Choosing one’s career path is considered by many to be a tough decision to make. To alleviate such difficulty, the DLSU Society of Young Engineers Towards Achieving Excellence (SYNTAX) invited junior and senior high school students to its flagship event ACCELERATE: Fast Track Your Engineering Excitement to help them map out their futures. Held last March 2 in Room 401 of the Don Enrique T. Yuchengco Hall, the event featured a series of seminars and workshops that allowed the participants to dip their toes into the fascinating world of engineering.
Opportunities at your door
The day kicked off with seminars led by faculty and student speakers from each engineering department. Because the Gokongwei College of Engineering is notorious for having some of the most difficult programs in DLSU, the speakers highlighted the “whys” of engineering and stressed the importance of passion, interest, and hard work to succeed in the field.
Darrel Espinar (III, BS CIV-GTE), speaker from the Department of Civil Engineering, emphasized “continuing,” or having the drive and persistence it takes to thrive in engineering. Meanwhile, Haziel Lim (IV, BS ChE), who spoke for the Department of Chemical Engineering, demonstrated a concept in her program through theories required for beer production and advised the participants that “if something is possible, you can do it.”
Kyle Campit (IV, BS CpE), representative of the Department of Computer Engineering, encouraged the audience to leave their comfort zones and try new opportunities to see how far they can expand their knowledge and skills. Lastly, Christian Anabeza (MS ECE) from the Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering shared his research on swarm robotics and his personal mantra to “always strive to meet the standard, exceed the standard, and become the standard.”
Additionally, ACCELERATE presented various opportunities and career paths the students can take advantage of as Lasallians. Dr. Neil Lopez, an associate professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, shared the research opportunities and hands-on projects a mechanical engineering student can be involved in, such as the DLSU Eco Car Team and the facilities on campus, such as the wind tunnel and the transport and automotive lab for engineering research in DLSU’s Laguna campus.
Ira Valenzuela, an associate professor from the Department of Manufacturing and Engineering Management (MEM), also provided an overview of the diverse curriculum and background of their faculty as well as the research and post-graduate connections one can find as a student under the department. Engr. Juanito Chan, a part-time professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, gave his insights into the management and engineering techniques used by industrial engineers.
The Lasallian engineer experience
The participants also had a glimpse of the everyday life of a Lasallian engineering student through a campus tour. The participants were split into smaller groups that each had their own facilitator. Each leg of the tour ended with a workshop that demonstrated the practical applications of each engineering discipline.
In the Civil Engineering workshop, the participants were tasked with constructing a tower using sticks and tested their durability using weights. The Electronics and Communication Engineering workshop showcased circuit design using a basic LED blinker, while the Mechanical Engineering workshop demonstrated fluid mechanics using a two-bottle hydraulic lift. Meanwhile, a chemical reaction was used to power a small car in the Chemical Engineering workshop; DNA was extracted from saliva in the Biomedical Engineering workshop; and various fabrication machines such as the 3D printer and computer numerical control mill were used in the Manufacturing and Engineering Management workshop.
Beyond these demonstrations, the participants also picked up new skills that they may use in a particular engineering program. For instance, in the Industrial Engineering workshop, the students learned how to create 3D models using online software such as Onshape. In the Computer Engineering workshop, the participants made the codes for a basic calculator program.
Solidifying ambitions
Participant Rasheika Ducos, a Grade 12 student from Parañaque Science High School, shared that ACCELERATE helped her highlight the difference between the different engineering fields and that it “really solidified my ambition, my wish to become a chemical engineer.” This sentiment was echoed by another participant, Beyonce Guingab, also a Grade 12 student from Parañaque Science High School, who felt that the event addressed the stereotypes and stigmas often associated with the different engineering courses.
Behind the positive feedback, it was not easy to run the event, SYNTAX Project Head for Activities Fritz Tumao noted. He explained that the organization’s biggest challenge was preparing the venue so that it can accommodate a large number of participants, but it was made possible because his team “helped each other to build good foundations, so that we could hold a successful event.”
Tumao’s co-project head, Jeremie Akizha Tan, also emphasized the importance of an event like ACCELERATE in helping high schoolers plan for their future. As she herself was unsure of which course to take while in high school, she “wanted to provide an opportunity, a platform for other students to experience what it’s like to become an engineer, what it feels like to be called a Lasallian. And of course…to help them navigate their professional life and help them with their chosen path and careers for the future.”
