Virtual Grad Expo

We will be using a virtual event platform called Gather. Go to this website to enter the event space at anytime between now and March 12th: https://gather.town/app/IDUwpR2Wz0ALgYFX/mechU

Gather works best with Google Chrome. It does not work Safari and sometimes seems to have audio problems in Firefox. There is also a desktop app you can try https://gather.town/download

Participants will join us in a 2D world with 8-bit graphics, walking around the space by moving your avatar with your keyboard’s arrow keys.  If you approach another avatar, that person’s webcam will appear at the top of your screen and you can talk to them or keep walking. There are websites, PDFs and images imbedded throughout the site and if something highlights yellow and/or you see a message at the bottom of your screen above your name such as “press x to watch this video”, then if you press your x key you can look at the item. Press the x in a white circle at the top right of the document/website to close it again.

We made a document to help you here.

• Brittany Coats, Utah Head Trauma Lab
• Tianli Feng (new hire starting August 1), Multiscale Energy Transport, Conversion and Storage Lab (not sure if that’s the official lab name at the UofU yet)
• Yong Lin Kong, Additive Manufacturing Lab
• Rob Parker, Dynamics and Vibration Lab
• Pai Wang, Utah Waves & Architected Materials Lab
  

Yes, from 9-10am and from 12-12:30 (lunch break) there will be current students in the Student Lounge, as well as at the Happy Hour from 6-7pm in the Rooftop Lounge and there will be a student panel from 1:40-2pm.  Students should have their name and “(Student)” in their avatar name. If you get close to a student’s avatar their webcam will pop up and you can talk to them. If a group of students is in a common area such as a rug/couch area you will see all those people’s webcams and can chat.

In the Research Hall from 12:30-1:30pm we will have short presentations of an overview of research in our 4 “divisions” (how we currently classify our faculty, research and classes), including Robotics and Controls, Solid Mechanics, Thermal, Fluid and Energy Systems (TFES), and Design, Ergonomics, Manufacturing and Systems (DEMS, and includes MEMS). There will also be a few short live lab tours where you can open a zoom link directly from the space, as well as research posters, videos and websites placed throughout the area that you can access by clicking the ‘x’ key.

• 12:30-12:45 Robotics division research overview presentation (by Professor Jake Abbott of the Telerobotics Lab) in the carpeted area with chairs
• 1:00-1:15 Live Bionic Engineering Lab demonstration (by Professor Tommaso Lenzi and students), click x over by the “Live Lab Tour” image in the top left corner to access the zoom link (you will temporarily leave Gather but when you close it you will return to that space).
• 12:30-1:30 interact with research posters, videos and websites placed throughout the area that you can access by clicking the ‘x’ key when the icons highlight yellow.
• Also feel free to check out other division rooms
  

• 12:30-12:45 Solid Mechanics division research overview presentation (by Professor Rob Parker of the Dynamics & Vibrations lab) in the carpeted area with chairs
• No live tours but watch their research and facility overview video and recorded interviews by pressing the ‘x’ key as you encounter them in their room.
• 12:30-1:30 interact with research posters, videos and websites placed throughout the area that you can access by clicking the ‘x’ key when the icons highlight yellow.
• Also feel free to check out other division rooms
  

• 12:30-12:45 DEMS division research overview presentation (by Professor Jiyoung Chang of the Wearable NEMS (NanoElectroMechanical Systems) Laboratory) in the carpeted area with chairs
• 12:45-1:00 Live Ergonomics and Safety Lab presentation (by Professor Andrew Merryweather and students), click x over by their “Live Lab Tour” image in the top left corner of this room to access the zoom link (you will temporarily leave Gather but when you close it you will return to that space).
• 1:00-1:15 Live Biomedical Micro/Nano Systems Lab presentation (by Professor Jay Kim and student), click x over by their “Live Lab Tour” image in the top left corner of this room to access the zoom link (you will temporarily leave Gather but when you close it you will return to that space).
• 12:30-1:30 interact with research posters, videos and websites placed throughout the area that you can access by clicking the ‘x’ key when the icons highlight yellow.
• Also feel free to check out other division rooms
  

• 12:30-12:45 No division research overview presentation so far but check out their division overview video in the space by finding the icon and clicking ‘x’ to watch.
• 1:00-1:15 Live Fluid and Biomechanics Lab presentation (by Professor Henry Fu’s students); Watch their pre-recorded video and ask them questions live in the carpeted area with chairs.
• 12:30-1:30 interact with research posters, videos and websites placed throughout the area that you can access by clicking the ‘x’ key when the icons highlight yellow.
• Also feel free to check out other division rooms
  

Our Graduate Student Advisory Committee has created a Things I wish I had asked before I went to Grad School document that might be helpful before deciding on a graduate program.  We have also created a Discord Server (similar to Slack) for you to post questions about anything at all. Current students will be joining the server to answer your questions and also to post their own questions as we build this online community. Start posting questions now!

That’s okay! Attend as much or as little as you want. You can also enter the space at any time until March 12 to see videos, websites, recordings and posters. If anyone is in there you can talk to them! Or not…

Navigate to the Rooftop lounge from 6-7pm Mountain time to chat with current graduate students in our program. Students will be labeled as ‘student’ in their name above their avatar.  Some faculty may join around 6:30pm. Everyone on the same flooring type can hear and see each other. If you want to chat with someone specific you can ask them to go to another seating area. This is your chance to socialize and get a feel for how the program really is, how it is to live in Utah, etc.

No, since everything is virtual, we decided to invite all applicants and those who had started an application and treat it more like an info session or open house. Check your status in ApplyYourself Application system but admissions processing times are a little long due to the pandemic and economy (more people go to grad school in higher unemployment situations). PhD applicants basically need an offer from a faculty (or possibly external funding) to get an offer so do some networking if you haven’t already.

What is the inversion I keep hearing about in Salt Lake City? Is it really that bad?

• A temperature inversion traps cold air under warm air and pollution particulates get trapped in the valley.
• Some years are worse than others (can sometimes compare to Los Angeles or some areas of India or China) and some years it’s hardly noticeable.
• People with asthma or other medical conditions may be more affected than others.
• It usually lasts from around November or December to around February.
• Some people wear masks in the winter if it bothers them. More people will probably continue doing that now that they’re used to wearing face masks.
• There is basically no noticeable pollution any other time of year. Clear blue skies and sunshine a lot of the time and some winters are very nice and clear as well. You would not notice the pollution up in the mountains but sometimes you can see a layer over the city/valley.

Will Fall semester be online or in person?

• 35-45% of our classes will be in-person and the rest will be online (but what we call IVC, which is online classes at a certain time so you watch the lecture live).
• The University wants to make a decision on the percentage by March so it won’t change after students register because last summer we kept increasing the percentage of online classes and students didn’t like the constant changes.
• We won’t know about Spring 2022 for a few months.

What funding is available?

• PhD students need to get funded by a professor’s research grants or startup funds (like new hires), or have a fellowship or external funding (i.e. government sponsorship) to be admitted. If you have external funding but no faculty advisor yet, contact the Director of Graduate Studies to see if he can help find you an advisor and admit you (contact info to the right).
• Some financial information is available on our website.
• Teaching assistant and grader positions are posted in the summer for Fall semester and in the Fall for Spring semester and any student can apply to them. If you receive one of those positions, you’d be eligible for our Tuition Benefit Program but position availability is not guaranteed and varies from semester to semester.
• We have some fellowships available through the College of Engineering that faculty will be nominating top applicants for.

Should I do a thesis or non-thesis master’s?

• It’s up to you, they are both the same Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
• You might consider doing a thesis Master’s if you want to get a PhD eventually or work in a research lab or research and development job.
• The non-thesis Master’s is probably fine if you just want the degree for career advancement, higher salaries, or more in-depth knowledge in a more specific area than maybe you were able to study in your undergraduate major or if you’re switching fields and want a degree in that field without doing another B.S.