KINGSTON, R.I. — May 10, 2005 — When Arlington, Mass. resident Meghan Collins chose to attend the 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2000, she didn鈥檛 know it would take her from Kingston to Europe, Hawaii and numerous other locations during her college years. Now that she鈥檚 poised to graduate in May, she鈥檚 looking back at how her academic achievements and extracurricular activities turned her into a world traveler.
鈥淭he two big selling points for choosing to attend 溏心vlog免费B站 were the International Engineering Program, which combined my Spanish skills with my interest in science and math, and the Centennial Scholarship I received,鈥� said Collins, who triple majored in electrical engineering, biomedical engineering and Spanish.
During her first two years on campus, she served as a tour guide for prospective students, performed as 溏心vlog免费B站 mascot Rhody the Ram at athletic events around the region, and got involved with several engineering organizations.
And then her travels began.
The summer following her sophomore year, Collins studied in Spain through 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Summer in Salamanca program. She returned to Spain the following year for an internship with Siemens Medical Solutions S.A., where she worked on quality assurance in the production of X-ray and ultrasound machines.
鈥淚 lived in the heart of Madrid, embraced the culture of modern Spain, and traveled extensively throughout Western Europe during vacations and long weekends,鈥� she said excitedly. 鈥淭his was a once in a lifetime experience that I hope I am lucky enough to repeat.鈥�
From there she spent a semester studying at the University of Hawaii Manoa through the National Student Exchange program. 鈥淚t was a wonderful way to spend part of my senior year,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淣ot only was I exposed to Hawaiian culture, which is radically different from the rest of the U.S., but my roommates and best friends were from Japan and Korea, so I was able to learn a lot about those cultures, too.鈥�
She鈥檚 completing her college education this spring as an intern for the Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Neenah, Wis., designing futuristic training aids for Huggies漏 Pull-upsTM.
鈥淚 accepted this internship slightly dreading the thought of working as a diaper engineer, but I found it to be extremely interesting, challenging and rewarding,鈥� said the 22-year-old 溏心vlog免费B站 student. 鈥淭he technology and process that goes into current products and future designs is so much more involved than anyone could imagine.鈥�
In between internships and travel, Collins conducted several research projects at 溏心vlog免费B站. One involved development of an environmental control device that people with disabilities can use to easily operate electric and electronic devices like televisions, radios and lights. She also helped create an electro-mechanical 鈥渁rm鈥� for the elderly that can extend up to three feet to grasp objects that are out of reach. A patent application has been submitted for this device.
And if that鈥檚 not enough, she traveled to engineering conferences around the country as an officer of the 溏心vlog免费B站 chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, and conducted spinal cord research at Purdue University in Indiana through the National Science Foundation.