Putting the "Center" in IDEA Center
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As we enter the 15th year anniversary of the IDEA Engineering Student Center within the Jacobs School of Engineering, we are happy to share that we are putting the "Center" in the IDEA Engineering Student Center!Ěý
The IDEA Center will be expanding into the , gaining a small study lounge and classroom space for students to study, Engineering Learning Community sections, and events.
Follow along e-news for updates on when you can access the space!
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VOTE NOW on the student designs for the IDEA Center Study Lounge!
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The IDEA Engineering Student Center is excited to open a brand new study lounge and workshop space, and we need your help! Talented student artists submitted their artwork to the IDEA Center to have their work turned into a mural within the new Study Lounge. Which do you think we should include? The winning design will be permanently featured within the Study Lounge, and artist will win a $500 prize.
View the four finalists works of art and their write-ups below.
“Smallest Beginnings”
This mural depicts a small town of bugs and how they are working to sustain themselves and their community. For instance, the aqueducts transferring water to the tiny plant, the dragonfly-blimp carrying tiny lights to the tree canopy, and looking closely, a group of bugs carrying leaves from the branches to a net held by a movable rope. I used an analogous color scheme so the art would be calming instead of distracting to those working while offering plenty of fun details for those who take the time to look.
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Engineering is physically depicted through the many mechanics making up the town, such as the pinwheel windmill. However, the mural has much more to do with engineering at heart. One key theme I wanted to focus on was how engineers create to improve the world around them, with those achievements then helping make better people. I used nature often to depict this kind of partnership, with the bugs helping the plants grow for sustenance and the mutualism found in ants and aphids, the former protecting the other in turn for the honeydew they make from leaves.
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Furthermore, students like me are still very new to the field and job market, with everyone at every level challenging themselves to build themselves into the best engineers they can be. This sentiment is notably present in study spaces, with those using it working hard to overcome some of those challenges, so I wanted the bugs and their community to reflect their hopes for improvement. Whenever someone is struggling with their work, they have the mural as a reminder that even the tiniest builders are still capable of great things. It’s as if the mural is directly reassuring them and saying, “We can’t wait to see what you’ll become.”
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“Look Up”
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I never really knew what engineering was. I always just thought it was a bunch of nerdy people in a lab, secluded from daylight, toiling away on a robot or something with a bunch of wires and tubes dangling off of it. It was a bunch of math and physics that I never understood. This minimal understanding of engineering is, in a way, represented through the robots and futuristic vehicles and whatnot strewn about the mural, but since starting, I realized that engineering is a lot more than just robots and complicated math.
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There are all these different kinds of people behind every machine, every vehicle, that you never really see or think about. You buy something from the store or take a plane, and you just think that it was made in some factory driven by the labor of underpaid workers, but behind every big idea, there are engineers doing the complicated math and physics that I don’t get. Engineers aren’t just nerdy math people. They make solutions, and in some cheesy way, that makes everyone an engineer.
This revelation made me rethink the original draft of just showing a bunch of gears or motherboards or whatever, and try to show all the regular people behind every engineering feat. My roommate, an aerospace engineer, made his way into the picture. Waldo is there too. You just have to look. Behind every big idea in the world is just a regular flesh-and-blood human. People in the past always dreamed of the society of tomorrow, and we’re living in it. I think that’s pretty cool.
“Hello, World”
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Now that I’m in my last year at UCSD, the next few months offer only anticipation for graduation and what lies beyond the horizon. But as an engineering student, there’s one event that I, personally, look forward to more - the annual Ring Ceremony. During this ceremony, graduating students are given a stainless steel pinky ring, a symbol of engineering pride, a sign that one is equipped with the knowledge to innovate and create. In reciting the Obligation of an Engineer, the acceptance of this ring serves as a reminder of the commitment to this oath, that with one’s knowledge, there is a responsibility to the public to guarantee that an engineer’s work upholds not only the utmost assurance of quality - but of integrity as well. As it encapsulates fundamental ethical values and the culmination of my time in university, I wanted to highlight the engineering ring and the opportunities that await myself and my peers in their respective fields - that with this ring, and the skills to understand, analyze, and model the world around us, one is prepared to greet what lies ahead with confidence: “Hello!”Ěý
“Challenge the Limit of the Sky”
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This drawing captures a boy’s deep yearning to soar like the “mechanical angel” gliding effortlessly above the sea. Behind this ethereal figure lies the intricate fusion of engineering disciplines—coding (arduino code on dress and halo), solid mechanics(MAE131A&B formulas as background), fluid dynamics(particularly aerodynamics, as shown as airfoil), propulsion, and more. These elements, once mere theories and calculations, come together as humanity pushes the boundaries of aerospace discovery, striving to complete what Icarus once dreamed but failed to achieve.
This is the brief story associated with this drawing:
ĚýLittle Sam gazed in awe at the sleek, futuristic flyer from the year 2025. Eyes wide with excitement, he turned to his sister and asked, “Big sister, how can I fly like you? What’s it like soaring above the clouds?”
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His sister smiled, ruffling his hair. “It’s a long journey, little one. You’ll have to learn and conquer many things—math, physics, fabrication, propulsion… But more than anything, hold onto your dream and brace yourself for the challenges ahead.”
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Call out for works of art (Closed)
We are seeking digital artwork to create a mural in the new space. The winner will receive a $500 reward, and their artwork showcased as a fixture within the new Lounge.
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Contest Guidelines
Student must be enrolled in Winter and Spring 2025. Any major can participate!
Artwork must showcase engineering in some way, shape or form. We encourage you also to think about how an individual can interact with the piece.
Size of the artwork would be a maximum of 20ft wide x 4ft high.
Upon submission, a write-up of 300 words or less must be provided which explains the artwork and how it represents engineering. This write up will be hung alongside the artwork.Ěý
All artwork must be submitted as high quality (300 dpi recommended), digital files (PDF recommended).
$500 award will be a taxable, cash award (direct deposit).
Contest Timeline
January 6: Competition opens
February 10 at 11:59pm: Competition closes
February 17 - 21: Artwork voted on by students!
Week of February 24: Winning design announced
Judging the Contest
Artwork and write-up will be reviewed by the IDEA Center staff. The IDEA Center staff will be looking for pieces and write ups that:
- Showcase engineering in some way (open to interpretation).
- Can be interactive for or engaging to students.
Three finalists will be selected. Students will then have the chance to vote for the piece they would like to see in the IDEA Center space. The artwork with the most votes, along with it's accompanying write-up will be displayed during the soft opening of the new space!
Ready to submit your artwork?
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Questions?
Happy to help! Please reach out to Director of the IDEA Engineering Student Center, Dr. Jackie Duerr