3 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(10/14/13 12:00am)
Mercer’s Engineering Research Center (MERC) was awarded a $12.4 million grant last month by the U.S. Air Force. For those of you who don’t know, the MERC is the non-profit research and applied engineering branch of Mercer University.
The research center is located in Warner Robins, Ga., about ten miles south of Macon, outside Robins Air Force Base. The MERC conducts fact-based research for government agencies and other commercial entities who fund their research.
There are approximately 180 staff at the center, and a majority of that staff is made up of student researchers, interns and Mercer alumni. These Mercerians gain career opportunities and experience, working alongside professional engineers in a multitude of real world engineering disciplines.
These students have the chance to work on cutting-edge technology, and sometimes even classified information. The funding from the Air Force is going into research to prolong the lives of aging rotary aircraft. MERC researchers are looking for ways to extend the use and structural integrity of the “old” helicopters, whether through analyzing structural decay, mechanical failure, aerodynamics, etc.
According to the dean of engineering, Wade Shaw, this $12.4 million will make up about a third of the center’s research for the year. The dean explained that generally about $20 to $30 million dollars worth of research goes on at the MERC every year, and that this was just a very large investment among the multitude of research being conducted already.
Shaw explained that the MERC has research in fields including mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electronics engineering, materials engineering, computer information systems, program management, software engineering, mathematics, logistics, physics, rehabilitation engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering and biomedical engineering.
Because of this diversity, and the large demand for the kind of research MERC provides, Mercer students, particularly engineers, are allowed opportunities to participate in changing the world in a very real way. The cutting edge is a pretty interesting place to work.
The MERC has been working closely with Robins Air Force Base and the Air Force since it opened its doors in 1987. The MERC has also partnered with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, all of whose money allow for more Mercer engineering research and learning options.
Other than the Department of Defense, some of the companies providing capital to allow for these opportunities are Boeing, Raytheon, Lockhead Martin and Northrup Grummen. These engineering heavy hitters are mostly known as military contractors, but that does not by any means signify that all research conducted at the MERC has a military application.
This grant and others like it allow for the engineering and learning opportunities Mercer students thrive in. For students who are looking to get involved in engineering opportunities at the MERC, you can visit the website at http://www.merc-mercer.org/, or you could direct your questions to your professors or the dean of engineering, Wade Shaw.
(09/13/13 3:59am)
Mercer students have returned to campus, and the normal struggles of college life have resurfaced. By now, everybody has been reminded of just how expensive college life can be.
Whether it’s for tuition, books, technology or eating at restaurants with friends, money can disappear quickly.
One way to earn back all the money you’ve spent is to get a job. It may sound intimidating, but for those who are willing to take the initiative, the Office of Career Services has the resources and connections to help you in your search for employment.
Career Services recently held a workshop for all interested students on Sept. 4, titled “Starting the job search.” The two most important topics discussed at the workshop were the “Job Search Checklist” and the “Job Ready Fall 2013 Boot Camp” program.
The Job Search Checklist is an informational packet that lays out simple steps, hints, tips and tricks to make you appear more desirable as a potential employee. During the workshop, Career Services representatives went through each point, emphasizing and explaining how and what students should do to make the employment search easier, and how to place yourself above the crowd during the interviewing process.
The presentation also touched on the proper use of web tools for the job search. They offered general tips, including using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to enhance your personal career search.
They also spoke on how to use social networking to offer businesses a view into your personal life and who their potential new employee might be. The presentation also explained Mercer’s BearLink system, which is an online internal job and internship posting board for Mercer students.
Career Services is hosting a series of workshops this semester which are collectively called the Job Ready Fall 2013 Boot Camp. Career Services hosts this program and others like it in order to give students who are unfamiliar or worried about the job search a solid start, and is designed to prepare Mercer students for the transition from the classroom to the workplace.
The boot camp also offers mock interviews to hone your interview skills. At the end of the boot camp all those who have completed the program will receive a certificate, professional printed business cards and a leather portfolio.
For any questions about the job search, information about these programs and opportunities are available online at Career Services’ website, www.mercer.edu/muca- reer. You can also visit the Office of Career Services on the top floor of Connell Student Center.
(09/13/13 3:59am)
You wouldn’t think a freshman would be able to juggle classes, a new social life and a budding career as a disc jockey, but Aaron Scherf handles himself quite well. Shuffling between gigs in Atlanta, downtown Macon and Mercer Radio keeps Aaron on his toes and gives him quite a bit to talk about.
I sat down with him in the Plunkett base- ment to watch a highly competitive match of ping-pong and talk music.
The Cluster: So when did you start making music?
Aaron Scherf: Well I started, like most people, playing instruments. But I didn’t re- ally go anywhere with that. So I had all this musical urge, and I love music - finding new music and playing with it - but I never really got into music until I started throwing par- ties. At this point, my buddy would come over claiming to be a DJ. He’d get up there and just play a ton of Skrillex, and I was like “I can do better than that.”
C: What does your playlist sound like?
AS: Most of what I do is live mixes for like parties and things, and that’s what I en- joy more. The feelings and vibes that you get from responding to the crowd are what I live for. I’ll create a set, which is maybe 10-30 songs, and I manipulate that from the stage. I don’t like just having a prerecorded “play this and have a party” type of play-list because you have to respond to the energy level of the crowd. You have to respond to who’s there and what kind of dancing is go- ing on. All of it comes together.
C: What about dancing? Have you mastered your DJ dance?
AS: Everybody has their own little quirks with that, and a lot of it is about energy. So if I am up there and the music is pumping and going at it, people are seeing me and thinking, “Man that guy’s in it. I wanna be in it like him.” So I try to bring the energy, and lots of it. The other great tool for that is a mike because then you can call out to everybody or even give them instructions; whether it’s as simple as a “hands in the air” kind of thing or more complex stuff. But as far as dancing goes, it’s about the energy, and if you’re up there just trying to look cool... that’s just not what it’s about.
C: So how would you describe your work to someone who has never done it before or has never seen a real DJ in action?
AS: Well, to me, the art of DJ’ing
is just knowing music, current
music, really well and understand-
ing enough about the theory to make poten- tially different, or even opposing music, go well together. Like a bartender, but for music. I would describe it as a music expert [who] happens to have a DJ kit-set. It’s all about making the people happy though - I have my music, that I’ve discovered, but when I’m up there my goal is to just play something people love, personalize it, but remembering to keep the crowd happy.
C: So if you were to give advice to a person who wants to be a DJ, what would it be? And where would you send them - the inter-
net? A specific person or place?
AS: The first piece of advice would be [that] it’s not as difficult as people say it is, because half of what DJ’s do is try to make their job look difficult so people think they need them. I can’t tell you how many times someone has hired me, and they don’t really need me. It’s like a 16-year-old girl’s birth- day party. You don’t need a DJ. You need an iPod and a shuffle button...But my ad- vice for people who want to get into it: just go online, onto some of the tutorial sites, and start looking at the types of programs.
My personal recommendation is ‘Virtual DJ’ because it’s free, it’s a good tool and it has every- thing you need to start out. Other than that, just find people who are interested in you, because if you’re trying to go it alone, it is a lot more difficult than with your buddies. So find other people who like it, and get together.
C: You said you’re doing some work downtown, right?
AS: Yeah, I’m at Envy on Thursday nights. I’ll be trying to do a more electronic feel, so I’m starting out with Trap Thursdays, which is part of their Thirsty Thursdays special. There’s also Mercer Radio, which we’re try- ing to revamp...I’ll be playing on Thursdays around five o’clock. Mercer Radio has a website, they have a Facebook page, check it out. I’ll also be doing some stuff around the school once I breach those circles because, with all the parties around campus, there is
definitely a market for it. Lots of opportu- nity, I’ve just got to get my name out there.
All the advances in the musical universe have initiated more creating and manipulat- ing of music than ever before. With every artist available instantly at your fingertips, the possibilities for exploration, experimen- tation and creativity are boundless. Jobs like Scherf’s are advancing and becoming more exciting every day! And if you see Scherf around campus, consider saying hi – It’s always good to know a DJ.