Okay, let's start talking for real!

Sorry for the hiatus on the blog (for anyone following at this time), but I (along with everyone else apparently) was hoping we'd get through everyone's introduction before starting the REAL TALK. We have discussed what we ought to talk about next. Even though we are free to talk about whatever we want, some structural similarities would be helpful so that you get to know each of us from similar angles. So now, I will (hopefully) initiate our next series of posts.

I am an Electrical Engineer, which means my focus of study is in the working properties of electricity, what sorts of basic circuit devices can manipulate it and how, how it powers machines, etc. Unlike several other majors within the field of engineering, the curriculum at U of I for ECE majors throws one into the real stuff within the first two semesters!

ECE 110 is the introductory course to electrical engineering. You learn the basics of voltage, resistance, current, power, basic devices in circuits, binary/hexadecimal arithmetic, logic circuits, data and signal sampling, and encryption. On top of this, you write a research paper related to a particular field in electrical engineering and create the logic circuitry for a robot vehicle that must run along a line and distinguish different colors to know how to turn. It is difficult, but fun as well (if you chose the right major). If you don't find it fun, you will have to start considering a different major right away. ECE 190, which I am taking right now, involves a lot of binary/hexadecimal operations, logic, and computing systems and languages. If I didn't enjoy logic and problem solving with it so much, I would definitely have given up by now.

I chose Electrical Engineering because out of all the big and interesting problems to solve in the world, I am most attracted to the problem of global warming and sustainability humanity faces. The largest source of this problem is our manner of obtaining energy. Oil and coal is used to provide the majority of electricity and fuel for the massive numbers of vehicles in the United States. These fossil fuels are exhaustible, which may eventually lead to a significant energy crisis in future generations. Even without regards to the U.S.'s dependence on international oil and the uncomfortable position, it is because of this usage that the U.S. was the second highest emitter of CO2 via the burning of fossil fuels in 2006. The U.S. is, however, only a single example. the U.S. alongside the other 9 of the top 10 emitting countries accounts for about 2/3 of the worlds CO2 emissions. One approach to solving this problem is the introduction of new methods of obtaining fuel and electricity that involve only minimal emission of CO2 and are taken from sources that are renewable. Sources such as these would fulfill our environmental responsibility and need for sustainability. This is the solution that I study to one day work towards. I have taken in interest in power and energy systems, which involves energy conversion and incorporation into power grids, some of which span entire countries. I aim to make an impact in these research areas to propel the field and bring the world closer to realizing a new age of energy.

...Sounds kinda big for a freshman, doesn't it? Well, hopefully you can tell by the way I presented myself that I mean business here. Being of service to the world is the only career I could possibly imagine for myself; I would not enjoy any other lifestyle simply because I know what I am capable of and doing anything less than this would not be responsible. With the power of intelligence comes the responsibility of using it to think and imagine something better for the world. It is my self-given purpose that I decided on before even applying to college. More on stuff like that later. For now, I'm done. See ya!

"Hello World"

It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Joshua. As of this post, I am a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a member of the Engineering Visionary Scholars Program (EVS), I would like to welcome you, dear reader, to this blog. The members of this program, along with myself, have started this blog as a way to reach out to prospective students from a different angle than what is normal. Where brochures of our University and others may impress (or intimidate) you when it comes to college, we seek to reassure you about student life as it applies here. Then again, where stories told of our notable alumni make success in college seem a common, simple deal, we aim to prepare you for the rude awakening in which you discover that college IS STILL SCHOOL, AND IT'S HARDER!!!

Ahem... Anyway, I should probably introduce myself a bit more thoroughly. I am an Electrical Engineering student. I am involved in the UIUC Chapter for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. My hobbies & interests include martial arts, web-surfing, music, manga/anime, Japanese culture, theology, philosophy, cars, investigating future technologies, video games, weapons, humor (but, then again, who doesn't like what they find humorous ~ zing!), racket sports, and volleyball. I am the son of a Guatemalan mestizo father and a (primarily) Scots/Irish descended mother. I came from a town called Wheaton, IL. I tend to be quiet (which doesn't show on the internet, as you can see), reserved, and adaptable if something is required of me. On the enneagram, my attributes are mostly 1, 5, and 9. My personality colors are just about evenly split between blue and green. My goal in life is to take part in an engineering project that helps save and preserve the environment on a globally impactive scale. My means shall be through specializing in Power Engineering; from there I can learn how to incorporate systems that generate electricity from renewable energy sources and/or help enable the automotive industry to develop entirely clean electric vehicles.
So, now I've spoken too much, but, rest assured, future posts will involve more about college than me.