BE Undergraduate Newsletter
Announcements
Join the Baskin Day team!
Baskin Day is an annual student-run event open to everyone, where we celebrate the Jack Baskin School of Engineering, its students, faculty, and its achievements over the years. We aim to hold Baskin Day 2023-24 on Friday, October 13 (tentative). The event will feature various activities and educational events for everyone to enjoy — highlights of last year's Baskin Day included faculty research panels, a career recruiting event, and an engineering-themed Jeopardy! game, plus cool swag like stickers and T-shirts.
We are looking for enthusiastic and passionate students to join our planning committee over summer break and in fall quarter to help organize our event. If you are interested, please fill out this short application form and we will get back to you!
https://tinyurl.com/
Open committees:
- Media
- Logistics
- Sponsorship
- Internal
- External
Hope to meet you soon, and thanks for your interest in helping us with this annual event. Go Slugs!
If you have any questions, feel free to email the organizers: Alison <allasun@ucsc.edu> or Yogita <ysenthil@ucsc.edu>
Introducing SlugLoop: Revolutionize Your Campus Commute!
Ever found yourself stranded, waiting for a campus shuttle that's late or lost? Do you wish you had real-time updates on exactly when your ride is arriving? If so, SlugLoop, a new app from UC Santa Cruz, is here to transform your transit experience!
Born out of CruzHacks 2023, SlugLoop is a student-created app aimed at making transportation around the UC Santa Cruz campus more efficient and convenient. We've worked tirelessly since our beta phase, refining and enhancing features based on your feedback.
We're always eager for more suggestions on how we can improve. Your input will help us make SlugLoop an indispensable tool for all UC Santa Cruz students. Together, we can make campus transportation as seamless as possible.
Check us out at https://www.slugloop.tech. If you have any questions, suggestions, or bugs to report, don't hesitate to use our "Contact Us" form on the SlugLoop website. We're all ears and ready to make your commuting experience better!
Upgrade your campus commute today with SlugLoop!
Research Mentoring Internship Program
The Genomics Institute's Research Mentoring Internship (RMI) program is a research training program for UCSC undergraduates. RMI scholars receive hands-on experience performing wet-lab, computational, or faculty-directed research into the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic research. Award recipients will also receive a $3,000 quarterly scholarship and professional development and networking opportunities. Application cycles occur twice a year in the fall (transfer students only) and spring. Visit the RMI website to learn more about the program and RMI sponsored workshops that are open to all students.
For more information, contact Alondra Figueroa Olivo at afigue30@ucsc.edu.
Introducing the New Baskin Engineering Makerspace Initiative!
As part of the dean's Creative EDG2 initiative, the Baskin School of Engineering recently held Sustainable Sewing and Screen-Printing workshops in their new experiential learning and creative space (working title: SlugWorks) located in the basement of the Jack Baskin engineering building (JBEB 55).
Two successive 3 hour workshops were held in collaboration with the Rachel Carson College Earth Week festivities. Students learned about the life cycle of textiles and sustainable design practices, while creating tote bags and shirt designs to screenprint. The students and staff offering workshops in the new facility are eager to create and host casual yet progressive learning experiences where UCSC students, regardless of major, previous experience, or socio-economic background, can feel supported in making anything they can imagine using the tools and equipment available.
All students who submitted feedback were interested in further involvement, or proposing a future workshop. They also agreed that after the workshops, they could now find their way back to the SlugWorks location without guidance, overcoming the current wayfinding barrier. Lastly, the majority of students felt better connected to the Baskin Engineering facilities and what they have to offer.
Be on the lookout for upcoming Workshops and opportunities to get involved this upcoming Fall!
Students creating stencils to screen-print shirt designs.
Submission closes July 1 : Future of Information and Communication Conference (FICC) 2024
We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the Future of Information and Communication Conference (FICC) 2024, which will be held on 4th and 5th April 2024 in the historical city of Berlin, Germany. FICC 2024 is dedicated to advancing the latest research and innovations in the field of information and communication, bringing together experts, scholars, and industry professionals from around the world.
FICC 2024 aims to provide a premier platform for researchers to share their valuable insights, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations. We invite you to submit your original research contributions and join us in shaping the future of information and communication. We welcome submissions from various disciplines related to information and communication, including but not limited to:
- Data Science and Analytics
- Information Systems
- Wireless and Mobile Communications
- Communication Networks and Security
- Big Data and Computing
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Smart Cities and Ambient Intelligence
Important Dates - Round 2
- Full Paper Submission Deadline : 01 July 2023
- Notification of Acceptance : 01 August 2023
- Camera-Ready Paper Submission : 01 September 2023
Why submit your work to FICC 2024?
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Publication Opportunities: Proceedings will be published in Springer series "Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems" and submitted for consideration to Web of Science, SCOPUS, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH and SCImago.
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Networking: Connect with experts, researchers, and industry professionals from diverse backgrounds, creating opportunities for collaboration and future partnerships.
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Keynote Speakers: Benefit from the insights of renowned keynote speakers who will share their expertise and vision on emerging trends and challenges in information and communication.
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Best Paper Awards: Stand a chance to win prestigious Best Paper Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions in different tracks of the conference.
For detailed submission guidelines and templates, please visit the FICC 2024 website: https://saiconference.com/FICC
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and welcoming you to the Future of Information and Communication Conference (FICC) 2024 in Berlin.
Create Circuits, Control Motors, and Learn The EDA Toolchain!
Design-Build Experience: Electronic Circuit Design & the EDA Toolchain
By Undergraduate students like you!
The electronics circuit design module of CRSN-151C will introduce the basic concepts of electricity, circuit design, and circuit building by taking participants through the full manufacturing process of a printed circuit board. Students will initially learn the physics and measurement skills needed to design and troubleshoot their circuit on a breadboard before working through the entire Electronic Design Automation (EDA) workflow to build a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that controls the speed and direction of a motor for a desktop fan. In addition the use of soldering for circuit construction and the process of sourcing electronic components is introduced. Taking this class will prepare you to streamline your own personal electronics projects and give you the skills to participate in engineering project clubs like UCSC Rocket team, Autoslug, Formula Slug, and Slugbotics.
The class has been designed to teach skills from the ground up, starting with a theoretical basis and quickly progressing into hands-on labs and activities designed to build upon each other and coalesce into a unified final project.
Link to the syllabus.
3D Design and Printing: Bring Your Creativity to Life This Fall!
Design-Build Experience: Introduction to 3D Design and Fabrication
The Introduction to 3D Design & Fabrication section of CMPM 17 is a class designed to give students the opportunity to learn introductory level skills associated with 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing. CAD software is frequently used by different types of engineers and designers. CAD software can be used to create two-dimensional (2-D) drawings or three-dimensional (3-D) models.
Students will learn how to use the industry standard 3D design software, SolidWorks, to design their own projects that will later be manufactured using3D printers. Students will be introduced to SolidWorks through mini-design exercises ( e.g. learn how to design and 3D print lego pieces) that will prepare them to create a final fabrication project design of their own choosing. Concepts such as rapid prototyping and iterative design will be explored and will culminate in a final project in which students get the freedom to design and fabricate something of entirely their own design. Students will gain an array of skills including: Post Processing ; CAD design(Solidworks) , 3D Printing (Prusa Mini), STL Slicing (Ultimaker Cura), Sourcing/ importing parts, Creating Mechanical Drawings and how to keep an engineering notebook. This course is designed to be both challenging and fun, while giving students the opportunity to apply their new-found skills to create something they can be proud of.
See the Course Syllabus for more detailed info.
CMPM 17 Design-Build Experience: Fall 2023
General Course Information
The goal of Design Build Experience is to introduce and practice a variety of concepts, skills, and strategies fundamental to engineering design and creative projects. Students will be trained in the engineering design cycle through project iteration and implementation from a holistic perspective, taking into account economic viability, resource efficiency, social resilience, ecological impact and ethical responsibility. Students will learn discipline-specific concepts while designing and building a tangible product that necessarily requires the safe use of tools and equipment available in a makerspace facility. Due to the 10-week time constraint design projects will, of necessity, be limited in scope. In-person lab attendance is required and it will be difficult to make up this time if classes are missed.
After completing this Design Build Experience, students are welcome to apply what they have learned to their own personal projects or to form/join a collaborative design team or student club within SlugWorks. In most cases, the completion of the course will result in a learner being approved to use specific equipment on their own.
Note that each instance of Design Build Experience focuses on a specific technical topic with associated final project, equipment-use, and foundational knowledge. Thus, students can elect to enroll in any variant featuring a topic or skill of personal interest. Design-Build courses can be repeated for credit and do not have prerequisites.
Humanizing Technology Program
Humanizing Technology, a Humanities certificate program for engineering students, provides undergraduates the opportunity to explore the impacts of existing and emerging technologies, while also fulfilling GE requirements.
How to Earn the Certificate
- Take three of the six courses listed below:
- HUMN 15 Ethics and Technology
- HUMN 25 Humans and Machines
- HUMN 35 Language Technology
- HUMN 45 Race and Technology
- HUMN 55 Technologies of Representation
- LIT 126H Artificial Intelligence and Human Imagination
- There are no prerequisites and you can take the courses in any order you choose. Each course fulfills a different GE requirement.
Not interested in pursuing the certificate program but would like to take a Humanizing Technology course? The six courses are open to all UCSC undergraduate students. We encourage engineering students to take at least one of these courses. More information can be found on the Humanizing Technology website.
Civil Engineers - Ready to Work? SacDOT Job Opportunities & Job Fair!
Are you looking for gainful employment in the California Bay Area in civil engineering, transportation, and/or public works? The Sacramento County Department of Transportation is hosting a job fair for Civil Engineering students, graduates, and working engineers seeking a career change. Opportunities include Senior & Associate Civil Engineers, Bridge Operator, Highway Maintenance Equipment Operator, and some student internships. Follow the link and browse the openings to see if any of these positions pique your interest: Jobs With SacDOT. Dress to impress and bring a copy of your resume - early attendees may be interviewed on site. Be sure to consult your academic or career advisor for interview pointers! The details are below along with some other helpful links.
Date: Friday, September 8, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: 4111 Branch Center Way, Sacramento CA. 95827, Conf. Rm. B
Links: FB / Eventbrite
Empowering Computer Engineers in Pasadena, CA this October!
The Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) is holding their 35th academic conference in Pasadena, CA this year: The Great Minds in STEM Conference from October 11th to the 14th.
The agenda includes research presentations, professional development sessions, computing workshops, cyber security competitions, and keynote speeches from industry leaders!
Graduate students and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply. Scholarship support to cover travel and registration expenses is available for qualifying students. Follow this link to the conference website for details. Follow this link to the application.
Black Staff and Faculty Organization (BSFO) Annual Scholarship
The University of California, Office of the President’s Black Staff and Faculty Organization (BSFO) is encouraging systemwide UC-enrolled African American students to apply for BSFO’s Annual Scholarship.
In these days and times, scholarships are used to help towards the astronomical costs of completing your educational goals and meeting daily expenses. BSFO recognizes the hard work, sacrifices, and dedication it takes to reach your educational goals. We provide a $1,000 scholarship annually to students to use towards items of your choosing and help lighten some of your financial obligations.
We want to hear from you, tell us a little about yourself, your passions, motivations, and examples of your persistence throughout your educational journey. Tell us about your academic achievements, professional goals, and scholastic endeavors. The Application process is simple, complete and submit UCOP’s BSFO Scholarship Application by December 31, 2023. You will not need to wait long to receive the funds, BSFO notifies selected students of their selection status by the end of January 2024 and funds are provided by the end of February 2024. Selected students will also have an opportunity to speak at BSFO's Scholarship Awards Ceremony that will be held in February 2024.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Fall Opportunities in the Tech4Good Lab
The Tech4Good Lab has several positions open next quarter for undergraduate students from all majors. We are looking for people who are extremely responsible, love learning, and have a strong drive to apply technology for social good. For next quarter, we have positions doing the following types of work:
- User research: interviewing and analyzing interviews to understand user needs and context,
- UI/UX design: designing and iterating on web interfaces in Figma,
- Web development: coding an app using an Angular/NgRx/Firebase stack,
- AI & economics: modeling economic systems using multiagent reinforcement learning,
- NLP and ML: topic modeling and ML to clusters text responses or predict annotations,
You would be contributing to a variety of projects in the lab related to designing systems to better support the future of education, work, and community engagement. Some of the platforms we are working on include:
- An app aimed at scaling apprenticeship learning, which supports people in learning through micro-roles while supporting non-profits as they learn,
- An app aimed at microlearning through small groups to create learning environments supporting curiosity, creativity, and relationships,
- An app containing short activities for team/group community building, and also creating "small group networks" that can facilitate interesting collective goals,
- An app aimed at supporting chat-based career mentorship between industry professionals and groups of students,
Joining requires a commitment of 10-15 hours/week for the quarter for 2-5 credits of independent study. If you are interested, fill out the Tech4Good Lab Interest Form. Teams will mostly be determined based on applications submitted by 8/18, but you should feel free to continue submitting afterwards if you missed the deadline (and if full, we’ll consider you for the following quarter).
P.S. Follow our Facebook or Instagram to hear about future student opportunities in Tech4Good!