Leonhard Center speaking contest showcases students’ communication skills
March 27, 2023
By Mariah R. Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Engineering’s Leonhard Center for Enhancement of Engineering Education held its biannual speaking contest on Feb. 7, showcasing students’ skills in translating technical knowledge into engaging presentations.
The contest tasks engineering undergraduates with giving a 10-minute speech on an engineering solution to a societal problem. The finalists are chosen from the previous semester’s Effective Speaking for Engineering course, CAS 100A for Engineers, which enrolled 350 students in 15 sections in the fall of 2022. Section instructors chose 24 semifinalists from their courses to participate in the contest.
Students from a Leonhard Center student group, Utree: Undergraduate Teaching and Research Experiences in Engineering, judged the semifinal round of 24 students and selected five finalists. Two Utree members, Jennifer Sena, a senior in electrical engineering, and Erin Carbaugh, a senior in mechanical engineering, led the semifinal round and emceed the final.
Two students tied for first place. Bridget Austin, a second-year civil engineering major, presented on using solar energy panels on farms to increase food production, and Tingzhuo Cao, a second-year aerospace engineering major, presented on using brain-machine interfaces as a potential treatment for phantom limb pain.
The other finalists included Amay Anand, computer science; Theresa Pegher, civil engineering; and Sarah Rhine, mechanical engineering.
Winners were awarded $250 each and finalists received $150. The winners were selected by Michael Alley, teaching professor of engineering communications and coordinator of the event, as well as two former winners of the speaking contest and current members of UTtee: Siya Sehgal, a third-year industrial and manufacturing engineering major, and Joshua Famous, a master’s student in computer science.
Speaking contest finalists (from left to right) Amay Anand, Tingzhuo Cao, Sarah Rhine, Bridget Austin, and Theresa Pegher were selected from a group of 24 semifinalists. Austin and Cao tied for first place in the contest. Credit: Jeff Xu/Penn State
Michael Alley, teaching professor of engineering communications, introduces the speaking contest to a crowd of students. Alley, who coordinates the biannual event, helped design and organize the first contest 10 years ago. Credit: Jeff Xu/Penn State
Past and current students of CAS 100A: Effective Speaking for Engineers attended the Feb. 7 event in 112 Kern Building. Credit: Jeff Xu/Penn State
Bridget Austin, a second-year civil engineering major, presents on using solar energy panels on farms to increase food production. Credit: Jeff Xu/Penn State
Tingzhuo Cao, a second-year aerospace engineering major, presents on using brain-machine interfaces as a potential treatment for phantom limb pain. Credit: Jeff Xu/Penn State
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