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Hi Fives (5 Highlights) 2-Minute Listen
As a recent member of the University of Cincinnati Alumni, Lynn Pickering looks back at her Undergraduate Experience in this podcast. Lynn recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Lynn was a busy high schooler. She liked a lot of subjects, took a lot of AP classes, and was a good student. She was also into soccer & crochet.
In her senior year she took an engineering class, enjoyed it, and decided to pursue it in college.
Lynn joins us on our podcast to share her Undergraduate experience at U of Cincinnati, Research in Fuzzy Logic, Fulbright Research Scholarship, Co-op programs, and Advice for high schoolers.
Hi-Fives from the Podcast are:
- Why University of Cincinnati?
- Transition to College
- Research Outcomes
- The U of Cincinnati Difference
- Advice for High Schoolers
Episode Notes
Episode Title: Lynn Pickering of the University of Cincinnati: Aerospace Engineering, Fuzzy Logic, and Fulbright Research Scholar.
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Lynn was a busy high schooler. She liked a lot of subjects, took a lot of AP classes, and was a good student. She was also into soccer & crochet.
In her senior year she took an engineering class, enjoyed it, and decided to pursue it in college.
Lynn joins us on our podcast to share her Undergraduate experience at U of Cincinnati, Research in Fuzzy Logic, Fulbright Research Scholarship, Co-op programs, and Advice for high schoolers.
In particular, we discuss the following with her:
- Overall Experience at U of Cincinnati
- Fuzzy Logic Research
- Fulbright Research Scholarship
- Majoring in Aerospace Engineering
- Advice to High Schoolers
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Introduction to Lynn Pickering, U Cincinnati [0:45]
- Hi Fives - Podcast Highlights [1:54]
- Overall UC Experience [3:46]
- Why U Cincinnati? [4:20]
- High School Interests [5:13]
- Transition to College [7:05]
- Peers [8:35]
- Professors and Classes [10:33]
- UG Research - Fuzzy Logic [12:33]
- Research Outcomes [16:54]
- Impact of Research [18:47]
- Campus Activities - Aero Competition [22:00]
- Aerospace Major [24:59]
- Fulbright Research Scholar [26:04]
- Fulbright Application [27:40]
- Master’s in the UK [29:56]
- Powering Ahead with Fuzzy Logic [31:08]
- The U of Cincinnati Difference [34:49]
- Advice for High Schoolers [36:40]
- Memories [38:10]
Our Guests: Lynn Pickering graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Lynn is currently pursuing a Doctoral Program at UC.
Memorable Quote: “I think the Co-Op program is really one of the biggest experiences, because if I hadn't had that, I wouldn't have known that, you know, aerospace maybe isn't the right thing for me, maybe I would have had to go work there for five years to figure that out. ”. Lynn Pickering.
Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.
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Episode Transcript
Transcript of the episode’s audio.
Lynn P 0:14
One of the favorite things that I did is my freshman year when I was you know, I was said I told you I was frustrated about Yeah, you know, not getting enough aerospace experience. I somehow discovered the senior design aerospace team that was building a remote control Air aircraft and I got in touch with them. I emailed them and I said, you know, can I come to a meeting? And I did and they could never get rid of me.
Venkat 0:45 [Introduction to Lynn Pickering, U of Cincinnati]
That is Lynn Pickering, who recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Hello! I am your host Venkat Raman.
Lynn was a busy high schooler.
She liked a lot of subjects, took a lot of AP classes, and was a good student.
She was also into soccer & crochet.
In her senior year she took an engineering class, enjoyed it, and decided to pursue it in college.
Venkat Raman 1:21
Lynn joins us on our podcast to share her UG Experience at UC, Research in Fuzzy Logic, Fulbright Research Scholarship, Co-op programs, and Advice for high schoolers.
Venkat Raman 1:39
Before we jump into the podcast, here are the High-Fives, Five Highlights from the podcast:
Lynn P 1:54 [Highlights - Hi Fives]
[Why University of Cincinnati?]
The big idea for me was that, was their Co Op program. This idea that you rotate with school and work.
[Transition to College]
I would say it wasn't too terrible of a transition for me I think AP classes I think my my high school did or its did a really good job of preparing me for the workload. I've definitely felt like I was more prepared than some of my classmates.
[Research Outcomes]
But I created a fuzzy Tetris game. I mean, first I was playing around and I think I created like a temporary example. And I, you know, was trying to figure out how everything worked. But I created a fuzzy logic system that could play Tetris. And that was like my first.
[The U of Cincinnati Difference]
I think that Co Op program is really one of the biggest experiences because if I hadn't had that, I wouldn't have known that, you know, aerospace maybe isn't the right thing for me. Maybe I would have had to go work there for five years to figure that out.
[Advice for High Schoolers]
I know my teacher gave me this advice. I'll always remember this. And I think it's really good advice for anybody. And she said, you know, Lynn, it matters a lot less about where you go, than like what you do when you're there and the opportunities you take advantage of.
Venkat Raman 3:10
These were the Hi5s, brought to you by College Matters. Alma Matters.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
For my newsletter, visit almamatters.substack.com.
Venkat Raman 3:27
Now, I'm sure you want to hear the entire podcast with Lynn.
So without further ado, here is Lynn Pickering!
----------------------
Venkat Raman 3:36
Maybe the best place to start is have you talked about your U Cincinnati? College experience so far?
Lynn P 3:46 [Overall UC Experience]
Yeah, so I started my undergraduate there in aerospace engineering in 2016. I graduated in 2020 with a bachelor's in aerospace engineering, and I continued right on with a PhD in aerospace engineering. And that's what I'm currently doing now.
Venkat Raman 4:15
Why did you pick up Cincinnati for your undergrad? Why did you start there?
Lynn P 4:20 [Why U Cincinnati?]
So um, my, my dad did go there. But the big. The big idea for me was that was their Co Op program. This idea that you rotate with school and work, and especially on top of that, they had an international Co Op program. I have German backgrounds. My mom is German. So I always wanted to spend more time there than a couple of weeks that I had to visit family. So I was really interested in in that aspect of it. And they actually gave me a really amazing scholarship as well to go there. which helped a lot to make my decision.
Venkat Raman 5:06
So, what were you like in high school? What kind of interests did you have? Was engineering always top of the list?
Lynn P 5:13 [High School Interests]
No, definitely not. I, I got good grades and a lot of subjects. So I had a really hard time thinking about, you know, people say kind of, you know, do what you're good at. And I felt like I could do a lot of things. But I did have an engineering class my senior year. And it was really fun. It was really interesting. I like the teachers. And so that kind of finally, engineering became more of like a, something more I could relate to than just like this general, very broad term. And I'd say that's that kind of what that's kind of what really sold me on engineering. That's the kind of like a teamwork and interesting project kind of field. So, yeah,
Venkat Raman 6:06
So, So what kind of things did you do outside of the classroom in high school?
Lynn P 6:11
I was a very active person. I was on the soccer team. I was on the cross country team. I play club soccer. And then I would say, yeah, like spending time outside, my friends and I started a crochet club. So that was a lot of fun. But yeah, the the class classwork definitely took up a lot of my time, I had a lot of AP classes. So kind of most of my time was, you know, soccer or classwork, maybe reading a book, maybe doing some crocheting. But I was pretty busy.
Venkat Raman 6:54
So you get into U Cincinnati? What was that transition like, from high school to college?
Lynn P 7:05 [Transition to College]
Um, it wasn't too terrible. You know, I was, I was living in the same city, as my family still. So they were close by. So that was nice. But I was living on campus. I thought, you know, if I was going to live close to home, I still wanted to live on campus to be part of the full kind of campus experience. I would say it wasn't too terrible of a transition for me, I think AP classes, I think my my high school did, or its did a really good job of preparing me for the workload, I've definitely felt like I was more prepared than some of my classmates. And I guess, yeah, I remember being a bit frustrated the first year because we didn't, I didn't really get we weren't really doing a specific aerospace classes yet, except for very broadly. So I remember feeling like I wanted to jump into the, to the subject more, but yeah, I don't I know, I got my maybe this sounds like a little bit nerdy, but I was always trying to get A's and everything. And I got my first be in my second semester in physics, too. And I know that was a that that was hard for me at first, but I think it was a good experience for me to have.
Venkat Raman 8:25
So so how were your peers? You mentioned your classmates, what were they like?
Lynn P 8:35 [Peers]
Um, I tried to see how much I remember freshman year. The problem is I came in with a lot of AP classes. And so I had this, I set out this plan for myself that I wanted to the typical engineering program at UC takes five years because of the Co Op program. And I looked at the course schedule, and I figured, you know, once I filled in, like the the electives and things with my AP courses, there was a way that I would be able to do it in four years. And so I kind of came in and I was like, you know, I want to do this in four years. And I, the advisor didn't want me to, you know, skip some of the classes and use my AP courses. But I was like, you know, I was really confident that I had great teachers, and that I had a really good foundation from high school. And so you know, I stuck to my guns. And I kind of followed through with that. So I'm not sure if it was my best decision. I ended up being very busy some semesters. It was a little bit hard. I think this would have happened freshman year anyways, but because my freshman year I kind of took classes with the people that graduated in 2021. And then starting that summer, I was taking classes with people who are graduating in 2020. And so I did have some community with people and we had in like a living learned eat learning community. But I really found my people. I think the first summer, when we started getting into like the really, you know, the aerospace classes, and I really don't know how well I would have done without a good group of friends so we can work on projects together, we could help each other talk through the concepts. And that was really, really important to me throughout my whole throughout the rest of my college career.
Venkat Raman 10:27
How did you find the teaching? the professors? and all the classes there?
Lynn P 10:33 [Professors and Classes]
Yeah, I thought I definitely felt it was the same way with high school that whenever I had, like, a really good professor, that would end up being my favorite class. Yeah. And so I definitely I know like physics one, I had this amazing teacher, I did really well, I really enjoyed it. And then physics two, I had a professor, I think he was about to retire. A lot of, you know, the class didn't feel as interactive. There were resources for us online. And I just felt like I did, I definitely did much worse in that class. And I think a lot of it did have to do with the professor that's really, you know, engaging and has extra resources for you online, and really good office hours and things like that. So I definitely, I definitely think I had definitely think I had a mixed bag. And I think the good professors mattered to me a lot, for sure.
Venkat Raman 11:31
Of course. Now, were these classes big? were they How big were these classes.
Lynn P 11:38
Um, it depended on the class. I know, like multivariable multivariable, calculus, I had about 30 people, kind of similar to what I was used to in high school. But the physics classes were quite big. But then we had the physics labs, where we had the physics recitation, which then had, you know, much smaller groups. And then we had like an introduction aerospace class with the whole with the whole class, which was about I think, 70 or 80 of us. And so maybe it might have actually been like, close to 100. But by its second year, that drops down to like 70 people or 60 people or so.
Venkat Raman 12:21
First of all, how did you get into research? It's always, always intriguing to me and fascinating. So yeah, so tell me tell me about it.
Lynn P 12:33 [UG Research - Fuzzy Logic]
Yeah, I it was it was it feels like a crazy coincidence that I got into research, actually. But I think, I think actually, it can, it connects to a lot of my experiences of taking advantage of something that's offered to me, I kind of took a chance on this aspires program at the University, through which I think I was connected to for my scholarship. And I, you know, I kind of I committed to this program, and then through that I was connected to a professor in my field. And then through that, like, we had a great discussion, and I started doing some research with him. So it seems like a very kind of strange sequence of events. But I think definitely the connecting factor was kind of, like recognizing an interesting opportunity, and then taking advantage of it. And I remember, just like, when I met my professor for the first time, how, how passionate he was about the research. And that made me really excited about it. So which research, which this was, let's see, this was maybe the I get so confused, because it's, you know, with like, it was always like, you're always either in classes or so it was always a little bit. This was before my second Co Op rotation. So I think it would have been about two years in, okay, well, halfway through. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Venkat Raman 14:15
Yeah. Go ahead. You were talking to talk about the research.
Lynn P 14:19
Yeah. So the research that I was doing was on fuzzy logic. It's a type of machine learning that tries to kind of mimic how humans reason. So typically, machine learning is kind of based on how computers reason with ones and zeros. You know, like, if we have a variable, like, a very typical example we use is the tipper problem in the US, like everybody knows how they decide to tip a waiter or a waitress, you know, maybe based on maybe we take two variables, the food quality and the service quality of like, of the person that's serving you. And so a typical computer would say Like, either the service was good, or the service was bad, maybe there's no in between. But fuzzy logic says, you know, there's actually like some gray area. And that's how humans would reason to, you know, we'd say, you know, it's kind of it could be anywhere from zero to one. And then there's rules, just like how humans reason, you know, if the food is good, and the service is good, then the tip is high. So we can build with fuzzy logic, we can build these expert systems based on rules, kind of based on how the real world works. But we can also use other methods to train this system, like genetic algorithms or neural networks, we can train a fuzzy system on data. And that way, we can create systems that are based on a lot of data, but then we can still look at the rules, we can look at the underlying logic and understand a lot more than like a neural network where it's just too complex for humans to be able to understand. So that just it feels like there's a lot of promise there. And so that's why I got why I was so interested in it in the first place.
Venkat Raman 16:12
So how did you get introduced to this now? Was it because of the professor? Or was this something that you had independently? sort of stumbled upon? Or discovered? Through the professor? Yeah. All through the professor. Okay.
Lynn P 16:26
All through the professor. Yeah. Yeah, he kind of like we had this, we had this first meeting. And he kind of, you know, because the program connected me. And then he immediately had some resources. And I started looking at them and becoming more and more interested. And yeah, just kind of went from there.
Venkat Raman 16:48
So what did you do? What did you do with this? Did you build something? Did you? What was it that you did?
Lynn P 16:54 [Research Outcomes]
Yeah. So the first, the first thing was, was pretty simple. I was, I guess, not that simple. But I created a fuzzy Tetris game. I mean, first, I was playing around. And I think I created like a temporary example. And I, you know, was trying to figure out how everything worked. But I created a fuzzy logic system that could play Tetris. And that was like my first. And I was also at the same time, you know, I was I had learned MATLAB as part of my courses, but I didn't want to pay for the extra toolboxes that I needed. And so I said, I'm going to learn Python. So that was kind of the first big project of you know, tackling the research was kind of learning Python in parallel. So, yeah.
Venkat Raman 17:42
Cool. So what was the, did it culminate in something? What did you do with this?
Lynn P 17:50
Yeah, I wrote a paper my senior year. And I submitted it to the NAF, IPS, which is the the North American Fuzzy Processing Society. And yeah, unfortunately, you know, that's when that's when COVID hits. So I gave that presentation to the conference online. But yeah, I was I was accepted to as a conference paper with that work. So I was like, my start.
Venkat Raman 18:25
What did you kind of learn from the whole research experience? Or once you started doing research? Were they were there any kind of special skills or skills that you've developed? Any characteristics, any methodologies? What what is? What is kind of the kind of impact it's had on you?
Lynn P 18:47 [Impact of Research]
Yeah, I mean, I think I've learned, I've learned how to Google things really? Well. I feel like, you know, I would, I would hope that I would know, like, more things on coding or like, you know, I think I'm going to become an expert in things, but I think what I really learned was like, how to search for things better, and like, how to find out about things that I need to know. And it's just like, it's such, like, a longer process than like, then, you know, like turning in a homework, you know, it's, it's straightforward, you know, when it's due, you know, like, what needs to be done for it, you have other people maybe working on it, that you can ask them for help. And so I definitely learned like a lot of independents have, yeah, like, how to break down these bigger problems. I learned like, definitely how to, like discipline myself and stay on track and like, keep an eye on the bigger picture. But yeah, I think it's it's all stuff that I'm still trying to learn now as well. Of course. Sure.
Venkat Raman 19:53
Of course. What about reading papers? I mean, one of the things I've heard routinely is that That takes some work and doing and it's a skill that you actually kind of have to be able to read papers in a certain way. Is that something you found too?
Lynn P 20:10
Yeah, definitely. I'm definitely still I think I'm still figuring that out. I think like the Note, like a lot of it some like the notation and stuff like you have to continue to like, look back on, on the definitions, at least for me, like some of the math notation. And then yeah, definitely, like you learn a lot more like what is important about a paper so that you don't spend like, like the time that I spent slogging like from start to finish through a paper? Like I don't I can't tell you like how many times I did that before I kind of learned that. Like better strategies were to like, look at the introduction. Is this look at the abstract? Who does this? Is this really relevant to me? Maybe set out, I would write some questions. Now I write questions like, What? What am I going to learn from this paper? So I kind of set those questions, those goals, so that there's something that I'm really looking for. And then go to the conclusion, and then the results and just kind of jumping around more and being more like active with the paper helps me a lot versus just trying to like scroll through. It's so difficult. And then I mean, what the most important thing I think, for my research too, was like really having like a concrete project to work on. So like I'm, I need to figure out these Python skills. And to figure out this paper, I need to figure out this method to do my thing. I think if I didn't have that, like, if I didn't have this, like underlying project, I don't know, I wouldn't have been so focused, I wouldn't have gotten nearly so far without like, you know, really working concretely towards something.
Venkat Raman 21:48
Were you kind of involved on campus as well, I know you are pretty busy classwork and research. Did you do any other kind of campus activities? Any clubs or organizations?
Lynn P 22:00 [Campus Activities - Aero Competition]
Yeah, I think, I think sometimes I was maybe like, a little bit too busy on campus. But I was I did club soccer. I did. I think one of the favorite things that I did is my freshman year when I was you know, said, I told you I was frustrated about Yeah, you know, not getting enough aerospace experience, I somehow discovered the senior design aerospace team that was building a remote control Air aircraft. And I got in touch with them. I emailed them, and I said, you know, can I come to a meeting. And I did, and they could never get rid of me. The rest of that rest of that first year, I spent with the team, I, you know, helped build this airplane, I probably worked more than half of the seniors on the team. You know, people start to get senior itis whatever else, but I spent a lot of my time. And I learned so much from them, you know, they would, you know, I would ask a question that classes I hadn't taken yet. And they would, you know, go over to the whiteboard and pull out a pull out a marker. And they would explain things to me. So I was really lucky to for some of those people on that team. And they were they were they helped me a lot when I was trying to get my first Co Op as well, because they had been through it. And so, so many amazing things came out of that I actually got to go to Texas with them for the final competition as well, where we won first place. And so it was just all around like, you know, it took up, took up like almost all my free time my first year, but it was really an amazing experience. After that I was in a I was in an academic fraternity that was co ed. I was also involved in the in the team in the school's Hyperloop team. And that was actually a big lesson to me, it was it was a lot of fun. But one semester I was I was taking 21 credits because I was preparing for my German study abroad as well. And I was trying to get German, I got my German minor as well. And so I had to some extra courses because of that. And I actually had to kind of learn how to quit something for the first time and say, you know, I'm not present enough to make this worth worth it. And so that taught me a big lesson as well as like when to realize that you don't have time to balance everything. And it's better if you're focusing on the most important things at the time.
Venkat Raman 24:40
So, you know, I wanted to talk a little bit about your major, I mean, it sounds like you had the beginnings of engineering in high school with that course you said you took, and then how did you settle on aerospace now?
Lynn P 24:59 [Aerospace Major]
So I yeah, I was I had, I enjoyed the course I was looking at the many different engineering disciplines, and aerospace just stuck out to me as something that seemed the most exciting. My dad actually had his pilot's license when I was a kid for a small two seater airplane. And I got to go flying with him some time. So I was always, I was always really excited about airplanes and learning how they worked. And I think overall, I just, I kind of saw that it would be like, a really interesting challenge. I, I think that's kind of how I ultimately decided to do it.
Venkat Raman 25:42
Okay, so, you know, I want to talk a little bit about the Fulbright research scholarship. Tell us about it. I mean, how I first of all, I didn't even know there was a research component to that. But Fulbright, but why, uh, when did you do it? And why did you even consider that?
Lynn P 26:04 [Fulbright Research Scholar]
Yeah, so um, it's always kind of been like a really big goal of mine. Growing up, I go to Germany for Christmases. And those experiences had a big impact on me. So it was always my goal to to live in different countries. And I think like, the more I've gotten the opportunity to do that, the more I crave it, I just like, like having, having to like learn having to adapt how a new place works, and then being able to meet all these people that have totally different experiences than you like upbringings than you. It's like, I don't know, it's an amazing, like learning aspects. So I knew, you know, researching in a new place was important to me. And I know, it's not the most common thing to do as a PhD student. And this was another thing of kind of, like, taking advantage of opportunities that come to me I, you know, I was reached reading through an email from my university, when I found out about this, that there was even a research component to Fulbright. And because I read that email, and I said, like, maybe I could do that maybe I could at least apply. And luckily, my university had this boot camp that helped me stay on track and got to meet some other people who were applying applying to it. And yeah, I just went from there.
Venkat Raman 27:33
You apply, and you obviously got the scholarship, then what would you do?
Lynn P 27:40 [Fulbright Application]
So I would say like, the application actually took a lot of time as well. And it helped me a lot with with kind of framing my research and understanding it in like a bigger context. And like, where did you know where it's like, ideally, you know, I was I was designing for the application, I had to design the project that I would want to work on. And so it was kind of like, you know, this opportunity to, you know, if I could do whatever I wanted to within my research, what would it be? And so that was like a huge part of the experience before it even started was all this research around that. And so now I've been here since September, I think, I think I thought I was going to come here and kind of like perfectly fulfill my research. And it was going to be great. But it's definitely been a lot more slow moving than I thought which I could have expected. Sure, you know, the time, the time that it takes to, you know, situate yourself in a new country. And then there's a lot of other great Fulbright opportunities, like conferences that aren't necessarily related to my research. But I'm really enjoying going to and learning about new things. Especially because we're here in Brussels with like, the headquarters of the EU on official headquarters. And yeah, it's been a really amazing experience so far, in terms of a lot of different things and meeting like the students here and having the influence of a different professor is has also been really interesting.
Venkat Raman 29:21
So now, you applied for the Fulbright research after you graduated right after your undergraduate degree, right?
Lynn P 29:30
That's right. I was in the I was it was the first summer of my PhD. Okay, that I was applying.
Venkat Raman 29:41
Now, you did tell me that you spent some time in the UK right before you came to Brussels. That's right. That's right. And was that was that all continuing the same research or was that a different program? The one in the UK?
Lynn P 29:56 [Master’s in the UK]
Yeah, it was similar research. The University of Cincinnati and Coventry University, we're starting up a master's program collaboration. And so and, you know, I always been clear to my professor that I really want to travel and I want to like work in different places. And so we kind of made up this made of this kind of program for me to go there and to take some of the classes that would be part of the master students. Course, and then to also do some research, kind of like self design research. And what I ended up doing was a little bit more broad kind of interpretable machine learning, research. But it definitely helped put my research into more context within the machine learning world, because I'd always been very focused on fuzzy from the beginning, because I started an undergraduate already. So it was a very valuable experience for me. And I was able to work with another student as well. So that was great.
Venkat Raman 30:55
So now the project that you designed for full ride application that you proposed, I guess, for the Fulbright application, what is that about? The one that you're currently working on, so
Lynn P 31:08 [Powering Ahead with Fuzzy Logic]
yeah, so so fuzzy logic, it's, it's kind of, it's proposed that it's like very inherently interpretable. But there's, there's so much, there's a lot of complexity that gets added when we add more inputs. And it becomes it can become more like a neural network, once we start adding more inputs, and it becomes, you know, not as easy for a human to comprehend. And so the focus that I want to be on is, is creating a fuzzy logic system, that a person that a human can understand how the results the results are given. But understand that for like, a high, high number of variables, and really focus on that final, like the end user experience, or like the, yeah, the interpretability of the output.
Venkat Raman 32:06
One more question on this? How is that connected or disconnected with aerospace? What do you How are you linking it?
Lynn P 32:15
So although my, although my degree is technically in aerospace engineering, I'm really doing more general engineering applications with fuzzy systems. I, you know, I really enjoyed my classes in aerospace engineering, I thought they were very interesting. But you know, when I was working at Gulfstream, and when I was working in the industry, I just didn't feel as challenged, I didn't necessarily want to do the jobs of the people around me. And so I kind of, I kind of liked the idea of machine learning and fuzzy logic in the terms that, you know, it can have a much bigger impact, you know, we can use these to design systems for a lot of different applications. And I'm, in my professor, you know, he also kind of, he has a big focus on drones, with fuzzy logic and control systems. But more recently, you know, he's also been thinking about, like, like, the bigger like, the more of the impact that he wants to have. And I think that for me is, you know, I want to feel like I have more of a direct positive impact on the world, then, you know, airplanes are really interesting, I think it'd be great if they were more energy friendly. And I think companies are already incentivized to do that to save money, in gas and everything. And so, you know, I really wanted to, as I was approaching the end of my undergraduate, I was doing a lot of thinking, and I just kind of felt like I wanted to have have a bigger impact than that with my job with the work that I was going to be doing in my life. So yeah, I'm kind of using this methodology to work on general app engineering applications that I feel will be able to have like a more direct impact for for like, positively on people's lives, if that makes sense.
Venkat Raman 34:15
Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, and what is amazing to me is that the undergraduate research that you started, you know, middle of your undergrad program is probably instrumental in getting you to think about this differently. Right? So
Lynn P 34:30
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Venkat Raman 34:31
And it's pretty amazing that the impact it's having on you. So.
Venkat Raman 34:38
How do you think the University of Cincinnati has made a difference to you? When as you look back at your undergrad years, and of course, as you progress through your PhD program?
Lynn P 34:49 [The U of Cincinnati Difference]
You Yeah, I mean, I mean, so many amazing experiences, I think. I think the Co Op program is really one of the biggest experiences because if I hadn't had that I wouldn't have known that, you know, aerospace maybe isn't the right thing for me, maybe I would have had to go work there for five years to figure that out. So, you know, having this having those, you know, you know, it's a mandatory program, you know, it's a scary thing to do interviews, and, and all this stuff, but like doing that already your freshman year. I mean, it's like, it's a huge advantage over a lot of other over a lot of other students. So that was amazing. I mean, they gave me this amazing scholarship, that I'm very, very grateful for, that gave me a huge advantage for undergraduate as well. I obviously like that I was B that was able to be connected to my professor, I mean, you have seen the impact that that had on me being able to be part of the senior design team. Definitely like, yeah, like the the fact that I got a Fulbright, you know, it wouldn't have been possible without the bootcamp without, like, the amazing offers of nationally competitive awards we have and the people that are working there that really support the students to apply for these kinds of kinds of awards. So, I mean, yeah, so many, so many amazing things they've done for me for sure.
Venkat Raman 36:24
So let's sort of segue to advice for high schoolers. I mean, as you reflect back on your own experience, what would you tell high schoolers out there who are getting ready to go to college in the next couple of years?
Lynn P 36:40 [Advice for High Schoolers]
So, I know, for me, like, at the time, I was thinking, I was thinking so much about, like, ratings and like scores on all these different aspects about colleges? Because I mean, how can you choose from a college, there's so many colleges out there, you have to have some way to like, kind of filter to them. And, you know, initially, UC wasn't my first choice, you know, I got into some other colleges that I thought had like a higher ranking, and that kind of thing.
But I know, like, I know, my teacher gave me this advice. I'll always remember this. And I think it's really good advice for anybody. And she said, you know, Lynn, it matters a lot less about where you go, then like, what you do when you're there and the opportunities you take advantage of.
And, you know, I really, I really held that with me and I, you know, took advantage of as many opportunities that I could. And that's what's gotten me to where I am now, when I'm really happy with where I am now. So I think that's, I think that's probably the one of the biggest advices I can give
Venkat Raman 37:53
So Lynn we're gonna start to wind down here. Before I let you go, I would love, if you could share some anecdote or some memory or memories or anything else you want to share that, you know, you want listeners to know.
Lynn P 38:10 [Memories]
Yeah, I don't know. I certainly have a lot of fun on the senior design team stayed up too late and pulled off something pretty amazing there. I am so grateful to, to my my group of friends through through the program. I don't know if I could have could have done it without them either. You know, the the late nights we had studying but we also were having so much fun and arguing about, you know, certain concepts. You know, that's how i i learned a lot from them.
Venkat Raman 38:44
Fantastic. So Lynn, thank you again for taking the time and sharing your experiences, both undergrad and the work you're up to now. Sounds like you're on a fascinating journey. And I hope to stay in touch but for right now. Thank you. Take care. And good evening.
Lynn P 39:07
All right, thank you so much. Good luck, everybody.
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Venkat 39:15 [Close]
Hi again!
Hope you enjoyed our podcast with Lynn Pickering on her undergraduate experiences at the Univ of Cincinnati.
Lynn joined UC to pursue aerospace engineering.
She was eager to get involved in aerospace right in the first year. As a result she joined a senior competition and helped built a remote controlled aircraft!
By getting involved in research, she discovered Fuzzy Logic.
Through UC’s co-op program she worked at Gulfstream and BMW and realized she really didn’t want a job as an aerospace engineer.
Lynn is pursuing a PhD where there is a lot more Fuzzy Logic in her future.
I hope Lynn’s undergraduate experience inspires you, and you explore U of Cincinnati for your UG program.
For your questions or comments on this podcast, please email podcast at almamatters.io [podcast@almamatters.io].
Thank you all so much for listening to our podcast today.
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Till we meet again, take care and be safe.
Thank you!