Megan McGahren
Hello, my name is Megan McGahren and I’m a junior engineering major and student assistant for the Picker Engineering Program. I spent my first year at Smith thinking I would create a self-designed major in Exercise and Sports Science, but after completing a summer internship at the Bowerman Clinic in the University of Oregon, I realized my passion more closely aligned with biomechanical engineering. I declared as an Engineering major coming into my sophomore year at Smith despite having never taken an engineering class. Although this may seem like an impulsive decision, I have never regretted it because I felt like the Picker faculty was behind me every step of the way. Martin Green, the assistant program director facilitated my smooth transition into the program, and Susannah Howe, the design clinic director and my major adviser, helped me to create a complete schedule of courses that would allow me to complete a Bachelor of Science in Engineering major in the three years I had left here at Smith.
As a student assistant, I have been able to help the program by evaluating program outcome data; creating info-graphics and helping students complete their Books of Evidence (a graduation requirement that tracks student progress in completing Picker Engineering Program objectives). This position has allowed me to foster professional development while also adding my own flavor of creativity to the projects I’ve been given.
One of the more interesting stories I have about this position concerns this very website! As part of an increase in engagement with social media, Professor Guswa came up with the idea to construct a website that would host student experiences in the engineering program. Because I have some experience with designing websites, I was extremely excited about the idea of constructing this very site, and gathering student testimonials. I drafted a plan for my collection process, constructed the site and started reaching out to students to provide their experiences. It has been a great project to work on, and the process of reaching out to people to share their experiences has helped me poke my head out of my engineering nerd shell! It is the projects like this that allow me to work creatively towards a specific objective that really make my job a great experience.
As a student assistant, I have been able to help the program by evaluating program outcome data; creating info-graphics and helping students complete their Books of Evidence (a graduation requirement that tracks student progress in completing Picker Engineering Program objectives). This position has allowed me to foster professional development while also adding my own flavor of creativity to the projects I’ve been given.
One of the more interesting stories I have about this position concerns this very website! As part of an increase in engagement with social media, Professor Guswa came up with the idea to construct a website that would host student experiences in the engineering program. Because I have some experience with designing websites, I was extremely excited about the idea of constructing this very site, and gathering student testimonials. I drafted a plan for my collection process, constructed the site and started reaching out to students to provide their experiences. It has been a great project to work on, and the process of reaching out to people to share their experiences has helped me poke my head out of my engineering nerd shell! It is the projects like this that allow me to work creatively towards a specific objective that really make my job a great experience.