Engineering Unplugged: Behind the Scenes Interviews
By Sofia Palileo
I forgot to get an interview with them before I published the article from the last issue. This is my redemption.
Introductions:
Varun - Founder and current president of the club
Battal - Head of Preparations
Sugufta - Head of Marketing
Yusuf - Head of Finance
They gave us chocolate after the interview, so the engineering club is pretty GOATED 🔥
Sofia
What is the main focus of the club?
Varun: “I was taking a look at if there were any student run initiatives relating to STEM and engineering. Seeing there was a big lack of it, I wanted to provide a space where kids who want to go in the field in the future could have that opportunity.”
Are there certain engineering disciplines the club focuses on?
Varun: “We cover a lot of electrical, the basics of an engineering project.
Battal: “Also some mechanical, and a little bit of aerospace.”
How long would it usually take for a normal project to finish?
Varun: “We’re currently covering the basics so people get used to it. We do simple projects every week that take up a lunch session until they get the full basic understanding. Bigger projects might take around 3-4 weeks.”
A recent project the club has completed?
Varun: “The dancing light show. Basically we programmed it to have a light show. We wanted to do this to show that similar interactions with the code can affect something physically. Like if I put 1 and 0 in the code, that is like a light turning off and on.
Do you need any prior skill from members before joining?
Varun: “Of course not, anyone can do it. Even if you’re not interested in engineering, you still have the opportunity to try it out. Battal: “Especially since universities use Arduino Kits, we thought why let them wait when we can teach them now.”
Varun: “Sugufta suggested a great idea which is when we run the club, we leave the door open. So anyone can walk in. I never realised the brilliance in that until now.”
What resources, software and software are available to club members?
Battal: “The tools are full Arduino Starter Kits with the Arduino IDE software and processing. And we provide everything including diagrams to codes and using the programs.”
What are the goals for the club in the upcoming year?
Battal: “We are going to teach people how to use the basics, and let them do the projects and build off from that. After they do that, we want to let them choose the project they want to do, and learn from it.
What do you guys enjoy most about being in the engineering club?
Battal: “I enjoy teaching people, engaging with people and learning from both mine and their mistakes. I love helping people the most.”
Yusuf: “I’d say the same for me. I like engaging with people. I don’t know much about engineering so I can’t really say much about answering questions and yeah that's about it.”
Sugufta: “For me, its when people come through that door and for new people to come through as well. It makes me feel like what I’m trying to do is accomplished.
Varun: “That fact that I see a lot of kids passionate about it and willing to try, it’s the best thing I’ve seen. I remember there was 2 year 7 boys, and they were arguing on how to do things. I was like damn, this is why I started this. Where I can see two people learn to work together on something.”