2022
The insect flapping was extremely interesting.
I was never really interested into bioengineering but these seminars helped me see the bigger picture.
My interest in bioengineering increased due to these seminars and I hope to learn more about them in the professional world as well as in graduate school.
I greatly enjoyed attending these sessions because I could see myself in the same position that these doctoral recipients were in.
All of the seminars were interesting and gave unique engineering perspectives.
Some seminars were quite challenging for me as an undergraduate student. I would have preferred some of the seminars to be geared down to match the level of knowledge we are at in our undergraduate years.
My reason for disinterest in these seminars came was mostly due to the fact that the specific topics weren’t in my area of interest, not that they were necessarily bad.
I would prefer mode in-person if possible
I always enjoy the ME S-STEM seminars, although sometimes the topics feel way over my head. I wish there was more time to ask questions after each seminar as well. I do not feel the students have much opportunity to ask questions because of the difficulty of content and because the faculty in attendance are usually the ones asking questions.
Again, the virtual nature of these seminars made it more difficult to pay attention and absorb the material. I am not especially interested in bioengineering, but seeing the connections between other fields of engineering and biology was interesting to me.
My interest isn’t bioengineering so sometimes I didn’t enjoy watching the long presentation but I did learn a lot and I think it’s good to learn about a broad range of fields.
Learning how research is to be presented allowed me to gain an insight into the future of the field of mechanical engineering.
Interesting work done, made me consider doing research based on possibilities and disciplines within STEM
I like seeing how what we learned in school is put into our future work.
2021
I enjoyed the AI WebEx call because I have an interest in that field.
The entrepreneurship seminar was quite interesting.
The seminars helped me gain a better understanding of all the future career and education paths I could take, and those who presented the seminars answered any questions I had.
I enjoyed the subjects they talked about in each seminar. I think the entrepreneurship seminar was a good because usually we focus on research, but this gave me some variety to the seminars.
The seminars were very interesting and engaging.
The seminars were great to attend.
I thought these were super interesting. They really helped me learn of more broad applications of what I’m learning now.
The seminars give a great scope of the engineering world.
It was really cool to see [professor] present his research in front of the MechE faculty!
The seminars caught my attention to various specializations in engineering.
I liked [professor’s] presentation the best. He was energetic and very well prepared and gave relevant pieces of advice. [Another professor’s] podcast was also interesting. [Other professor’s] presentations didn’t resonate with me. While the topics they had were interesting, their presentations were long and complex and kind of went over my head a bit.
Overall, the workshops and other requirements have been very helpful to me as a budding engineer. I loved listening to [researcher’s] podcast, as he was in my shoes not that long ago! I think sometimes, the individuals invited for research seminars will go very in depth into technicalities and nuances with their projects. It’s probably great for many of our professors to listen to, but for young engineers it can be overwhelming and difficult to get back into the presentation when you feel lost.
The podcasts while interesting felt a little drawn out, it was cool hearing about what alumni have been up to though.
I liked all the presentation ones, but the podcast was not great for me. I prefer to have someone present to me it’s just my preferred style of engagement.
2020
I very much enjoyed the wind turbine seminar, and it made me consider the possibility of working in the field of renewable energy when I graduate in the future.
I always enjoyed the seminars. Some were more interesting to me than others, which is to be expected. My interest was most captured by the presenters who were effective public speakers.
I enjoyed going to the seminars. I’m always interested in learning about the research of others.
I understood that the field of engineering is very vast and it has much complexity [too].
These seminars showed all of the things that are possible with an engineering degree.
They helped me to see some of the areas of research possible in the field. A lot did go over my head, but I learned a lot about the options.
The seminars were too focused that it made them seem complicated and hard to follow for me personally. I would have preferred them to be simplified to the level that could be understood by sophomore students like me.
They are interesting but they are not easy to understand for undergraduates. It would be nice if the presenters could tailor the presentations so it is easier for us undergraduates to understand.
I enjoy the seminars but it can be hard to follow at times.
For younger students and those who are less experienced with research it is harder to grasp some of the research presentations given. I believe it could be helpful in the future to make presenters aware that not only are they presenting to ME faculty, but also undergrads who may need more of an explanation.
They helped me to see some of the areas of research possible in the field. A lot did go over my head, but I learned a lot about the options.
Also, it would be awesome if industry people could come and explain the type of work that they do.
Should have more programs related to engines.
2019
They were informative and fascinating, explaining new developments in the field of Engineering research.
I think the seminars provide an opportunity to learn something new. I wish they were presented in a discussion format rather than a lecture. I think this would increase engagement and also facilitate conversation with the lecturer and students. I think the speakers this year were definitely better at welcoming questions and answering them. I really enjoyed the presentation on energy storage. It would also be cool if students were able to do a lunch-on with the speaker.
The only problem I had with the seminars is that they were scheduled at times where people would have to miss part of it for class pretty much always.
2018
“I like the seminars. They really gave me an idea of what it’s like to do research.”
“The seminars have really shown the importance of understanding fundamental topics during undergraduate years.”
“It was interesting to see all of the current research and development that actually goes on in industry. It is a nice break from what is learned in the classroom because it is very applicable.”
“The spring seminar showed that mechanical engineering isn’t limited to machines. It was interesting seeing mechanical engineering aid the human body.”
“Really enjoyed the tissue engineering one. The material was presented in an interactive and enthusiastic way that was easier to understand.”
“I particularly enjoyed the presentation given by Dr. Yi on tissue engineering. It made me realize how far of a reach that mechanics/engineering can have, even on our body.”
“I was extremely interested in the industry representative that came in because the information she provided gave a more clear perspective of the field and profession she is involved in.”
“I would like all the seminars to be more interactive with questions and answers throughout the presentation. That will help me and the rest of us follow the talk and stay engaged in the material.”
“some of the seminars do not seem to relate too much to mechanical engineering. I would like to see more technology seminars rather than just bio medical research.”
“I wish there was less of a focus on bioengineering. Bioengineering is fine, but I feel like every single seminar was on bioengineering. I wish it was more diverse and included things from mechanical, environmental, civil, etc.”
2017
“Mandatory meetings are nice to have the opportunity to hear different sides of mechanical engineers.”
“I was already interested in bioengineering before, so these seminars added to my knowledge and interest in the field.”
“They have opened my eyes in the applications of mechanical engineering to the world. Most importantly, they have showed the capabilities and capacity of engineers to do good and improve the welfare of the overall public. I have gained a lot of respect for the profession and it continues to grow.”
“All of the seminars were interesting for the most part and helped provide a broader view about possible focus fields for me in the future.”
“I really enjoyed the seminars. I find them both interesting and very useful. They have verified my interest in bioengineering.”
“The seminars gave me insight into what engineering research can cover and gave me confidence to consider bioengineering.”
2016
“The seminar about heart valves was very technical and mostly biology, less engineering.”
“The seminars are always interesting but it would be exciting to have a seminar purely on robotics.”
“I wish UMBC would bring in speakers that are employed in the workforce and not just researchers.”
“The best seminar was thermoelectric materials. This is something I am interested in as a career. Do more seminars that aren’t just bio related.”
“The seminars are geared toward grad students and above (that’s what it feels like) so a lot of the terminology they were using went right over my head.”
“The seminars had a lot of good information. However, as a freshman it was hard to follow. The September seminar was very hard to follow. Again, lots of information. And technology and terms were assumed we knew what they were when we did not.”
“Seeing the applications of bioengineering really encourages me to find a career in medical devices because I can contribute to improving the lives of others.”
“I really like attending these seminars because they give examples of work engineers can do; most of the time they are of examples I have never thought of before either.”
“I though the seminars were very effective, as I learned a lot from these great researchers. It exposed me to topics I was not aware of before.”
“I really enjoyed the talks. It’s great to see real applications of engineering. We learn a bunch of theoretical stuff in class. It’s good to see that there are applications for what we are studying.”
“These seminars have shown me the practical and beneficial contributions engineering is able to offer to make lives a bit easier in the future.”
“The seminar is kind of boring.”