The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science recently held senior design project presentations on February 24, where students had the opportunity to showcase their projects and practice their public speaking skills. The event was well-attended by department alumni and industry professionals who provided valuable feedback on their designs.
One of the students who presented, Duncan Marshall, found the experience to be very beneficial in terms of pitching ideas. Although he felt a bit nervous initially, he ultimately felt confident in the progress his group had made throughout the project. Marshall also noted that they received unexpected but important questions specific to their project, which helped them prepare for future presentations.
Daniel Schwartz, an alumnus and lead electrical engineer at Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, praised the teams for their ability to effectively summarize their design work from the past semester and a half. He highlighted the event as a valuable opportunity for evaluating students for potential employment and identifying parallels between their projects and industry work.
Presenting at the event taught Marshall important lessons about patience, clear communication, and addressing concerns promptly. Despite some questions regarding safety that they planned to address later, the feedback from experienced professionals emphasized the importance of starting early on such critical aspects of the project.
Arielle Williams, a controls engineering manager for Marshalltown and a graduate of the department, expressed her enjoyment of attending the presentations. She applauded the presenters for their excellent job and reflected on her own nervousness during presentations as a student. Williams also appreciated the opportunity to support current students and see her former interns presenting their projects.
The next opportunity for students to showcase their projects will be at the annual Engineering Expo on April 25 in Bud Walton Arena. This event provides another platform for students to share their work with a broader audience and further refine their presentation skills.
In summary, presenting at senior design project presentations was an enriching experience for both students and attendees alike. It offered an opportunity for students to practice public speaking skills while receiving valuable feedback from peers, faculty members, alumni, and industry professionals.
Moreover, it allowed attendees to evaluate students’ potential employment opportunities based on how they effectively summarized their design work from previous semesters while identifying parallels between their projects
