#harvard18

What advice would you give Harvard undergraduates? Let people know your passions and interests. I got my first software engineering internship because someone I worked with in a student organization knew I was interested in trying my hand at software engineering, so she chose to be my champion and guide me through the internship application process. 

On an airplane, every pound of weight counts. For his senior thesis project, mechanical engineering concentrator Dennis Zhang focused on the foam beams used in aircraft, applying a novel manufacturing technique in an effort to produce beams that are more weight-efficient. He was inspired by the structure of bones, which are naturally dense around the exterior and spongy in the middle. He applied the same mindset to foam beams, using a polyurethane foam that expands and solidifies into a rigid material, leading to a beam with an exterior density that is greater than its interior density. He studied how to effectively create a beam that balanced durability with lightweight structure, using a centrifuge to compress the cells inside the foam and increase density, before pre-curing the foam prior to molding to increase the exterior-to-interior density ratio. Zhang’s method was able to increase the strength over similar foam beams by 8.3 percent. “My goal was to develop a novel manufacturing method for creating structural foam beams that are more weight-efficient than traditionally-manufactured foam beams, with potential aerospace applications,” he said. “Since weight is so costly to airlines, the ability to create beams that are significantly lighter without compromising structural integrity could lead to large savings in both money and environmental impact. Weight is even more costly for spaceflight; as space exploration regains popularity, it's possible that this technology could be applied to those fields as well.” #Harvard #Harvard18 #HarvardSEAS #LifeatSEAS #thesis #project #studentprofile #engineering #aircraft #airplane #bones #bioinspired (at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences)

What advice do you have for Harvard GSAS students? To keep options open! Don't pigeonhole yourself into a specific kind of job if you know you have diverse interests.

What advice do you have for Harvard GSAS students? Nourish the relationships you form, both inside and outside of academia. Whenever possible, schedule time with people you care about. The support and encouragement of friends and colleagues were invaluable to me throughout the process of securing a postdoc and completing the PhD. 

What advice do you have for Harvard GSAS students? Joining professional organizations is a great way to network. By joining the American Medical Writers Association, I was able to connect with professionals in the field who opened up great career opportunities.

What advice do you have for Harvard GSAS students? Don't rush to find a job. Although it may feel scary and uncertain, giving yourself a little time off (if you can) after graduating will allow yourself the chance to recover, get some space, and think deeply about what exactly you what to do next/where you want to live. Many of us are overachievers and planners and, if you feel like I did, you may be worried about your ability to find a job. Do everything you can to fight against these feelings and give yourself the space to check in with what you need. I was really surprised to find just how quick my job search went when I finally started applying ... I gave myself about 4 months after defending my PhD before I applied for anything. It was one of the best decisions I made. I would also say that the career office has so many resources, and they are there to help and support you. Laura and Heather were instrumental in building my confidence and helping me to navigate these next steps after school. I cannot recommend them enough!

What advice do you have for Harvard GSAS students? To plan very carefully for both academic and alt-ac careers, and use the resources of OCS to identify career venues outside academia and outside tenure track jobs, which are becoming rarer.

What advice do you have for Harvard GSAS students? Don't be afraid to set parameters on the academic job hunt, and think about other career paths -- even if they're just backups or flights of fancy!