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Celebrating our 2025 graduating student employees

This semester, we have five graduating student employees! It has been wonderful to see these students grow during their time with us.  

Adam Holmes 

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa 

Degree: Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering 

Next steps: I will be working as a product development engineer at IDT in Coralville, Iowa. 

What piece of advice would you give yourself in your first year of college? Don’t be afraid to ask for help! 

Elisa Burba 

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia 

Degree: Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and history with a minor in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies  

Next steps: I will be staying in Iowa City to complete the final year of my Masters of Library and Information Science with hopes of later attending a program to earn a PhD in history. 

What piece of advice would you give yourself in your first year of college? Allow your plans to change. What you came into college wanting to do with your life probably won’t be what you leave college wanting to do. Explore as many experiences as possible, and you’ll find what you’re passionate about! 

Jiberle Mustefa 

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa 

Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration in management with a Certificate in International Business 

What piece of advice would you give yourself in your first year of college? Trust God’s plan. Life has many twists, turns, valleys, and mountains to climb and these years will teach you that in a whole new way. It’s important to remember that at the end of this journey, the view is worth it all, and all the beauty comes from the moments it took to get there! 

Mercyanna Brandenburg 

Hometown: Algona, Iowa 

Degree: Bachelor of Science in industrial and systems engineering with a minor in business 

Next steps: I am moving to Jacksonville, Florida to be a project engineer. 

What piece of advice would you give yourself in your first year of college? I would tell myself to trust in God during those hard exams. And remember my identity is found in Christ, not measured by success on earth!  

Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan 

Degree: Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering  

Next steps: I will take a manufacturing engineering role at Tesla. 

What piece of advice would you give to yourself in your first year of college? Everything will fall into place—don’t stress about internships or the next job. You’re exactly where you need to be; focus on giving your all in whatever you do. Hard work won’t create instant breakthroughs, but it builds the momentum that turns effort into opportunity. Trust the journey, have fun! 

Engineering Open 2025 winners 

This year’s Engineering Open was our biggest yet. There were 14 fairways, 83 people on participating build teams, and over 200 attendees! 

2025 Winners 

Grand Prize: Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty/Graduate Students 

2nd Place: Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Undergraduates – American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Student Group 

3rd Place: Industrial and Systems Engineering Undergraduates – Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Student Group 

People’s Choice: Society of Women Engineers (SWE) 

Spring semester in the Engineering Library

Get involved at the Engineering Library this semester! Whether you choose to participate in a workshop, create some art at a Maker Break, or play some golf at the Engineering Open, there’s something for everyone! 

Engineering Open 

Join us on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, 1–3 p.m., as each College of Engineering department competes to design the best fairway for a mini golf design challenge! See the final designs on Thursday afternoon in the Student Commons of the Seamans Center. 

Maker Breaks 

Give your brain a break and get creative for a few minutes with monthly themed crafts. No registration is required for these drop-by events. Light up the dark days with our first Maker Break, DIY light up paper lanterns on Thursday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in the Engineering Student Commons.  

Learn To Solder: Weevils 

Soldering is one of the most fundamental skills needed to explore the world of electronics. This workshop will help you gain a better understanding of electronics and be better equipped to create your own. This hands-on workshop is a standalone event. Taught by Kara Beauchamp, instructional lab manager. Co-sponsored by the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and the Lichtenberger Engineering Library. We are offering this class twice: Wednesday, March 5, 12:30–1:30 p.m. or Thursday, March 27, 3:30–4:30 p.m. Sign up today to save your spot! 

Engineering Library Workshops 

Get ahead on your research skills! These workshops are designed for graduate students and faculty but also open to undergraduates. Power-up your dissertation writing with our first workshop Introduction to LaTeX/Overleaf on Thursday, Feb. 11, 3:30–4:20 p.m. in the Engineering Library Creative Space (2001C SC) and online. Sign up today to save your spot! 

Blind Date with a Book 

Will it be true love? Pick up a wrapped book from the display in the Engineering Library and check it out at the service desk. It’s a great chance to find something new to read in the new year. Available now until Feb. 28. 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Kari Kozak in advance at 319-335-6047 or lib-engineering@uiowa.edu. 

Finals week fun at the Engineering Library 

Finals week is upon us and can be very intimidating. We are here for our students with extended hours, hot beverages, and fun surprises! We are open for late-night study sessions with space for individual and group study. 

Mon, Dec. 16–Thu, Dec. 19 | 8:30 a.m.–midnight 

Fri, Dec. 20 | 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. 

Starting Monday, we will serve FREE coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to fuel your studying. 

This year we have brewed up some extra fun with our Finals Fun Vending Machine! Stop by the service desk to pick up free custom tokens and give the machine a spin. Each spin gives you a capsule that contains candy or a toy, along with words of encouragement, a cheesy joke, or a fun factoid. 

Register your team today for the Engineering Open  

Registration is now open for design teams to enter the 2025 Engineering Open mini golf design challenge. Teams will compete to design the best mini golf fairway, focusing on fun theming and creative building. Visit the event homepage for full rules and judging criteria. The event will take place on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 1 – 3 p.m. in the Seamans Center Student Commons. The fairways will also be used at the 2025 On Iowa event. 

Six fairways are reserved for each of the six departments: Biomedical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Sign-up to be on a team at: https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/eng/events/engineeringopen/  

Six additional fairways are available for clubs and groups that are university–recognized and affiliated with the College of Engineering. If you are affiliated with a club or team and would like to build a fairway, please email lib-engineering@uiowa.edu with your club name and team members. Space for teams is limited and offered on a first come, first served basis. 

Engineering Open is sponsored by KEEN, the Lichtenberger Engineering Library, College of Engineering | Engineering Technology Center, and NEXUS. 

2024 Capture Your Research winners announced 

Capture Your Research is an annual image competition that celebrates research across campus at the University of Iowa. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, we held the Capture Your Research Reception and Awards Ceremony. The top 25 images were displayed and awards were presented. Check out the gallery below to view the winners of each of the four categories. 

Sponsors for this event are the Lichtenberger Engineering Library, Hanson Center for Communication, Nexus | Artineers, and Office of Undergraduate Research. 

Get ready for Homecoming 2024: Engineering Library resources for alumni and students

Homecoming week (Oct. 20–26, 2024) is a special time that brings together students, faculty, staff, future Hawkeyes, and alumni from all over the world. It’s a celebration that creates lasting memories for everyone involved.

Whether you live on campus or are in town for the occasion, consider a visit to the Lichtenberger Engineering Library. During the last academic year, the Engineering Library’s cutting-edge resources drew over 106,000 visitors to the space.

If you’re looking for a quiet spot to finish assignments before the big game or a place to connect with fellow alumni, the Engineering Library has you covered. In addition to study spaces, we offer 3D printers, tools, workshops, group study rooms, and much more.

And we are excited to share some upcoming events that may be of interest to our alumni: As a designated Patent and Trademark Resource Center, we offer valuable resources to help with patent and trademark research. We also host free maker workshops, including an upcoming session on soldering, where you can learn about electronics and create your own LED pendants.

Learn more at the links below and plan your Homecoming week visit to the Engineering Library—there’s no shortage of resources to make your Homecoming experience even more memorable.

This blog was guest written by our Library Science student Qing Xu.

Join us for a glimpse at the career of a USPTO patent examiner 

Have you ever wondered what happens to a patent after an inventor submits all that paperwork? Get a behind the scenes look with our upcoming presentation: The role of a USPTO patent examiner on Oct. 9, 2024, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.  

A patent examiner plays a crucial role in the intellectual property system by evaluating patent applications to determine whether they meet the legal requirements for patentability. They are the ones who ensure that the inventions described in the applications are new, useful, and non-obvious. 

Patent examiners also communicate with applicants or their lawyers. Examiners identify issues with an application and may request clarification or let the applicant know that the invention is not patentable. Applicants may respond with amendments or arguments to address these issues. This back-and-forth process continues until the application is either approved or finally rejected. 

Patent examiners come from many backgrounds. For example, Primary Patent Examiner Dung Ulsh, who will be presenting our workshop, is an expert in drugdelivery medical devices. In addition to their technical expertise, patent examiners must have a strong understanding of patent laws and regulations. 

After Ms. Ulsh’s presentation, there will be a Q&A session where Derris Banks, the regional director of the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional Outreach Office, will answer questions about the patent application process. 

Need to brush up on your patent basics? Visit our patents guide for a great overview! 

The workshop is free but registration is required. Click here to save your spot today!