Charlie Wickham is a Senior in Mechanical Engineering with extensive project experience. He has worked and held positions in many clubs on campus including Cardinal Space Mining, Rube Goldberg Club, and the 3D Printing and Design Club, and has created and led 3 group projects with the assistance of Critical Tinkers. Charlie has served the university as a Cyclone Aide and Engineering Peer Mentor, and has 3 professional internships in Lean Manufacturing, Amusement Ride Maintenance and Operations, and Mechanical Ride Engineering. He currently works with professional organizations including the American Society of Testing and Materials Committee on Amusement Rides and Devices (ASTM F24) and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo (IAAPA IAE). Many of his projects were not perfect, and some completely failed, but by learning from these experiences he has grown his professional network and gained unique opportunities, and looks forward to sharing these lessons so that his fellow students may do the same.
Failing Forward: How to Create and Lead Student Projects and Gain Experience Employers are Looking For
Don’t wait to get hands-on experience! This talk will walk through the steps to expand on your classes with hands-on application-based student projects. Learn tips for creating a project idea, finding and retaining a team, and managing the project to completion. Most importantly, this talk will give you the steps to embrace failure and gain lessons and insight that can only be obtained as a student.