At UConn Hartford, students interested in pursuing an engineering career typically begin their journey in an introductory engineering course, ENGR1000. The course explores engineering disciplines, examines the wealth of engineering courses available through UConn’s College of Engineering (CoE), identifies related industries and employment opportunities, and even studies engineering disasters to better understand why things go wrong.

Most of the students attending these sessions, says Adrian Weidmann, adjunct professor of engineering, have not yet applied to the CoE, though based on history, many will. The course includes a series of guest speakers comprising seasoned engineering professionals, many of them CoE graduates. Collaborative student groups spend the entire semester building theme park models, which must be kinetic, as their final project. As part of that experience, they also learn the types of engineering challenges and options necessary to create similar real-life theme park attractions.

“Our goal is to explore the various types of engineering disciplines, give students a taste of what to expect, and then leave them wanting to learn far more about potential engineering paths open to them at UConn,” says Weidmann. ENGR1000, she explains, traditionally a required course, now is optional, though it remains highly popular, and two sections are offered to meet demand. More than half of the students who complete ENGR1000 end up graduating from CoE.

In the course, students chose a single engineering discipline, Weidmann says, and in the context of their final project learn what type of engineer would be responsible for the design and construction of a theme park and theme park ride. Student groups are formed to eliminate duplication of engineering types. There is strong emphasis on collaboration, inclusion and being respectful of different viewpoints and experiences.

According to Weidmann, one advantage of attending this offering at the Hartford campus is class size, which tends to be smaller than on the Storrs campus and more individually focused. Weidmann, who also serves as director of Risk Consulting Services for Everest Insurance, a global property insurance company, originally was invited to be a presenter at a CoE senior design forum. She enjoyed the experience and became an instructor.

The theme park assignments, she points out, are similar to CoE’s senior design projects, and help students better understand what will be expected, time management realities, collaboration and how to prepare for traditional senior design challenges. A mock presentation is held midway through the course, as well.

Additionally, students work on resumes, portfolios and LinkedIn profiles, and are exposed to industry professionals, potential internships, and job market realities. The theme park expo counts as the “final exam” and is open not only to the UConn Hartford community, but also to the public. The Hartford campus staff, she adds, are very supportive and everyone looks forward to the expo.

“We typically have a variety of local industry representatives attending, who keep an eye out for young engineering talent for internship opportunities and, down the road, as potential hires,” Weidmann stresses. “We’re focused on best practices, teaching students not only how to succeed at the university, but also in the highly competitive and demanding engineering world.”

In April, she adds, the next expo will be offered as a collaborative program between CoE and the Hartford MakerspaceCT, which is where the College hosts a variety of hands-on shop applications, including woodworking, metal machining, 3D printing, CAD, electronics and more.