Nemesis Team Member Selected for Governor's School of Engineering and Technology

FRC 2590 Nemesis team member Eric Principato was chosen from a pool of top students from New Jersey schools to participate in the Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology, a 4-week residential summer school held at Rutgers University’s Busch campus.  Applicants must be nominated by their high schools, with each school able to nominate one applicant for every 325 members of their junior class.  The Admissions committee generally receives between 300 and 400 applications.  “Of the nominees, who are the best and brightest students at their respective schools, fewer than 25% generally receive offers of admission,” according to the GSET website.  Being selected as a finalist to this competitive program is a huge honor.

The program took place from June 26th to July 22nd.  Students got a taste of college life as they moved into their dorm rooms and took engineering and technology classes, some of which were taught by professors.  In addition to basic courses like physics, students had a choice to take electives related to their personal interests.  In his class on biodiesel, Eric had the opportunity to discuss alternate forms of energy and actually create samples of biofuels.  In Polynomiography, he worked with software developed by a Rutgers professor that allowed users to create art with math.  Working with a group, Eric was able to design, build, and test an 8-foot tall, wooden trebuchet for a class on catapults.  When it came time for Robotics, Eric’s FIRST experience came in very handy—his team won the robot soccer competition, having used LEGO Mindstorms and LABview to create and program their winning robot design. 

Despite their busy academic schedule, students still found time to have fun with foosball and soccer competitions and a surprise dance party while a talent show and art show allowed them to show off their skills.  Students also signed up for “Life Skills” classes which covered a range of topics, from “How to Do Laundry” to “African Drumming.”  Field trips to Google, PSEG Nuclear, Lockheed Martin, NASTAR, Bloomberg, ProtoCAM, and the Federal Aviation Administration, among others, gave students the opportunity to tour the company’s facilities and learn about their work in engineering and technology.

Students were also divided into groups of 4 or 5 to complete a research project.  Eric described the process of his research on Autonomic Computing, explaining that, “We worked with a mentor in the Computer Science department and had to autonomically cool the temperature in a series or servers, write a paper, and give a final presentation.”  Each group presented their research to an audience of family and peers at the end of the program. 

Eric says of the overall experience, “It was a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests and to explore my passion for engineering, while also getting a taste of college and dorm life.”