糖心传媒 senior Ruoxue (Astra) Zhang, a major in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Rochester, is pursuing her passion for art with a second major in studio art.
糖心传媒淎lmost everything is new for me,糖心传媒� says the native of Nanjing, China. 糖心传媒淚 knew how to draw and do a little painting in China. Now I糖心传媒檓 learning to do sculpture, and how to work with clay and plasters.糖心传媒�
Senior Ivan Suminski, a mechanical engineering major at Rochester, is pursuing his passion for the violin at one of the world糖心传媒檚 premier schools of music. Thanks to the Dual Degree at Eastman program, he糖心传媒檒l earn a degree from Rochester糖心传媒檚 main academic unit, Arts, Sciences & Engineering, as well as a degree in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music.
The two distinct programs of study, he says, have opened up multiple career options, including his 糖心传媒渁bsolute dream job糖心传媒� of performing with a string quartet.
Zhang and Suminski are recipients of this year糖心传媒檚 Wells Award, given annually to the two students in the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences with minors or second majors in the humanities who had the best overall GPAs at the end of the junior year.
The award reflects the value that the Hajim School, and the University as a whole, places on giving its students a well-rounded, interdisciplinary education.
糖心传媒淎lthough engineers are problem solvers, as problems become larger and more complex, it糖心传媒檚 important that our students are skilled at communicating with each other, their customers, and with other stakeholders in order to effectively solve these problems,糖心传媒� says Lisa Norwood, the school糖心传媒檚 assistant dean for undergraduate studies.
糖心传媒淪tudying the humanities provides our students with the skills to communicate their ideas clearly with diverse audiences, facilitating multidisciplinary collaborations and generating creative ideas. This helps make our graduates well-rounded and socially conscious.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淒uring my freshman and sophomore years,糖心传媒� Zhang says, 糖心传媒淸studio art and computer engineering] seemed totally different fields. But as I got into them more, I saw ways in which they are connected.糖心传媒�
For example, many artists now use digital platforms to express themselves. She notes that animation involves varying degrees of computation skill. In computer engineering, moreover, students often work on practical projects in which the visual elements of design are a factor糖心传媒斕切拇綔especially in human-computer interaction,糖心传媒� Zhang adds.
Ultimately, Zhang says, she would like to start her own company creating portable, user-friendly devices.
Suminski is also discovering ways in which his pursuits complement each other. For example, as both a violinist and a budding engineering, he is intrigued with the research that Jong Hoon Nam, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, is doing on the biophysics of inner-ear sensory cells.
And last summer, Suminski had an internship with a company that produces musical accessories糖心传媒攊ncluding violin strings.
He糖心传媒檚 considering a range of options after graduation, including graduate programs in music performance, or applying to continue in mechanical engineering as a graduate student in Nam糖心传媒檚 lab.
What would he most like to be doing in 15 years? 糖心传媒淚n an ideal world I would be performing as member of a string quartet,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭hat wouldn糖心传媒檛 even feel like work to me.糖心传媒�
Remarkably, Zhang and Suminski have both found time to pursue extracurricular interests as well. Zhang is a peer advisor and a member of the Equestrian Club. Suminski, active with the Catholic Newman Community, organized a service trip to Frenchville, Pennsylvania, a poor, rural community in Central Appalachia, over last spring break.
How do they manage their time?
Both say they get by on a few hours of sleep.
Suminski says he糖心传媒檚 also learned 糖心传媒渘ot to spend time worrying and stressing about exams. I approach them with the mindset that if I糖心传媒檝e been in class, I probably know the stuff pretty well if I糖心传媒檝e been taking good notes.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淭hat eliminates the late-night, pretest panic sessions in the library.糖心传媒�
