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CSULB’s Ramachandran Named Engineering Librarian of the Year

Ramachandron, HemaCSULB’s Hema Ramachandran has been named “Engineering Librarian of the Year” by the Special Libraries Association’s Engineering Division. A faculty member and engineering librarian at CSULB since 2007, Ramachandran was honored for her professional accomplishments.

She credits her father, a prominent statistician, for planting the seed for her library career. “When I was 14 years old, he said, ‘You should become a librarian—but you should become an engineering or science librarian.’ ”

Ramachandran said her friends tried to dissuade her, saying, “That’s really boring—you can’t do that.” Continue reading “CSULB’s Ramachandran Named Engineering Librarian of the Year”

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Are You WIRED for Leadership?

Coordinator Paulina Mejia snap
College of Engineering Professional Development Coordinator Paulina Mejia-Arroyo presents a certificate of appreciation to Hal Snyder.

After three decades in the workforce, Hal Snyder, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, has learned a fair amount about attributes of good leaders. Snyder, Vice President of Human Resources for Diversity and Inclusion at Southern California Gas Co., was at CSULB Tuesday to speak to engineering students about how to become future leaders.

The most important leadership attributes, he said, join together to spell WIRED. “This is truly what we look for,” he said of the five attributes. “These five are golden.”

Continue reading “Are You WIRED for Leadership?”

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Alumni Stresses Importance of Good Job Matches

bryan-kwom-snapBryan Kwon, a 2004 CSULB computer science graduate, was back on campus this week to share his experience in the job world with College of Engineering students. Kwan, now senior director of customer engagement at Santa Monica-based Akana, told attendees at the Professional Development Workshop that it’s important that your first job after college matches your interests.

When he graduated, Kwon went to work in information technology, but after three years became bored with backing up tape drives and taking care of routine technical issues. “I was really bored,” he said. “I really wanted a challenge.” Continue reading “Alumni Stresses Importance of Good Job Matches”

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Encouraging More Girls to Study Engineering

Encouraging Girls to Study Engineering
Computer science professor Alvaro Monge introduces Future Girls @ the Beach to programming on Shadow Day.

When Future Girls @ the Beach launched two years ago, only a handful of girls would raise their hands when asked if they wanted to pursue engineering. But now that the CSULB high school outreach program is in its second year, the number of future engineers is growing.

“A lot more girls raise their hands now,” says Saba Yohannes-Reda, CSULB College of Engineering Director of K-12 Outreach and Recruitment. “It seems that we are winning.”

Girls participating in the program visit CSULB once a month for a scheduled activity. On Monday, several dozen took advantage of the President’s Day holiday to shadow their mentors, tour CSULB engineering labs and facilities, and hear a presentation on cognitive radio from electrical engineering Assistant Professor Shabnam Sodagari, who recently joined the program. Continue reading “Encouraging More Girls to Study Engineering”

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New Languages for CECS Students

python logoBeginning this semester, CSULB Computer Engineering and Computer Science students will have a chance to learn new programming languages. Python will replace Java in “Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving” (CECS 174) and C++ will replace Java in the new CECS 275 class for Computer Engineering majors. Computer Science majors will continue to learn Java, however, in their “Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures” (CECS 274) class.

Python is replacing Java in the intro class because it’s easier to learn, said CECS Chair Burkhard Englert. According to an article in Communications of the ACM, Python is now the most popular language to use for teaching introductory programming, favored by nearly 70 percent of top U.S. universities. A general-purpose language with a simple code base, Python allows extensions to be added as necessary. Continue reading “New Languages for CECS Students”

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CSULB to Host First Hackathon

beachhacks logoWhat could be better than working around the clock guzzling energy drinks while building new apps? For those who haven’t attended a hackathon, you’re in for a treat—CSULB is holding BeachHacks for 24 hours beginning Saturday, April 2. Registration is now open.

Most big engineering schools hold hackathons, where students compete to show off their technical skills—and endurance. Sponsors donate hardware, food, t-shirts, and giveaways to keep programmers pumped. Midnight snacks, raffles, and special challenges are part of the typical hackathon experience. Continue reading “CSULB to Host First Hackathon”

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New Resources for Engineering Students and Faculty

New ResourcesFor most engineering students, math and science is fairly painless. But writing and oral presentations? Not so much. Luckily, there are new resources to help.

On Jan. 28, the College of Engineering celebrated the official opening of the Writing and Communication Resource Center (WCRC) in VEC-128B, and the Dudley Engineering Library in EN2-109—resources designed to help students meet their writing requirements to obtain a degree. Having a library housed in the College of Engineering will make it easier for faculty conducting research too. Continue reading “New Resources for Engineering Students and Faculty”

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Tech on Tour Stopping at CSULB

Tour Stopping at CSULBMany college students can’t wait for their favorite bands to go on tour. But in the CSULB College of Engineering, just as exciting—although maybe in a different kind of way—is when one of your favorite tech companies goes on tour.

On Wednesday, Feb. 3, a huge semi-truck will pull up on Beach Circle (near the College of Business Administration Building). But it won’t be full of roadies, amps, and robotic lighting. Instead it will contain Atmel microcontrollers and technical training staff.

Continue reading “Tech on Tour Stopping at CSULB”