Environmentalism in Engineering

When people think of engineers, the words “environmentally conscious” very seldom come to mind. Instead there is the stigma that engineers are constantly toiling away to make bigger and badder machines to pollute the world. After all, it is the engineers who were responsible for the advent of the coal burning steam engine and the fossil fuel burning internal combustion engines. It is these inventions that have led to the images of clouds of smog hovering over cities, semi-trucks spewing black smoke into the air and rivers polluted with toxic waste and sludge all from the products made by engineers. As an engineer, I have to say my line of work gets a pretty bad rap sometimes when it comes to environmentalism. We are often seen as the problem instead of the solution. What people need to understand is that engineers are actually trained from the beginning to be problem solvers. The problem can be anything from the gear ratio in a car transmission to the creating a new material for six pack rings so they stop strangling sea gulls in landfills. I guess what I’m saying is that there is a wealth of knowledge and know how out there that can be used to end problems such as pollutants and harms to the environment. So why aren’t we using it?

Common sustainability principle used in engineering courses.

Many universities and engineering programs have begun to insert environmental consciousness into their curriculum since the recent surge in the “green” movement. My college is no exception. Over my tenure here at Ohio Northern, the concept of environmentalism has been brought up in at least one class per semester. The engineering program at Northern also requires that you take science electives, and encourages students to choose ones in the field of biology or environmental sciences in order to provide exposure to tools they may utilize once they enter industry. The program also has worked and entire section on environmental consciousness and conservation into one of its senior level design courses. This section of the curriculum mainly composed of a “conservation project” that consisted of a team of senior engineers choosing some sort of item to either create a better process of manufacture or optimize the packaging for in order to ease environmental impact. This involved contacting members in industry about the current processes, and researching possible alternatives to then propose to the class. While environmental conservation has definitely become a hot topic in the classroom, there is also a great deal that is being done in industry to work on engineers’ carbon footprint.

Environmental concerns and regulations have also had a significant impact on industry in recent years. One of the most apparent areas that has been affected by the environmentalism movement is the automotive industry. In the so called “glory days” of the automotive industry, the miles per gallon ratings on cars was more of an afterthought once the vehicle had already been built. Cars built during this time period were often heavy, and required large engines that engulfed fuel at a rapid rate to propel these cars down the highways. The average fuel mileage of a family sedan was lucky to be

Idea of the effect vehicle weight has on fuel economy.

anywhere in the teens during this era in comparison to cars today that can achieve fuel economy in the 40 to 50 mile per gallon range on the highway. This is all thanks to the work of engineers to better the efficiency and performance of today’s vehicles without the use of the enormous engines used in the past. Advancements in the automotive field have included the introduction of polymers and other materials to the construction of vehicles in order to make them lighter. A lighter vehicle requires less power to mover it, and thus a smaller engine. Advancements have been made in areas as small as minimizing materials used in the framing of the seats to making engine blocks out of less dense aluminum instead of the traditional cast iron.

Stats Comparing the Ecoboost V6 to comparable V8 engines.

A great deal of advancements have been made to internal combustion engines themselves. Techniques such as direct fuel injection, variable ignition timing, and computerized emissions programs and sensors have all aided in the fight against pollution. The power output by engines has also increased significantly with the addition of these technologies in recent years. For example, the technology in Ford’s Eco Boost V6 engine has made it powerful enough that it has taken the place of the traditional V8 engines used in the pickup truck line. In fact, the new line of modifed V6 engines have been shown to have a higher torgue and horsepower than their V8 predecessors. Other companies such as GMC and Dodge have followed suit, putting high-output V6 engines into their trucks in place of the traditional inefficient V8. The modifications made to engines today is so staggering, that a six cylinder engine is now able to be equipped to perform like an eight cylinder, and an inline four cylinder motor can now output the same as the traditional V6. This is mainly due to the introduction of turbos and higher gearing in transmissions to ensure that the smaller engine does not hinder the performance of the vehicle. With all of these advancements made to the automobiles that we use daily, it begs the question “What will those crazy engineers think of next?”.

Facebook: A Helpful Tool for Small Businesses

Facebook has proven itself time and time again to be a powerful mode of connecting people to one another. The platform also allows for an unlimited number of people to interact with businesses who create pages on the network. Large corporations have actively taken advantage of the open network of people in order to advertise their product. Corporations have actually begun to create entire divisions specifically to work the social media platforms in order to attract customers to their products. However, The Social Media Workbook has tips for small business owners to also reap the benefits of the seemingly infinite pool of potential customers. The handbook provides a loose outline for the owners of a small business to create a page for their business in terms of how to make the business’ page easily found, that the page corresponds to the goals of the company and how to use other companies’ success to build your own successful page.

This first task that the book outlines for the creation of a page based on the goals of the company. This involves the categorization of the page for the company. The book provides five different types of pages that are common to the social media platform. The pages are categorized by the types of material that is often posted on these pages in order to grab the attention of the viewer. This material includes:

1.        Photos
2.        Friends, Family, and Fun
3.        Games, Social Contest, Groups
4.        Social Causes and Endorsements
5.        News and Commentary

The pages created for companies are encouraged to fall within more than one Category. For example, the Chrysler Automotive Company’s Facebook page is a combination of the photo, group and news categories of the ones outlined by the book. Chrysler uses their page to post pictures of their new product lineup in order to showcase their products, the company has created a niche following of people who have purchased a Chrysler product by posting submitted photos of vehicles in a competition to be in the “Chrysler Club” and also provides news on the development and testing of their new vehicles before they are released to the public for sale. The next step to making a successful business page on Facebook is to make it easy to find using the available search techniques on the platform. The first step is to search for a term that relates to your company in the search bar of the platform. This will help to name or tag the page that you are creating in order to make it easily findable. The second technique is to tailor your page to show up high on the list of a google search. This broadens the scope of people that you are able to reach as well as make it more reachable to your existing audience. The book also recommends that you look at existing pages in order to tailor yours to be more successful. This is important due to the fact that large companies have more resources to commit to their marketing campaigns. Use their breakthroughs and their mistakes to better your social media page better in order to draw more attention to your company. The book encourages that small businesses to actively create Facebook pages for themselves in order to attract more customers as well as encourage them to use proven techniques to make an effective company page.

Capstone Projects: An Advertising Opportunity for Universities

Smull College of Engineering Logo

Capstone projects are usually the hardest part of any senior’s final year in college. The projects are assigned to students in hopes of preparing them for industry by practicing the skills that have been hammered into their brains over the course of their four years in courses. The projects may or may not involve the cooperation of interdisciplinary teams in order to further prepare students for work in industry. The Smull College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University is no exception to this pattern. When students reach senior status in this program, they are required to complete a capstone in order to graduate in the spring.  The capstone projects can be obtained through outside clients reaching out to the college, or by student referral. The approved projects by the faculty are then assigned teams of engineers to complete the project from design to actual implementation of a finished product. These projects have the potential to catch the eye of the University as potential advertisement opportunities. The most recent project used for a University advertisement was the construction of three wind turbines at the edge of the campus. This was a cooperative project between the engineering and business colleges in order to push the university’s relatively new green energy initiative.  Once the project was complete, the university from the project’s completion until now in hopes to attract students to commit the university.

The University has since been looking for a new project to use as part of its admissions campaign to attract students. The one currently being focused on is my capstone project. This project is a cooperative project between the engineering and musical theater programs of Ohio Northern. The project involves the designing and building of a computer controlled deck winch system for use in the theater. This system will be used in the place of stagehands to move heavy scenery across the stages of the Freed Center for the Performing Arts at speeds greater than is capable using manual force. It will also ensure the movement is done smoothly and safely in the case that actors may be on top of the moving set pieces. The movement will be created by a mechanical system compos

ing of an electric motor, an emergency brake and a speed reducer will spin a drum that will wind and unwind steel cable to generate force and maintain the desired speed of the movement. The cable will be run under a false floor built atop the stage surface in order to create a track for the piece to follow without risking actors being caught or harmed by the moving cable. The computer aspect of the system will involve an interface for the user to enter their desired values for distance traveled, time it takes to travel and time to speed up and slow the moving scenery. This will then relay the information specified by the user into inputs recognizable to the electrical components controlling the output of the electric motor. The marketing department was made aware of this project in its early stages, and requested to be kept up to date on the progress of the project.

Computer generated mechanical system model

The early stages of the project were not really very exciting in terms of visual components. The beginning stages of the project consisted mainly of calculations in order to size the motor

and the speed reduction needed. However, a computer model of the mechanical portion of the system was generated to communicate the arrangement of the components in the mechanical system. During the second semester, the marketing department became more involved with the progress of the project. The first stage of communication with the university marketing department began with providing the university newspaper with a synapsis of the project to print as well as post on the website as a “teaser” for the completion of the project. A photo shoot was also conducted with the university photographer in order to provide a more step by step progression of the project to be used in the advertisement for the university. The future coordination with the marketing department will consist of visually documenting the testing phase of the project. This will involve installing the system within the Freed Center to test the usability of the system. This will then be used to create a showcase of the project that will ultimately make it into the advertising campaigns for the university.

Titanic: A Comeback Story?

Titanic as portrayed in the film.

The Titanic is one of the most iconic ships to ever exist. The implication of the ship into a multi-million dollar film helped to increase the reputation of the already iconic ocean liner. The ship was initially marketed to the public as being “unsinkable” and “the ship of dreams” for its maiden voyage from Southampton England to New York City. The ship left pier on April 10^th 1912 and sailed into history as one of the worst maritime disasters in human history.

The construction of the Titanic began in March of 1909 in the Harland and Wolff Shipyards of Belfast Ireland.  

The Grand Staircase of the Titanic

The construction of the ship took approximately three years to complete, and it was marveled as one of the biggest technological advancements of the time. The ship featured one of the most luxurious interiors in first and second class, and was the largest ship on the ocean of the time. The interior featured advancements such as electric lifts, electric lighting in all of the rooms, electric ice-cream makers as well as walk-in freezers for the galley, an indoor heated swimming pool, a Turkish bath spa and the iconic grand staircase on C deck. The ship’s lavish interior also boasted luxuries such as the Parisian Café on the stern of the ship, a first class smoking room, a library, a fully functional gymnasium filled with cutting edge equipment and an on-board mailroom which provided full time service to all passengers on board.

 The safety features that were on-board included watertight bulkheads build into the frame work of the ship. There were 16 bulkheads in the ship went as high as E deck on the ship. This put the tops of the watertight compartments to be three decks above the waterline of the ship. The bulkheads were not completely sealed in order to ensure that the all parts of the ship were easily acceptable, and only when three decks above the waterline, lead to the ultimate downfall of the great ship. Another safety feature incorporated into the initial design of the ship was the use of lifeboat lowering davits capable of accommodating a first and second row of lifeboats. However, the call for an inner row of lifeboats was denied by the board in charge of the shipping company in order to make more decks pace for the first and second class passengers to enjoy. This lead to the Titanic leaving Southampton with only one row of lifeboats on each side of the ship rated to approximately 70 men each, as well as two collapsible lifeboats stored on either side of funnel number one of the ship. This left the ship with only the capacity to evacuate 1,178 of the 3,327 passengers and crew able to be on-board at the maximum capacity of the ship. This contributed to the great loss of life of the 2220 people who were on-board during the maiden voyage in 1912.

Advertisement for the Titanic 2 luxury liner.

The sinking of the ship, and the resulting loss of life from the sinking of the ship resulted in a great number of safety reforms and regulations for the passenger liner industry. The one major reform was the incorporation of the correct number of lifeboats on-board for the number of people that could be housed on-board at full capacity. This regulation has stayed in affect to this day, and has also evolved to incorporate the requirement for an certain number of inflatable secondary lifeboats as well as survival supplies to be on-board at all times. However, the reputation of the Titanic may not end just with the regulations resulting from its sinking. There have been plans to create a full scale replica of the ship for the public to once again gaze upon the vast scale of this legendary ship. Plans to build a fully functioning replica of the ship was first announced by the Australian business tycoon Clive Palmer as the flagship of his Blue Star Line. The ship would feature all of the luxurious craftsmanship of the original ship, as well as modern safety features ranging from

1.       Modern safety equipment in compliance with maritime regulations

2.       Enough lifeboats to safely evacuate all passengers

3.       Diesel electric engines to replace the original steam driven engines

4.       Modern propulsion systems to make for a smoother voyage

Construction progress on the Titanic 2.

The replica of the ship was scheduled to be built in a Chinese shipyard that is usually tasked with building long-haul container ships and oil tankers. However, rumors have stated that the plans to create a replica that will function as an ocean liner have ceased. Injunctions and other financial barriers have been imposed against Mr. Palmer over the course of construction of the so-called replica. Instead, the replica of the ship being constructed in the shipyard has been said to be purchased by a theme park in China for use as a tourist attraction. The ship will still be a full scale replica of the original Titanic, but will not have all of the modern safety and mechanical components because the ship will not be leaving the pier that has been constructed for it on the theme park’s adjoining river. Whether these rumors are true, or the replica being constructed will set sail as a luxury liner, the Titanic will once again be able to be seen by the world as it looked on April 10th, 1912. 

The Beginning: Chapter One of the Social Media Marketing Workbook by Jason McDonald

Earlier I read and analyzed Guy Kawasaki’s and Peg Fitzpatrick’s book “The Art of Social Media” for the pointers and advice that it offered for bettering one’s presence on different social media platforms. They offered this advice in a comprehensive format through a step by step outline of what the authors have experienced while trying to better their own profiles. They did this through humorous anecdote while also incorporating figures and screenshots that were applicable to topics that were being addressed. The Social Media Marketing Handbook is attempting to do what Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick did, but on a more interactive forum.

The Social Media Marketing Handbook first begins its tutorial for being present on social media as a small business or a non-profit organization. The book does this by providing a run-down of what it hopes to teach whomever is looking to it for advice, as well as making them aware of the online resources that are also available in correspondence with the book. There are online resources available to the reader that will help them to turn the information in the book into a helpful and functional social media profile that will build up your name as a brand. The main purpose of this book as stated is to build up the brand name of a small business by making it easily viewable to its customers. This means pin-pointing the platform that your consumer is most likely to use, and making that your priority to market on. The book doesn’t recommend that you choose ONLY one platform to advertise yourself on. The book provides several ways to ensure that your business appears on search engines being used by your current and future potential customers.

1.       Write titles for posts and articles that are popular searches
2.        Create shortened URLs for the things you are sharing
3.        Add graphics and pictures to your posts
4.       Create a blog to reference and write about topics on

Another important topic that the author stresses is the writing of a blog for your business. The importance of a blog is the fact that you are not limited as to what you are capable of writing. You are able to custom make your own content on any topic that you want to write about. However, you are also able to share other people’s content to communicate the information that you wish to. A blog is also most likely to be picked up by a search on engines such as Google in comparison to a post on social media. Linking social media posts with blog posts is a good way to really get your bang for your buck when it comes to putting effort into your media presence. This lines up relatively well with the tips that were given by Fitzpatrick and Kawasaki in their book. The Social Media Marketing Workbook mentions that the first media outlet that it will outline in depth is Facebook. We will see if the teachings of the two books continue to agree with one another in terms of how to optimize your presence on Social Media Profiles.

Movie Cars: From Daily Drivers to Icons.

We all know of at least one film that centers its story around a car. From iconic movies like James Bond, Herbie the Love Bug, and Christine, cars have played an important role both in and out of cinema. The presence of cars as part of the story line has made these automobiles nearly as much of a star as the people who star alongside them. These cars have gained a reputation, and that reputation has made them anything from best-selling cars to collectors’ items. Some of the most iconic movie cars are ones that I’m sure that you’d be able to recognize in a line up.

1963 Pontiac Tempest

1964 Buick Skylark

One of the most famous films that centers around automobiles is the film “My Cousin Vinny”. This film won several awards for its human cast, but the cars featured in the film were equally iconic. The film features a murder trial that envelopes two young college students due to circumstantial evidence. The evidence that ends up getting the two students acquitted involved the car that they were driving. The car that the film focuses on is a 1964 Buick Skylark convertible which was said to be the getaway car from a robbery. The defense uncovers evidence that the Buick could not have been the one that peeled away from the store in a panic, proving the innocence of the defense. It was instead discovered that the actual getaway car was a 1963 Pontiac Tempest that had a similar body style to the car driven by the defendants. The Buick featured in the film was not a well-known, and was a rather obscure car that was not a big seller even when it was new. The Skylark, as well as the Cadillac also featured in the film, ultimately gained popularity because of their role in the film, and their resulting selling value rose from. This however, is an obscure example of how a car featured in a film can gain popularity.     

The 1968 and 2019 Mustang Bullitts

One of the most iconic film cars is the Mustang featured in the Steve McQueen film “Bullitt”. This film focuses around the workings of a police officer in San Francisco and his dark green 1968 Mustang. The film is known for having one of the most iconic and famous car chase scenes in cinematic history, featuring the green Mustang driven by “Bullitt”. The Mustang had always been a relatively well selling sports car line for the Ford Motor Company. Since its introduction in 1964, the Ford Mustang gained incredibly popularity as an affordable sports car, and aided in the ushering in of the “Muscle Car” era in the American Auto Industry. The popularity of the brand skyrocketed as it began to be featured in more and more American films. One of the most notable films that featured a Mustang in its cast is the film Bullitt. The film made the car such an icon, that the Ford Motor Company has actually reintroduced a special “Bullitt” package of the 2019 Mustang.  The movie has also added to the 1968 Mustang GT resale value so much that the car featured in the film was tracked down by Ford and restored to original spec for the reveal of the 2019 tribute. The price for the average 1968 Mustang Fastback GT has also gone up because of its association with the movie. The car originally cost $2689, and now costs as much as $130,000.  Another car that gained popularity due to its role in film is the 1958 Plymouth coupe.

The package features the iconic dark green paint color, a large performance motor so the car can pull off the iconic burn outs and a custom interior to make the entire package a special tribute to the film.

When asked to name a car that was popular in the 1950’s, many will name the Chevrolet Bel Air, the Cadillac Coupe Deville, or the Chrysler 300. These cars are iconic for their large and intimidating stance, large and high horsepower engines, chrome trim, and tail fins sprouting off of the trunks of the cars. These cars are icons due to their heavy presence in American media as well as their high sales and production numbers over the course of the 1950’s. However, there is one lesser known car from this era that gained an incredible amount of popularity when it made its literary and film debut in the 1980’s. That car would be the 1957 and 1958 Plymouth Fury. Plymouth had been a relatively low volume producer of cars under the overwhelming wing of the Chrysler Corporation. The brand was seen as a cheap and mundane alternative to spending the money on a large and luxurious Chrysler automobile. Buying a Plymouth was essentially the equivalent of buying an import in today’s car market. They were cheap, cookie-cutter, and were built off of the reliable Chrysler powertrain that had made the company such a competitor in the 1950’s. However, this all changed when the 1957 model year debuted at auto shows across the nation. The mundane and dreary Plymouth had gotten a sleek and stylish make over, and was marketed under the slogan “It’s1960 Today”.

Plymouth Lineup in 1957

The new design featured a very wide stance and an expansive front profile dotted with chrome and gold accessories. The flank of the car was now sleekly sculpted in an upward swoop from the front of the car upwards towards the trunk to form two massive stabilizer fins that gave Cadillac a run for its money. The new model year also featured chrome trim, two-tone paint, power steering, power brakes, AM/FM radio, air conditioning and an updated power train featuring Chrysler’s futuristic push-button gear selection system. The drastic change from the designs of the past made the next two years some of the highest gross selling years for the Plymouth brand. Dealerships struggled to keep cars in stock, and factories likewise struggle to produce the cars fast enough to meet demands. However, despite this boom in popularity, the car never became as popular as its counterparts and soon Plymouth would again sink back to mediocrity until its next bold move in the 1960’s.

However, this was not the end of the redesigned Plymouth’s story. The car’s glamorous looks and big personality attracted the attention of a young writer who would later go on to become one of the most notable novelists in history. Stephen King noticed the car as a young boy, and chose to make the sparsely known automobile the star of his novel “Christine”. The novel revolves around the premise that the Plymouth is a living being that envelopes its owners into an obsession, and kills anybody who tries to get in its way or harm its owner. The novel quickly became a best seller and was adapted into film in 1983 under well respected Director John Carpenter. The red and white coupe featured in the film soon became a cult icon, and Plymouths were soon being plucked from junkyards and car lots to be transformed into “Christine”.

The Plymouth featured in the film "Christine"

This surge in demand for the cars of course caused a corresponding surge in the price of them, and ultimately made the 1957 and 1958 Plymouth a collector’s item. The original price for a 1958 Plymouth Coupe with the highest available trim package was $3032, and has since increased to an average of $33,000 with a high of $70,000. This jump in value has carried to today all the way from 1983 when the movie premiered. The cult popularity of the car has also endured since the release of the movie, and has kept the inflated values of the car’s resale value high. The impact that cinema has had on the popularity of a car is most accurately portrayed by the revival of the 1957 and 1958 Plymouth model years, as well as the other cars mentioned above. This trend begs the question, what will be the next car to become an icon due to the influence of cinema?

A Look Back to 1968: Ohio Northern Remembers Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dr. King giving his speech at Ohio Northern

Martin Luther King Jr. was an influential speaker for the civil rights movement during the 1960’s. He made several stops across the country in order to convey a message of peace and neutrality to the masses. One of his stops on his tours was to Ohio Northern University in Ada Ohio. Dr. King came to Northern due to a labor strike with the Lima garbage collectors. The audience attending ranged from the students and faculty of the university to the members of the strike as well as the members of the labor strike going on in Lima. The speech was held in the Taft Gymnasium of the university on January 11^th 1968. About four months later, Dr. King was assassinated in Atlanta Georgia due to his participation in the fight for the rights of African Americans. With Ohio Northern being one of the last stops that Dr. King made on his speaking tour, the university has made a point on memorializing his teachings and speech on campus. It was for this reason the university decided to hold a speaking panel in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King and his teachings.

The panel for Dr. King was held at the English Chapel on the campus of Ohio Northern. The venue for this event was less than 100 yards away from the original site of the speech. The main reason for the event being held this year is the fact that it is the 50^th anniversary of Dr. King’s speech on the campus. The panel held in honor of this speech consisted of members of the community that work in areas that involve civil rights. The panelists were Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr, Amber Basares, Brittany Moore, Jerome Gray, and the head of the communications department. The panel was structured as more of a question and answer with the experts that were present for the panel. The questions asked to the panelists ranged from their involvement with the community to how students at Northern could become active in terms of social issues. The panel also included a video interview with two social working students at Ohio State. These two students answered questions that differed from those asked to the panelists present at the discussion, but they were still valid questions for the topic of the panel. The panelists all provided thoughtful answers to the questions that were asked, and often included quotes from the teachings of Dr. King. After the panel questioning had officially drawn to a close, the guests were asked questions from the audience. The event lasted approximately an hour, and was filmed by the University in order for the discussion to be accessible by anybody who wished to see it.

If you wish to see the entire event, please check the Ohio Northern University web page for the full film of the event. If you wish to see the cliff-notes version of the discussion with the panel, a live tweet of the event can be seen on the twitter account @KevinHe42773793.

Life in a small town. A Brief Synapsis of Irwin Pennsylvania.

The small town is one of Hollywood’s favorite phenomena to portray in their films. They are used in genres ranging from romantic comedy to horror in abundance. However, life in a small town is not as glamorous or interesting as it is portrayed in the films. In reality life in a small town is incredibly dull for the most part. Not to sound like a brat in their early twenties, but most of the time there is literally nothing to do in these places. I personally have experience living in two different towns of very similar size. The reality of the situation is that nothing happens in a small town, until it does!

The first experience that I had living in a small town was my hometown of Irwin Pennsylvania. Irwin is a town of approximately 3500 residents that lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in western Pennsylvania. The town is a stereotypical coal town that has struggled to keep afloat once the mines closed. The town consists of one main street that runs from U.S. Route 30 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Main Street Irwin Pennsylvania

 The main accomplishment of the town is actually that it was the first exit to be added to construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the 1960’s. From the main street there are no more than 30 side streets that branch off from the main thoroughfare. The buildings on the main street of town are the stereotypical mom and pop stores ranging from an appliance store that has been there since the 1950’s to small craft and trinket stores. The town is also dotted with churches of every denomination, which makes traveling through town nearly impossible on Sunday mornings.

Aside from going to church (and the activities associated with church) there is very little to do in terms of entertainment in the town of Irwin. The town movie theater (the only one for about five miles) had been closed and dilapidated from 1992 until 2017. town for you. The restaurant scene in town is dominated by a long string of fast food and pizza parlors that lines the lanes of U.S. Route 30. The town also attempts to put on events such as street fairs and farmers markets in hopes of bringing the townspeople together, as well as pump some much needed money into the local economy. However, the events are often poorly planned and often do not draw the crowds that the town committees were hoping for (the farmers marker for example often consists of one booth that sells mostly tomatoes and store bought jam. The lack of entertainment in the town is most likely what attributes to the rampant drug problems that the town is plagued with.

The Lamp Theater before renovations

The local schools sports teams also do not offer much in terms of entertainment. The football team has never made it past the first round of the playoffs, the softball team record is rather abysmal but the school’s saving grace is the baseball team that has produced athletes that have actually gone forward to professional careers in college as well as in the majors. The food scene in Irwin is also not the greatest. If you are a fan of sit down restaurants or higher end food, then Irwin is not the town for you. The restaurant scene in town is dominated by a long string of fast food and pizza parlors that lines the lanes of U.S. Route 30.

Route 30 restaurant district.

The town also attempts to put on events such as street fairs and farmers markets in hopes of bringing the townspeople together, as well as pump some much needed money into the local economy. However, the events are often poorly planned and often do not draw the crowds that the town committees were hoping for (the farmers marker for example often consists of one booth that sells mostly tomatoes and store bought jam. The lack of entertainment in the town is most likely what attributes to the rampant drug problems that the town is plagued with.

The town of Irwin has seen a surge in heroin use and related crime in the last few years. As a matter of fact, the opening of the town Wal-Mart was plagued with several overdosed in the parking lot during the festivities that were going on. This along with the struggling economy has put the town in a bit of a slump. However, life in Irwin is not always as bad as it sounds. There are good people in the town who are doing the best that they can in order to bring the town back to the hay-day they look back on with such fondness. It will take time, but I honestly do hope that they are able to get my hometown back on its feet.

Is it worth it? A Review of “The Art of Social Media”

The purpose of “The Art of Social Media” written by Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick is to provide a loose guide for companies to conduct themselves on social media platforms. The book can be applied to one’s own personal profiles on these platforms in certain circumstances. However, these tips are geared more towards the perspective of a company putting themselves out on these platforms for the purpose of advertising their products and also their standings on certain issues. However, there is the question as to whether or not the book is worth reading for the purpose of bettering yourself as an individual on social media. The book does offer some good insight for companies that can be easily applied to your own routine in order to make your presence on social media a more fulfilling and rewarding experience.

One of the main platforms that the book provides tips for improving your presence on both as an individual and a company is Facebook. The main point of the book’s tips for the platform involves the posting of information for your followers to view. The book states first that you should be extremely cautious in terms of the information and links that you post for others to see. The authors hammer on the point that everything that you put up on the internet will be there forever despite you deleting if the backlash gets too bad. They go on to state that the information that you put out on this profile should be a topic that either is trending on the platform, or also an article that is valid to topics that you are interested in. The information should not be deemed as controversial or taboo if you don’t want to lose any of your followers, or get reported for inappropriate conduct. The book also outlines several means for one to obtain information to post on your profile. The sites listed in the book provide a collection of articles from varying sources. These sources can vary from other blogs, periodicals, and other means of communicating information all in one place. The sites also allow for you to schedule posts on whatever media platforms are offered by the site. This way you can ensure that your profile stays highly trafficked with your viewers, and that the information that you are sharing on your profile is spread through your followers. Posting good material on your profiles can also gain you followers. The authors stress the importance of “word of mouth” when it comes to gaining popularity on your social media.

The book “The Art of Social Media” goes into further detail about ways to optimize your presence on several other media sites. The book focuses mainly on social profiles such as LinkedIn, Google+ and Instagram. The tips range from similar tips to the ones outlined for the Facebook platform to ones personalized for the individual apps. These tips range from how to use hashtags on media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram to how to effectively set up your LinkedIn profile in order to make yourself a marketable candidate. In short, the book proves several helpful tips for social media sites that could prove to be helpful for both a company as well as an individual on social media.

Who did the Super Bowl Better, Ohio Northern or Tide?

Every time it is Super Bowl season, you will here at least one person say that they are watching the game only for the commercials. In the past few years the game has become a way for companies to reach millions of viewers with attention grabbing ads to promote their products. It has also become a tradition in recent years that the commercials be comedic in manner. The commercials have become the focal point of the game for all of those who do not support either of the teams playing during the game. With this in mind, two of the commercials that stood out most (in the Ada broadcasting area) were the ones released by Tide and Ohio Northern University.

The ad that was released by Ohio Northern University during the Super Bowl aired only on the local cable networks. The ad showcased the multiple programs that are available at the university. The ad consists of several video clips showcasing the university athletics, extracurricular activities and different majors all to the beat of upbeat music.

Ohio Northern University Mascot

 The ad effectively advertises the scope of the programs and activities that are available at the university. The overall message of the university is also communicated through the use of limited subtitles as well as filmed interactions between students. The ad is very bright, colorful and attention grabbing, however, it was not the usual comedic ad that airs during the Super Bowl. This ad was meant to be a serious and accurate representation of life on Ohio Northern’s campus in order to draw attention to the university. However, this commercial that was aired at Super Bowl 52 was the same ad that had aired the previous year at Super Bowl 51. The airing of this ad for the second year straight was not the initial plan for the Super Bowl in 2018. There was a second ad that had been made for release during the game in 2018, however, it never made it on the air. Although the message of the university was effectively communicated over the air to thousands of viewers, it begs the question of why the other ad didn’t seem to make the cut.  On the complete other side of the spectrum, there was the series of commercials released by Tide.

The Tide laundry detergent company released a series of commercials during the game that more closely followed the mold that was set by others in recent years. The commercial series consisted of comedic takes on commercials that had been released by other companies.

2018 Tide Super Bowl Commercial

This conforms more to the “funny” Super Bowl ads that people who don’t root for either team tune in to see. The comedy behind the Tide commercial series was so influential that CBS Sports placed it on its list of the best Super Bowl commercials. In fact, it was ranked higher on the list than the reining top company for funny commercials (the Doritos snack line). This is mainly thanks to the multiple commercials that were released for the detergent company, as well as the comedic “attacks” on other ad campaigns. These humorous recreations were ranged from a spoof of and Old Spice ad to one for Mr. Clean cleaning products, all with the catch phrase “Nope, it’s a Tide ad!” to top off the joke. It is with this line of jokes that Tide most definitely had the most entertaining commercial of the Super Bowl, but Ohio Northern was definitely not a lackluster ad either. 

Fresh off the Boat: A Look at the Immigration Experience

Immigration has been an issue of the United States that has been receiveing a great deal of media coverage recently. There have have been government talks about reforming the current system to make it harder for people to get into (and stay in) the country. Both political parties in the United States have very mixed feelings about how to handle not only those who are attempting to gain access into the country, but also what to do about the people who haver already established themselves within our borders. As a native born American citizen, I personally do not know how the immigration process worked or even paid attention to the reforms being made to it until I met Riku Watanabe.

Riku is a mechanical engineering classmate of mine at Ohio Northern University. We met during our sophomore year of college, and have been roommates through our junior and now senior years in the program. podcast on the subject.

Me (far right), Duggan (front center) and Riku (orange shirt)

Over this course of time, Riku has really opened my eyes to the ways in which immigration works in the United States. He has in fact opened my eyes to the topic so much that I now avidly watch for any talks involving immigration or the visa programs that my friend relies on. It is due to his vast knowledge of the immigration process and  life as a young child immigrating to the U.S. that my colleague Duggan Trenary and I sat him down and interviewed him for a

The interview hyperlinked and referenced above started at the beginning of Riku’s story in the U.S. He talks of how it was for a ten year old to be uprooted from the only country he knew, and taken to the United States. During this segment of the interview, Riku shared the difficulties that he experienced when it came to assimilating to American culture. He states that the main barrier that he had coming into the country was the language barrier. He states that he came to this country knowing almost no English, and still being enrolled in the public school system here in the U.S. He later states that he did not feel comfortable speaking out until he was about 18 years old because of the vast amount of information he essentially had to relearn. The interview then continued to cover topics that were associated with his life as a college student and future employee in the United States.

 Riku’s college life is where he states that he believes he finally felt comfortable being amongst others his age and interacting with them. It was this newly found confidence that inspired him to take positions at Ohio Northern University such as the president of the Asian American Student Union as well as a staff member for the International Student Services. This period of time has also led Riku to the realization that soon he will need to find work if he wishes to stay in the country. Riku mentions the programs that are currently put in place for students here on visas to stay in the country after graduation. He briefly covers a program for STEM majors which extends the amount of time a person is allowed to stay in the country without company sponsorship to three years instead of the normal year. He also mentions how being bilingual has made an impact on his search for work in order to stay in the country. However, the most powerful thing that Riku communicates is his fear and uncertainty of the future. The current political climate is making Riku and other people in his position uneasy as to whether or not they will be able to stay in the country after they graduate. The cutting of programs that are meant to help people in their situations has got them all edge, and Riku is trying to get all of his ducks in a row so that he can obtain a position within the United States before any such programs are put on the chopping block. The experience that Riku has had as an immigrant moving to this country is truly and interesting and moving one. Please feel free to listen to our full interview with him on the podcast hyperlinked in this post. 

How to Personalize your Social Media Pages: Tips from Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick

Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick provide several tips and helpful hints for customizing social media profiles in order to get the most out of them. This is through hints as intricate as creating your own “vanity URL” to making sure you use the right picture for your profile pictures. Chapter 11 of the book The Art of Social Media briefly outlines the possible ways to optimize your major social media profiles. Fitzpatrick and Kawasaki outline how to optimize profiles on

1.     Facebook
2.        Google+
3.      Instagram
4.        Linkedin
5.        Pinterest
6.       Slideshare
7.        Twitter
8.        Youtube

The tips provided in the book that affected my profiles most were the ones that revolved around Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. These tips and hints were most helpful to me personally because I am present on all of these outlets. My presence on these social media channels is not one of high caliber, and could all use improvement in order for me to actually get the most out of my profiles. However, as a senior in college, the most influential social media outlet that I have been utilizing is the LinkedIn media channel. The tips that were provided in the book to optimize my profile for LinkedIn were the most influential to me personally because of my current job search.

The point of having a LinkedIn account is to have a profile of facts about yourself to market yourself in a professional setting. My account has been rated at an intermediate level on the LinkedIn site, however there is a great deal of room for improvement on the profile.The tips that were given for the

My LinkedIn page

management of my LinkedIn profile were all ones that had the potential to drastically improve the appearance and functionality of my profile. One of the prime examples of changing up how you conduct yourself on this professional channel is Kawasaki’s tip to write a personal connection request. He states that the personalizing of a connection request on LinkedIn makes it more likely that the individual will accept the request. I personally agree with this tip for increasing the likelihood that the follow request will be accepted if it is made more personal than the default message. Putting forth the effort to make a connection with the person has been made such a high priority that LinkedIn now has interfaced an “are you sure” option into the connection request. Instead of providing an upfront default message, the site asks if you would prefer to create your own personalized message. Another tip provided for the optimization of a LinkedIn profile is to follow a niche when attempting to gain followers. This is a tip that I actually have followed while on the networking site. As a member of the LinkedIn community, I have been attempting to obtain followers within the industries that I have interest in. I have also utilized the niche of alumni from my university to make contacts that could help me to gain a position down the road. As a matter of fact, one of the contacts that I made through this method is currently attempting to help me obtain a position at a highly respected company (even going so far as to help me edit my resume).  The point is that LinkedIn can be a very powerful tool for somebody who is looking to communicate with others on a professional platform, and that having an effective profile is one of the best things that you can do to actually get something out of the service. Fitzpatrick and Kawasaki give a very comprehensive list of ways to create an effective profile that markets who you are.

                                                                                                                                      

Ohio Northern University, Not your Average Small University

Ohio Northern University is not a name that comes immediately to mind when the topic of colleges comes to mind. As a matter of fact, people who are from out of state have most likely never heard of the school itself. The school is located in a small mid-western town in Ohio, and has no more students than the village it is located in. This small university is located in the midst of some of the largest colleges in the nation. Dwarfed by large schools such as Ohio State and Michigan State, Ohio Northern joins the ranks of the small universities that receive the overflow from these goliath colleges. However, Ohio Northern does its best to not go unnoticed in the crowd.

Sign and flower bed at the front of campus.

The university attempts to compete with the allure of large school life with the charm of small school as well as small town life. Ohio Northern shows its promise to its perspective students through a very well-manicured campus. Perspective touring season is most definitely the time that the university looks its best. The maintenance workers of the university spend countless hours maintaining the focal points of the university that are hit by the tour groups. This ranges anything from the planting of flowers in the Universities numerous planters scattered about campus, the painting of trim on the main buildings of campus, and the pruning of the many trees that occupy the campus. The university is actually known as a “tree campus” because the main section of campus is densely populated with trees of varying varieties. The charm of the campus is also enhanced by the buildings that serve as the academic centers of the university. The university was first founded in August of 1871 as the Ohio Normal School. The three buildings in the front of the campus were all some of the first ones build on the campus property. The buildings attribute to the charm of the school due to their historic mid-western architectural style. The prime example of this is the university’s Hill Hall as well as the McIntosh student center. The Hill building is used by the university as its logo to perspective students.The building is located in the center of the campus’ front row, and is painted a bright and vibrant color. The clock tower and other architectural features of the building also draw attention to the building as well as the campus..modern designs in its facilities to reside alongside the current historical facilities. The Dicke Building for the business college, the Mathile Hall for the science and mathematics departments, and most recently the new

Rendering of new ONU engineering building

addition of an engineering building. The new building (along with the others previously listed) is intended to embody Ohio Northern University’s dedication to the future while also remaining in touch with the university’s overall image. The facilities on Ohio Northern University’s campus contribute to the overall attractiveness of the campus in terms of the first impression that is received by perspective students touring the campus.  However, the charm of the campus is not the only due to the physical allure of the buildings and other visual effects on the campus.

ONU's Hill Memorial Hall

The allure of Ohio Northern does not reside only in the appearance of the campus that houses its students and academic facilities. The allure of the campus also involves the academic reputation that comes with the university. Ohio Northern has gained a reputation as a school of incredible merit in its areas of study. The university lately has been using this information to broadcast itself out through media outlets as well as in its own recruitment literature. The university has gained attention mainly in the scientific fields. The pharmacy college for example is one of the top schools in the nation, and attracts people not only from all around the country, but also around the globe. The same can be said for the engineering program at Ohio Northern. The engineering program is ranked as the second best undergraduate program in the mid-west (behind only Case Western Reserve University), as well as being in the top 50 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation. The other programs hosted by this university are also ranked incredibly highly, and regarded as very respectful on a national scale. The academic reputation of the university, as well as the charming appearance of the campus, make this University quite the contender against the major universities that have competing programs to the ones offered by ONU. It is for these reasons that Northern has prospered since 1870, and shows no signs of slowing down.