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Graduating Senior: Mechanical engineering
By Chirag Desai
Published: Friday, June 3, 2005
The Triangle, Student Newsletter at Drexel University
June 3 2005
At a school like Drexel, one of the hardest things to find is a
smiling engineering student - a smiling engineering student during
week 10 of the term is even harder.
To Nora Ayanian, who will be graduating with the rest of this year's
College of Engineering class June 11, talking about control systems
and teaching brings more than just a smile to her face. As she puts it,
taking her first control systems class was her most memorable event at
Drexel. As a mechanical engineering major, headed to graduate school,
Ayanian is determined that she will not stop until she finishes a
doctorate which will also enable her to teach at a college level.
"One thing that stands out about Nora is her never-ending ability
to laugh and smile," says fellow mechanical engineering student
Jonathan Smith. "I only met Nora nine months ago and we instantly
became good friends."
Ayanian's college experience didn't take off very well. Having been
a commuter throughout her student career made things a little harder
for her. At the same time, she feels that her professors made the
experience better for her as time went on. "I really feel that the
professors at the University, that I have experienced, really care
for their students," she claims.
She was particularly grateful to Professor Harry Kwatny, her senior
design and research professor, and Department Head of the Mechanical
Engineering and Mechanics Department Mun Choi, who reciprocates
Ayanian's feelings.
"Nora is an outstanding student," Choi says.
Ayanian was appointed as a teaching assistant for her ME 255 class
based on her academic performance.
"Working closely with [her] instructor, she has developed new teaching
modules using MATLAB, Mathematica, and Simulink to assist students
with their analysis," Choi adds.
Ayanian's experience as a teaching assistant turned her direction
towards teaching.
During their senior year, all engineers are required to perform a
senior design project, an integral part of an engineering student's
curricula that spans three terms. Starting in the fall, students form
teams of four to six students and attempt to pick an area of interest
and present a design proposal to a faculty assigned. At the end of
the spring term, teams then submit a formal report presented at the
annual Senior Project Design Competition.
"My senior project was inspired from the Defense Advances Research
Project Agency's Grand Challenge for autonomous off-road vehicles,"
Ayanian explains. DARPA's challenge involves completing an obstacle
course. The vehicle that does this in the least amount of time wins
$1 million.
"We have to go from point A to point B in a desert," she describes.
"The actual distance is about 200 miles...We decided on a single
problem that a lot of the cars were having - local obstacle avoidance."
Ayanains' team of four attempted to build a car and programmed it to
avoid the obstacles and remember its original path when doing so.
She felt that the experience "was definitely enjoyable and
challenging."
She is also extremely appreciative of her senior design advisor.
"[Kwatny] helped me a lot over the last year," Ayanian says. "He's
just really a great guy...he really cares for his students."
Ayanian has received a scholarship from the National Science
Foundation and will be attending graduate school at the University of
Pennsylvania, which will further continue her experience as a commuter,
the fact that she can continue to live in the Philadelphia area. Her
experience with SEPTA has been less than marvelous, however, but she
hopes that the service improves as she continues to ride the trolley.
In addition, Ayanian is an active member of the Armenian Youth
Foundation and has also completed an internship in Armenia in summer
2001, working for the Armenian Red Cross Society as a translator.
"As a student, Nora is the smartest and hardest working person I
know," Smith adds. "As a friend, she is always around to talk and
occasionally come out when she's not traveling, working or studying."
It's all about enjoying the experience, and for Ayanian, her college
experience has continued to improve. In a nutshell, Choi stated it
best when he said, "Nora is one of the top undergraduate students
that I've encountered."
By Chirag Desai
Published: Friday, June 3, 2005
The Triangle, Student Newsletter at Drexel University
June 3 2005
At a school like Drexel, one of the hardest things to find is a
smiling engineering student - a smiling engineering student during
week 10 of the term is even harder.
To Nora Ayanian, who will be graduating with the rest of this year's
College of Engineering class June 11, talking about control systems
and teaching brings more than just a smile to her face. As she puts it,
taking her first control systems class was her most memorable event at
Drexel. As a mechanical engineering major, headed to graduate school,
Ayanian is determined that she will not stop until she finishes a
doctorate which will also enable her to teach at a college level.
"One thing that stands out about Nora is her never-ending ability
to laugh and smile," says fellow mechanical engineering student
Jonathan Smith. "I only met Nora nine months ago and we instantly
became good friends."
Ayanian's college experience didn't take off very well. Having been
a commuter throughout her student career made things a little harder
for her. At the same time, she feels that her professors made the
experience better for her as time went on. "I really feel that the
professors at the University, that I have experienced, really care
for their students," she claims.
She was particularly grateful to Professor Harry Kwatny, her senior
design and research professor, and Department Head of the Mechanical
Engineering and Mechanics Department Mun Choi, who reciprocates
Ayanian's feelings.
"Nora is an outstanding student," Choi says.
Ayanian was appointed as a teaching assistant for her ME 255 class
based on her academic performance.
"Working closely with [her] instructor, she has developed new teaching
modules using MATLAB, Mathematica, and Simulink to assist students
with their analysis," Choi adds.
Ayanian's experience as a teaching assistant turned her direction
towards teaching.
During their senior year, all engineers are required to perform a
senior design project, an integral part of an engineering student's
curricula that spans three terms. Starting in the fall, students form
teams of four to six students and attempt to pick an area of interest
and present a design proposal to a faculty assigned. At the end of
the spring term, teams then submit a formal report presented at the
annual Senior Project Design Competition.
"My senior project was inspired from the Defense Advances Research
Project Agency's Grand Challenge for autonomous off-road vehicles,"
Ayanian explains. DARPA's challenge involves completing an obstacle
course. The vehicle that does this in the least amount of time wins
$1 million.
"We have to go from point A to point B in a desert," she describes.
"The actual distance is about 200 miles...We decided on a single
problem that a lot of the cars were having - local obstacle avoidance."
Ayanains' team of four attempted to build a car and programmed it to
avoid the obstacles and remember its original path when doing so.
She felt that the experience "was definitely enjoyable and
challenging."
She is also extremely appreciative of her senior design advisor.
"[Kwatny] helped me a lot over the last year," Ayanian says. "He's
just really a great guy...he really cares for his students."
Ayanian has received a scholarship from the National Science
Foundation and will be attending graduate school at the University of
Pennsylvania, which will further continue her experience as a commuter,
the fact that she can continue to live in the Philadelphia area. Her
experience with SEPTA has been less than marvelous, however, but she
hopes that the service improves as she continues to ride the trolley.
In addition, Ayanian is an active member of the Armenian Youth
Foundation and has also completed an internship in Armenia in summer
2001, working for the Armenian Red Cross Society as a translator.
"As a student, Nora is the smartest and hardest working person I
know," Smith adds. "As a friend, she is always around to talk and
occasionally come out when she's not traveling, working or studying."
It's all about enjoying the experience, and for Ayanian, her college
experience has continued to improve. In a nutshell, Choi stated it
best when he said, "Nora is one of the top undergraduate students
that I've encountered."