disorientation that students experience when they first arrive to a new campus. In "Up," a retired widower ties up thousands of balloons to his home, also a small cottage, and takes off for a region of South America he had always wanted to visit with his wife. Adventures ensue, featuring a young Wilderness Explorer who accidentally gets pulled into the man's journey, several talking dogs and an endangered bird.

Makhijani's next adventure is more defined: she is heading out to medical school at Stanford. You can learn more about her here.

Outstanding graduate: Pooja Makhijani

When Pooja Makhijani first visited the Jacobs School, she didn’t know if she wanted to be an engineer. “I went on lab tours during my visit and was amazed that professors were willing to mentor me that fall,” she recalls. Makhijani signed up for bioengineering. A Jacobs Scholar, she took an unpaid research position her first year and worked on an independent project, which became the seed for her senior thesis. She served as TESC president in her junior and senior years. She created a peer mentorship program and spearheaded the creation of a scholarship fund to help students attend conferences and present their work. She plans to attend medical school at the Mayo Clinic this fall. 

More outstanding grads here. 

These amazing derby cars raced on campus May 9

An amazing 42 teams signed up to be part of this year's 11th annual Junkyard Derby on Peterson Hill here at UC San Diego on May 9. This year, team LOCO-MOTION came out on top. Congrats Brian Liss, Nate Liu, Evan Ackema, Kyle Candee, Ian White and Cherng Chu!

Every year, teams scour for junk that they can use to build their box car. They have two build days before the race. Finally, the boxcars race down Peterson Hill either round-robin style or in heats until only the fastest (and sturdiest) car is left standing.

The event, organized by the Triton Engineering Student Council, receives the support of the UC San Diego's facilities team and of the Associated Students. This year, Sprinkles provided free cupcakes at the event. If you missed the derby, you can still see the winning car on display in the science and engineering section of Geisel Library.

Pictures of the event courtesy of Tony Wong and Sam Sun.