Proving once again that they are the creative thinkers, self-starters, and game changers of the future, Fairfield engineering students will present their first-ever STEM Showcase on Friday, April 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Oak Room of the Barone Campus Center.
The brainchild of Tau Beta Phi President Christina Ficaro ’18 and Vice President Stephen Galyas ’18, the April 13 event will also reveal some interesting truths about how Stag engineers spend their free time. “All of the featured projects are things that SOE students have been developing on their own – as personal hobbies or club projects,” says Galyas.
With notoriously rigorous classroom, lab, and study schedules, clearly these energetic SOE students are trading sleep and downtime to delve into hobbies that test their skills and put coursework theory into practice. In doing so, they’re finding that sometimes the most unexpected and rewarding lessons take place outside the classroom.
Kacper Laska ’18, whose robotic dog will make its first public appearance at the Showcase, began working on his project over Christmas break. “Between my senior design project, coursework, and club activities, my project time has been very limited to weekends and late nights,” he admits. But with April 13 rapidly approaching, the time crunch is a great motivator to have his “pet project” ready for its first public appearance. “I will do my best to have it take its first steps at the Showcase,“ he promises.
Other interactive demonstrations and displays will include everything from racing drones to a prosthetic hand. Ficaro hopes that seeing these ideas put into motion will spark the creative juices of Fairfield faculty, students, staff and local industry engineers who are invited to stop by the Oak Room for a fascinating look at what SOE graduate and undergraduate student engineers do for fun.
