In the spotlight this week is our other graduate: Alex Asare.
Alex is graduating with a degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics. His future plans include a position as a software engineer, but will settle for world domination if the opportunity presents itself.
A fun fact about Alex is that he made money off of Dogecoin. His advice to incoming students is “It’s okay to change your mind and your major. Just keep trying!”
Congratulations and good luck in the future, Alex!
Over the next two weeks we’ll be highlighting some of our graduating senior student workers. This week: Kelsey Lyons.
Kelsey is graduating with a degree in biomedical engineering, with a minor in Spanish. An Iowa native, she started here at the library in summer 2020. In the fall, she will enter the M.D. Program at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Kelsey has played the saxophone in the Hawkeye Marching Band, and as a result has not missed a home football game in the last four years. She was also Homecoming Royalty in 2021. Her advice to incoming students is “Get involved as soon as you can! It’s the easiest way to meet new people and will help make Iowa City feel like home to you!”
Congratulations, Kelsey! Good luck in med school and beyond.
Rube Goldberg was born Reuben Garret Lucius Goldberg in 1883 in San Francisco. He started drawing through tracing illustrations at four years old. Encouraged by his father, Goldberg attended U.C. Berkeley, graduating in 1904 with a degree in Engineering. His first job was with the City of San Francisco, creating maps of sewers and water lines. He stayed in this position for six months, when he started at the San Francisco Chronicle where he started his career as a cartoonist. In 1907 he moved to New York City where he joined the New York Evening Mail as a sports cartoonist. One year later, Goldberg published his first commercial success: a comic strip called “Foolish Questions.” A few years later, the newspaper was syndicated, giving his comics a larger readership and making him the most popular cartoonist in the United States. He would go on to create several other comic strips, including “Mike and Ike (They Look Alike),” “Telephonies,” and his most famous comic “The Inventions of Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, A.K.,” which ran from 1929-1931. While Goldberg started creating inventions in his cartoons in 1912, it was in the “Professor” comics where they were most prominent. We encourage you to explore the gallery on the official Rube Goldberg website! Goldberg would continue working until his retirement in 1963. Over his lifetime it is estimated that he drew over 50,000 comics.
But what is a Rube Goldberg machine? According to the official Rube Goldberg website, Goldberg is “the only person ever to be listed in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as an adjective.” That definition is “accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply. . . also: characterized by such complex needs.” Goldberg developed his flair for dramatic and outlandish machines after observing his engineering colleagues and noting that a project or task was often made more difficult than necessary. Wallace of the Wallace and Gromit franchise often creates his own complicated Goldberg-esque machines, although in the United Kingdom they are known as “Heath Robinson” machines.
In 1949, two fraternities at Purdue University held the first Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. In 1989, the competition went national, and in 1996, a high school division was added. In the national Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, each machine must complete the prescribed task in between 20 and 75 steps. Today’s national contests are held by Rube Goldberg Inc., which is currently run by Goldberg’s granddaughter, Jennifer George.
We are holding our own Rube Goldberg Competition this weekend here at the College of Engineering. If you want to see the machines in action, stop by to see the judging of the machines on Sunday, April 24th from 1-2 pm.
Have you checked out anything from our tool library? There are over 275 tools available for you to check out. Last year, there were 394 total loans. Here are the top items that were checked out the most last year.
4 is a tie between the Multimeter/Voltmeter and the Tape Measure, each with 18 checkouts.
3 is the Canon PowerShot camera, which was borrowed 19 times. This camera has a zoom that allows you to take photos up to 50x.
2 is our hot glue guns (we have 2!), which have been checked out 24 times. Great for sticking this to that, our hot glue guns come with several glue sticks.
And the most checked out Tool Library item of last year is… the calipers! With a range of 0 to 6 inches and a resolution of .01mm/.0005inch and an accuracy of .02mm/.001 inch, this tool helps you get the precise measurements you need!
In addition to our tools, we also have cables and chargers available for you to check out. From phone and laptop chargers to HDMI cables and adapters, we can help! Last year, our cables were checked out 1,264 times.
One of our favorite spots in the Engineering Library is the Creative Space. It’s packed full with almost everything you would need to get an idea off the ground. If you need something else, just ask – we might have a way to get it for you or get you in touch with someone who can! But what is a Creative Space?
Developed several years ago, the Creative Space is our version of a makerspace. A growing trend in academic libraries like ours, makerspaces provide students with tools and machines that they may not have easy access to. Here at the Engineering Library you can check out over 275 tools (more about our Tool Library in tomorrow’s post), as well as use of several machines. Let’s take a moment to take a closer look at them.
First up is our Matter & Form 3D Scanner: This scanner stays put in the Northwest Corner of the Creative Space under the sign that says “3D Scanning Station,” and can measure items up to 9.8″.
Right next to the Matter & Form Scanner is the Cricut. Able to cut, draw, engrave, and perforate over 300 materials, the Cricuit Maker 3 is a great tool for when you need precision. Did you see the tags we made for our Blind Date with a Book event? Those were cut and written with our very own Cricut! If you want to use it, you will need to bring your own materials, but we’re happy to help you learn the software.
The newest addition to the Creative Space is a MakerBot 3D Printer. Gifted to us by our friends at the Engineering Electronics Shop, our 3D printer is part of a pilot program. It can print items up to 4″x4″x5″ and is free to use. Users are limited to 1 print per day, and full policies can be found here. If you want any large or highly precise prints, you’ll still need to contact the Engineering Electronics Shop, but our MakerBot can help you try out a print or create a prototype with less risk.
If you want to create a prototype with something other than 3D printing filament, check out our prototyping station. The materials you find there may change from time to time, but right now they include construction and tissue paper, popsicle sticks, and pipe cleaners. Stop in and check out what else we have on hand for you.
We also have two Virtual Reality stations, one with an HTC Vive and one with an Oculus Rift. Controllers for the systems can be checked out at the front desk.
The Creative Space is also a great place to study! There are several tables and plenty of outlets to keep your computers and phones charged. two computer stations with collaboration tables so you can work together on one screen. You can also use any of the glass panels on the walls to work through a calculus problem together.
When you stop in, you may find a friend hanging around. Don’t worry about him, he’s a (skele)ton of fun!
We’re coming to the end of the semester, which means that you might be looking for a new place to study. We have several options here for you!
Need to get that group project done? Come on in! You may be surprised to know that you don’t need to be silent in the library. Come in any time during our open hours, and you can use any of our spaces. On our main floor you can stop in and use our tables or computers anytime – no reservation needed!
If you need a little more privacy for solo or group work, you can reserve one of our two Pods. You can fit 4-5 people in each room, and easily share content from your phone or computer onto the screen with the Solstice device (details on how to do that are in that link). Last year, our Pods were reserved 1,606 times!
If independent quiet study is more your style, head downstairs where you will find several options. You can study at a desk (also known as a carrel), in front of an “aquarium” or “fireplace,” in a comfy chair or beanbag.
The Creative Space is also a fantastic place to study, but we’ll take an up-close look at that tomorrow!
Did you know that with your University of Iowa ID you have access to over 3,000 electronic journals and 400 databases? One of the most powerful tools to further your research is access to InfoHawk+ and our online resources. You can find them in several different ways.
1. InfoHawk+ Search for anything like you would normally search on any search engine. When you get the page of results, you can use the drop down menu on the right side of the search bar. You can then go to “Refine my results” on the left side of the screen and select the “Full Text Online” box. You then have a list of articles and books you can access from your computer!
2. When you visit the Engineering Library website you’ll find our “Selected Resources” section right under the InfoHawk+ search bar. This section is really great if you’re looking for a standard, patent, journal, or database.
3. Not sure where to start? Try out our specially designed guides by department, found at the bottom of our homepage. Your librarians have handpicked resources for each department, providing you with places to get started.
We can’t resist a good countdown, so here are our top five most accessed online databases:
1. IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Still not sure what resource is best for your project? Get in touch! You can get in touch with your librarians by visiting our homepage. Contact information can be found in the menu on the right hand side of the page, or just click here. You can call, email, chat, or text us. We’re here and ready to help!
It’s National Library Week! First celebrated by the American Library Association in 1958, NLW is a way for libraries to highlight and encourage the use of their services and spaces – so we’re doing the same thing! We’re starting up with the thing with you might expect from a library: books.
Located on the lower floor of the library, the Engineering Library has approximately 45,000 books here for easy access, with an additional 105,000 available offsite at the library annex that you can order to pick up at the library desk. Last year we had 774 checkouts of physical books from our stacks. Here’s a look at what some of the most popular books here at the library, based on how many times they have been checked out. We’ve removed items that are on course reserve, since they are outliers.
#3 is a tie between Microelectronics: circuit analysis and design by Donald A. Neamen and Introduction to Communication Systems by Upamanyu Madhow, both with 4 checkouts
#2 with 5 checkouts is Food Security, Nutrition and Sustainability edited by Geoffrey Lawrence, Kristen Lyons, and Tabatha Wallington
#1 is Chemical Process Safety: fundamentals with applications by Daniel A. Crowl and Joseph F. Louvar with 18 checkouts!
Come on in and see what we have in store – you may be surprised what you’ll find!
April Fools Day is a day for pranks and tricks, both of which are College of Engineering traditions. These pranks were almost all aimed at the Law Students (often called “Laws”), with whom the Engineering Students had a long-running rivalry. The pranks usually took place during MECCA Week (the week of St. Patrick’s Day). Here are some details on some of the most famous pranks.
As the story goes, the the Engineering Students found an old manure wagon and thought it would be a very funny joke for it to appear on the top floor of the Law Building. They took it apart and took the pieces to the law building where they reassembled it. They then thought that a wagon was useless without a horse, so they found a horse and brought it up to join the wagon! When the Law Students arrived in the morning, they were able to take the wagon apart, but those who have spent any time on a farm would know that the horse would be the bigger of the two problems. While horses will willingly be led up stairs, they are unable to walk down stairs. As the story goes, the horse was lifted out the window with a crane. Perhaps the most famous of these pranks, the horse and wagon has become a legend. Because of this, it has several different versions, but we can confirm that at one point there was a wagon in the building, thanks to this image from an Iowa City Press Citizen Photographer.
The same night that the wagon appeared in the Law Center, the Engineering Students left behind some additional guests for the Law Students to welcome – a group of about 50 white mice that were dyed green. According Jim Huff (BS 1962, MS 1964, electrical engineering), “I was the one who dyed the white mice green so they could be let loose in the law building. I still have the old leather gloves with green fingers that I wore to let them swim around in a wastebasket filled with water and green Rit dye.” The Law Students were able to catch most of them and deposit them outside. Frustrated about what he thought was an excessive number f pranks, Mason Ladd, Dean of the College of Law, confronted Arthur Melloh, the Dean of the College of Engineering about his students’ behavior. Melloh responded “I don’t know anything about it. For all I know, some green mice put a manure wagon in your Courtroom!”
MECCA Week pranks were not always supported by the Engineering Faculty. One year, the campus woke up to a green dome on the Old Capitol! The Dean of the College of Engineering, thinking it had been painted, expelled the students responsible. Later that day, the wind picked up and blew off the green fabric that had been draped over the dome. The students were reinstated and there are rumors that one of them later became faculty himself.
The Law Students did not take all these pranks lying down. They retaliated in several ways, including stealing the Blarney Stone, the MECCA Queen Trophy, and even the MECCA Queen herself on a couple of occasions! One memorable year, the Law Students presented the Engineers with their candidates for MECCA Queen: two 150-pound hogs. With the decline of MECCA, pranks have also declined. We do not recommend pulling any pranks here on campus, but hope you enjoy the joyful spirit of April Fools Day!
Sharon Tinker was born in 1958 in the small town of Manchester, IA. Her father was a farmer and her mother was a homemaker. During her childhood, she was a very active participant in her local 4H club, learning about a range of topics from food safety to photography. When asked in elementary school what she wanted to be when she grew up she said that she was interested in becoming a schoolteacher, a cowgirl, or a nun. Tinker graduated from West Delaware High School in 1976.
She chose to attend the University of Iowa to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. She excelled during her time here, being on the Dean’s List her sophomore year. She also participated in several activities including Associated Students of Engineering, the Engineering Open House Committee, the Society of Women Engineers, and the University of Iowa Radiation Protection Committee. When she graduated in 1980 she was interested in finding a management position with special interests in process engineering, production, research, and development.
After graduation, Tinker found a job as a Performance Chemicals Engineer at Exxon. She has stayed with that company, moving from Texas, to Louisiana, and all the way to Singapore as part of her many assignments. She has been recognized for her accomplishments, receiving many awards including the ExxonMobil Chemical Responsible Care Award, the ExxonMobil Chemical Global Manufacturing Award, and the Young Engineer of the Year Award from the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. She has stayed connected with the University of Iowa, establishing the Sharon K. Tinker Process Safety Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, which is currently held by C. Allan Guymon. She was inducted into the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni in August of 2020.
Works Cited
Sharon Tinker papers, Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.
University of Iowa College of Engineering. (n.d.-a). Sharon K. Tinker Process Safety Professorship in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. College of Engineering – The University of Iowa. https://engineering.uiowa.edu/college/faculty-and-staff/college-engineering-awards/chairs-and-professorships/sharon-k-tinker
University of Iowa College of Engineering. (n.d.-b). Sharon Tinker. College of Engineering – The University of Iowa. https://engineering.uiowa.edu/alumni/awards/honor-wall/distinguished-engineering-alumni-academy-members/sharon-tinker
University of Iowa College of Engineering. (2016, November 30). Engineering Alumna Tinker to Receive Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service. College of Engineering – The University of Iowa. https://engineering.uiowa.edu/news-all/2016/11/engineering-alumna-tinker-receive-deans-award-distinguished-service
