Oddsmakers probably wouldn’t have bet money that Armando Rodriguez would one day become a professor. He grew up in a rough New York City neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and many of his friends were lost to the streets. His mother died of cancer when he was 13, and his father was a window cleaner. “He couldn’t provide much advice to me other than, ‘Go to school or I’m going to kill you,’” Rodriguez says. But his father did steer him to someone in the neighborhood who Rodriguez says saved his life. “He was the guy who saved me from juvenile delinquency and worse later on. He bought me books and helped me with projects. I know the difference an individual can make in a person’s life — I’ve lived it.”

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Filed under: Electrical, Explore Engineering, Mechanical | Comments Off on Class Acts: Rogue Scholar

Tags: Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

When Marcus Ashford was studying mechanical engineering at Louisiana State University, there wasn’t a single black faculty member in the department. Now, as an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, he hopes to inspire change. “A lot of kids don’t see themselves in certain positions because they’ve never seen anyone like them doing it,” he says. “We are our own best recruiters. If the work that we do is exciting enough, and you can get people to see that, we’ll draw them in.”

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Filed under: Environmental, Explore Engineering, Mechanical | Comments Off on Class Acts: Driving Force

Tags: Environmental, Mechanical

Coming into Virginia Tech’s engineering program, Angela Walker knew that as a woman, she would be in the minority. That’s why she chose to live in Hypatia, an all-female engineering community, her first two years. “Nothing can replace the ability to walk down the hallway and get help on homework,” says Walker, now a junior majoring in mechanical engineering. “If it weren’t for the network of people you meet through this program, many girls might feel intimidated to the point that they decide to drop out of engineering,” she says. “We empower each other.”

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Filed under: Aerospace, Agricultural, Architectural, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Explore Engineering, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials, Mechanical, Mining, Nuclear, Ocean, Transportation | Comments Off on Girl Power

Tags: Programs for Girls, Women in engineering

Amateur and pro athletes turn to engineers to analyze their every move.

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Filed under: Biomedical, Computer, Mechanical | Comments Off on Action Replay

Tags: Biomedical, Biotechnology, Computer, Mechanical

It may sound like science fiction, but this is the real deal: Yoky Matsuoka is figuring out how to make robotic arms that can be guided by the human brain.

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Filed under: Mechanical, Trailblazers | Comments Off on Robotics for Real People

Tags: Biomedical, Biotechnology, Mechanical, Robotics