Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1523825
20 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2024 speeches as part of our outreach. I was encour- aged to teach classes for our STEM camps. You don't have to do just one thing. Here at college, there are so many options. You can join the Formula One racing team. Right behind me is a rocket that OSU students built. You can also focus on the administra- tive side of being an engineer by joining clubs, leading chapters, etc. Overall, everything that I've seen tells me that people really want to see those who are willing to explore and be well- versed in a lot of different things. Matties: When you look at your career, do you see circuit board design as a potential career path for you? I am very interested in PCB design. At the research lab right now, we designed something we are ready to patent. We have a couple of companies interested in buying our designs. Rather than using modular tools like Arduinos and Adafruit circuit boards, we want to create our own PCB and use that. Matties: Has that inspired you toward PCB design? Yes. I wanted to see what it would be like to design the PCB itself. I've done CAD and man- ufacturing, but I have never done PCB design. Aer seeing it in person and learning about it, I want to design and create my own PCB before I graduate. It might not be my final destination but learning it could be really useful for some- thing I'm doing later. at general literacy will be helpful. Shaughnessy: That's stunning to me because, in the PCB design community, we frequently say that the electronics design is the currency for moving data around in an engineering environment. Johnson: Because of that, everyone in an engineering discipline needs to have at least a basic understanding of how PCB design works. In my first engineering course, there was a pro- fessor who said, "I need to clarify one thing for you, and it's that engineering is about mov- ing energy." With anything you do, it comes down to the energy. You need to consider that whether you're a mechanical, soware, or elec- trical engineer; it all comes down to energy. Everything you do has to be in consideration of that." Shaughnessy: I know it's early in your college career, but do you have a sense of what the hiring is like for somebody with a mechatron- ics background? I know that there are a lot of interested compa- nies who hold OSU engineering in high regard. HP is one. I'm sitting across from HP's com- puter lab right now. Shaughnessy: There has been a big push for more females to become involved in STEM. What is the student mix in your classes? I'd say it's almost a 50/50 split. e last project that I worked on was led by a female student, and it was her idea for the agricultural produce sensor that we built. Shaughnessy: That's encouraging to hear. What advice do you have for other students considering an engineering discipline? As someone who was really uncertain when starting college, I think you should just be ready to do whatever options are presented. Don't be afraid to take a risk. In my first year, I basically did everything I possibly could, from soware to electrical. I didn't even know if I would like it. You can always pull back a bit when you know what you like and don't like, but you'll never know if you don't actually try. Shaughnessy: That's really good advice. Thank you, Dylan, and good luck as you continue your educational journey. ank you. DESIGN007