Celebrating the Class of 2015
From first-year design-and-build projects to studio courses to capstone projects, Buckeye engineers and architects have been preparing to tackle the world’s biggest challenges since their first days at The Ohio State University. They’ve conducted research, studied abroad, held numerous internships and co-ops, and have served their communities both locally and globally.
Now they’re off to change the world. More than 1,500 students from the College of Engineering and Knowlton School of Architecture will be among the 11,000+ graduates who earn their diplomas on May 10. Some are headed for the working world, while others will go on to further their education or participate in service projects.
Here are a few highlights from the College of Engineering’s Class of 2015.
Torrance Abrams
Major: Landscape Architecture
What’s next: Teaching middle school education in San Antonio, Texas, as part of Teach For America, a non-profit that recruits recent college graduates to teach in high-need schools.
Because of his concerns for the community and those from different backgrounds, Torrance Abrams works as a landscape architecture intern at the Neighborhood Design Center. The non-profit provides design services for underprivileged communities throughout central Ohio. The position has enabled him to work on projects of all scales, including community playgrounds, memorial parks, graphic design and signage, and facade renovation.
Abrams was a high school camp counselor at Camp Architecture last summer and also mentors kids through the Bell National Resource Center at a local all-boys middle school.
“I decided to pursue interests in Teach For America because I noticed and experienced firsthand the disparity of education that exists here in the U.S.,” said Abrams. “During my time at Ohio State, I have seen students who were well-prepared for college and those who were not, and the common factor between these two groups was the socioeconomic status of the areas they were raised.”
By helping others achieve their full potential, regardless of their current circumstances, Abrams hopes to inspire the nation's young minorities and future leaders to take STEM programs and careers by storm.
Margaret Cron
Major: Biomedical Engineering
What’s next: Project Manager at IKOVE Venture Partners, a “start-up nursery” focused on bridging the commercialization gap that currently exists at major U.S. universities.
At Ohio State, Cron helped conduct research for Ronald Xu, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Cynthia Roberts, professor of ophthalmology and biomedical engineering, while also being involved in campus sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and working at the Technology Commercialization Office.
Thanks to the 2014 Paul Anthony Bonenfant Memorial Scholarship she received on behalf of the Optical Society, Cron conducted biomedical optics research in China during the summer of 2014. Her research with Xu on imaging and therapy to the retina structures of the eye, and developing technology to simulate retina structure and properties will be used for calibration and standardization of ocular imaging devices.
Cron’s international experiences and the skills she learned helped her get the opportunity with IKOVE, which has strong ties to the Ohio State community.
“To have a hand in the success of a start-up company, it is important to first fully understand the technology and the need it is addressing. Engineering has given me a great background to understand the how the technology functions,” said Cron. “After graduation I am looking forward to taking on more responsibility with IKOVE. It will be exciting to see the impact that the technology we help bring to market will have on the world.”
Chelsea Dailey
Major: Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and Spanish
What’s next: Working full-time in the water resources division of EMH&T, the largest Ohio-based firm of civil engineers, surveyors, planners and scientists.
Already an avid traveler, Dailey is the first student to graduate with the Global Option in Engineering distinction. The program combines internationally themed courses, experiences with global dimensions, and culture or language training to enhance students’ global competencies and better prepare them for the practice of engineering in a global environment.
“I wanted something that acknowledges all I’ve done,” said Dailey, “This is a way for Ohio State to give its stamp of approval, giving me more credibility.”
Studying abroad in places like Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua gave Dailey’s life direction, showing her how to use her engineering background to help others with less resources. After graduation, she plans to return to Nicaragua to use the more efficient cookstove she helped design during a senior capstone project to help families cook using less firewood and with effective ventilation.
“Traveling abroad and experiencing different cultures has completely changed my perspective,” said Dailey. “It has influenced how I view things because I can see them from different cultural viewpoints. It has made a huge impact on my life.”
Kevin Metka
Major: Mechanical Engineering
What’s next: Cardinal Health’s EMERGE program, a leadership development program, in the information technology department in Dublin, Ohio.
A successful engineer and athlete, Metka has been one of the top doubles players in collegiate men’s tennis nationwide over the past two seasons. He finished runner-up at the NCAA Doubles Championships and is a two-time ITA Scholar Athlete, three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, five-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and winner of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, the conference's most exclusive award given to students who’ve "attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work."
Metka also participated in the table tennis and pistol clubs at Ohio State. However, engineering is prevalent in many facets of his life, he was even featured in the College of Engineering’s Athletics Engineered video, “Science of the Sweet Spot.”
“Mechanical engineering has helped me think of different ways to solve problems and gave me a better understanding of how the world works,” said Metka. “The major has made me analyze everyday activities and situations and has me constantly wondering how certain things work and if/how they could be improved. I've always been a technical and analytical thinker, and I think this kind of thinking will transfer over well to Cardinal.”
Sab Sankaranarayanan
Major: Architecture
What’s next: Lutron Electrics in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
Growing up near Dubai, Sankaranarayanan saw how architecture transformed an entire city. Because of the atmosphere and resources Ohio State offers, he traveled across the world to pursue studies in architecture.
“I loved Ohio State’s diverse campus and its center for leadership,” said Sankaranarayanan. “I also wanted to go to a big school with strong school spirit. Ohio State made strong efforts to contact me and inform me of the opportunities it offers, unlike any other school I was admitted to. I felt like I was wanted and the feeling was mutual indeed.”
During his studies, Sankaranarayanan gained skills in graphic representation, as well as model-making skills in the laser lab and the fabrication lab. Working on projects ranging from abstract installations and city development, to small houses and skyscrapers taught him the importance of maintaining balance.
“Architecture is a program where a student learns a whole variety of attributes,” Sankaranarayanan said. “Photography, sketching, public speaking, presentation and teamwork are a few of the many skills one learns through the program. It will also test you in time management, but I believe this is an important lesson, not just in college life, but in daily life.”
As one of 20 recipients of the Outstanding Senior Award at Ohio State, Sankaranarayanan is a Knowlton Ambassador, former president of the Acacia Fraternity - Waw Chapter and the chief human resource officer of medical technology startup OnocoFilter. He was also on Homecoming Court this past year, one of his favorite memories at Ohio State.
Jonathan Timcheck
Major: Engineering Physics
What’s next: As a 2015 Churchill Scholar, Timcheck will continue his high energy physics research at the University of Cambridge in England.
Honors student and Honors Collegium member Jonathan Timcheck began conducting high energy physics research analyzing proton-antiproton collisions as a freshman under the guidance of Professors Richard Hughes and Brian Winer. His work measuring the properties of the newly discovered Higgs boson was published in the Journal of High Energy Physics, making him one of the very few undergraduate authors on any CMS publication. As a result, he was named a Goldwater Scholar in 2013.
“I learned a lot of engineering and, more generally, problem solving,” said Timcheck. “The combination of an engineering physics major with a computer science concentration is perfect for a career in experimental high energy physics, like studying the fundamental laws of nature by colliding particles at very high energy. Tons of sophisticated data must be carried out to find the interesting phenomena that occur very rarely, which is like trying to find a piece of hay in a haystack.”
Besides his impressive collection of awards, Timcheck is involved with the College of Engineering's Translating Engineering Research to K-8 program, serves as a peer contact for the Undergraduate Research Office and is president of Ohio State's chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honor Society. He also spent a summer conducting research on graphic processing units in Jülich, Germany, as part of the DAAD's Research Internships in Science and Engineering program.
After pursuing a master's degree in applied math at Cambridge, he plans to return to the U.S. to begin a PhD program in physics at Stanford University as an NSF graduate research fellow. Ultimately, he aims to become a physics professor at a strong research university, teaching students and developing data analysis techniques to study fundamental particle interactions in particle accelerator experiments.
Written by Jenn Shafer
