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Guest Lecture- ENGR 10

Nicholas Celeste

San Francisco State University

Mechanical Engineering Student

ASME @ SFSU President

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Outline of Presentation:

• About me• About SFSU• Transferring to SFSU

– What was Different?– How hard are SFSU Classes?– What should you be prepared to do well?– How to Get the Most from SFSU– Useful Classes at Chabot/LPC

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About Me:• Grew up in Livermore, CA• Always building and modifying bikes, skateboards,

pulling things apart.• Decided to go back to school in 2004• Worked in Construction out of High School.

– Other jobs:– Welder/Fabricator– Mechanic– Run a family business with my wife.

• Worked full-time while attending LPC & Chabot

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About SFSU:

• SFSU is Located at 1600 Holloway Ave in SF.– Near Daly City

• Free shuttle from Daly City Bart Station.

• Lots of housing close by.

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About SFSU:

• SFSU Offers 4 Engineering Disciplines:– Civil– Computer– Electrical– Mechanical

• All ABET Certified

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Transferring to SFSU• Transferred from Chabot/Las Positas in

Fall 2010 to San Francisco State University.

• San Francisco was not my first choice, and I did not know much about it.

• Sometimes qualified applicants don’t get picked, so HAVE A BACKUP PLAN!

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Transferring to SFSU

• Don’t get discouraged!– Undergraduate Curriculum is basically the same at

any school.– Engineering is a fun and exciting major at any

school.– State school is MUCH CHEAPER than UC

• About 1/3 of the cost for a semester at CSU vs. UC• I got offered more Grants & Scholarships by SFSU than

ANY OTHER school that I was accepted to.

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What was Different?• Many more engineering students and instructors-

– 900 Undergraduate Engineering Students– 20 Engineering Faculty – Class size is roughly the same as Chabot, there are some large

classes and some small classes.

• More Open-ended Projects – TAKE ENGR 11, and take it SERIOUSLY

• This is going to be your career, not just a class

• Greater variety of interesting classes:– You get to pick what sounds interesting, it doesn’t feel like

you are just fulfilling requirements anymore.

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How Hard are Classes?

• Not much harder than Chabot– Some classes require more time than

others, but none are impossible.– After surviving Mr. Mayer’s exams, I was

ready for anything!– Classes tend to move quicker, and there is

less feedback from the instructors.• One class I took had only two homework

assignments and two exams.

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Most Useful Classes at Chabot• ENGR 10 & 11

– ENGR 11 was the most similar to an upper division design-based course at SFSU.

• ENGR 43 (Circuits)– This class had exams that

were the most like upper division classes.

• English 1A– Extremely important, doing

well in English is usually the difference between an A or a B on a project.

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Most Useful Classes at Chabot• Math 4:

– Differential Equations are the language of Engineering, they don’t go away

• Physics 4A, 4B, & 4C:– Taking the time to really

understand how things work in these classes will greatly improve your understanding of Upper Division courses

• If you do well now, you’ll do even better when things become more complicated.

• Public Speaking (Any):– You will always need to be able

to talk about things to groups. It’s not scary, and it gets easier with practice.

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How to do well at University:• Study groups are

absolutely essential to doing well in hard classes

• Most instructors are less willing to hold your hand and walk you through homework Q’s.– Take advantage of

instructors that do!

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• Be able to write proficiently and communicate clearly.– Your report is only as good as it is written.– There are a lot more group projects, people will be

counting on you to communicate and explain what you are doing.

• Be able to deliver a finished product for design classes.

• Ask questions, and READ THE BOOK!• Follow Mr. Mayer’s Study Skills Guide!

How to do well at University:

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• JOIN CLUBS!– Engineering clubs are a great way

to meet other students that care about engineering.

– Joining a club will get you more opportunities to find internships and employment.

• On an average week, I’m forwarded 3-5 job opportunities.

• Work on Homework in the Engineering Study Room-– Lots of students will be there and

willing to talk about HW problems.• Meet with Advisor in the First Week

of Classes-– Requirements are confusing, be

sure to know what you need to be taking.

How to do well at SFSU:

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Cool Stuff for ASME in 2011-2012:

• Whirlwind Wheelchair Trike Team

• Upper/Lower Division “Buddy System”

• Help students fund projects• Tours of Manufacturing

plants in the Bay Area.• ASME is a GREAT way to

network and get advice.

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ASME/Whirlwind Trike Project

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ASME/Whirlwind Trike Project

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Other Non-ASME Projects:• Other projects at SFSU:

– Timber Bridge• Last years design won:

– Best Innovative Design

– Best Aesthetic Design

– 3rd place in best overall design

– Steel Bridge– Rocketry Club

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Any Questions?

• Contact me at:nceleste@mail.sfsu.edu

ASME:

ASME@sfsu.edu

Engineering @ SFSU:

http://engineering.sfsu.edu/

engrasst@sfsu.edu