The News and Tribune covered Commencement at Purdue’s College of Technology at New Albany last week. The story highlights obstacles the graduates had to overcome as well as their successes.
Meet Ishmael Aristide, organizational leadership and supervision major
Ishmael Aristide, Orlando, Fla.
Major: Organizational Leadership and Supervision, minoring in communications and political science.
Activities
Football and track
OLS student advisory board
National Society of Black Engineers
Society of Minority Managers
College of Technology Student Ambassadors
Vice President – Phi Sigma Pi honors society
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Charging ahead
As lawmakers around the country and world grapple with energy policy and decisions, the College of Technology is preparing its students for a utility landscape that could be much different than today’s. With new courses, new partnerships and new ways of addressing increased demands (for electricity and for conservation), the college is focusing on ways to impact the energy sector on several fronts.
Ignite ideas: Commercialize
Matt Mckillip is a man on fire. As executive director of Tech Ventures, he has a passion for commercializing ideas, which is vital to Purdue and the surrounding community. The ultimate vision is this: take great ideas, mix in support and expertise, and push the product into the marketplace. This dynamic mixture will help give new discoveries the spark they need to transform from idea to world-changing venture.
A helping hand
The circle of every technology student’s life could soon start and end as part of a mentoring experience. Mentoring programs for organizations and departments within the college are helping first-year students with successful transitions to the rigors of college classes. And upperclassmen are benefitting from the experience along the way.
Driven to be green
In the last year, the EcoCAR 2 team at Purdue has experienced a chaotic mix of meetings, simulations and computations. Team leader Haley Moore wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love the chaos. I love not knowing what’s going to happen day to day. I love the unknown,” Moore said. The mechanical engineering technology graduate student from Hanover, Ind., thrives on the problem-solving aspect of the competition.
Nash treasures the Purdue Bond
Whether it’s as HR manager at Toyota Financial Services or president of the Purdue Black Alumni Organization (PBAO), Candice Nash has found that her Purdue classes and experiences prepared her for a wide variety of challenges.
Nash, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organizational leadership and supervision, was recently elected for her second term as PBAO president. She sees her role as connecting current students and alumni, as well as being a voice for all underrepresented Purdue constituents.
Thinking outside the robot
Massive intergalactic battles with laser-eyed machines. Indestructible humanoid hit men. An enclave of man-made machines intent on taking over the human race. Movies have made these images synonymous with the word “robot.”
NEES making a big impact with big data
What does a dedicated vision, lots of hard work, a strong team and a million files of data equal? For Thomas Hacker, it equals gratifying success that could one day result in improved construction and design techniques for stronger, more disaster-proof buildings.
Strengthening transfer opportunities
In the last five years, the number of associate degrees granted by Purdue system-wide has dropped by more than one-third to less than eight percent of total degrees.