Department of Mechanical Engineering

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Department of
Mechanical Engineering

Top 12 – Undergraduate Students

top12Updated May 22, 2018

Check these “quick reference” pages for help on the Top 12 items important to undergrad students.  Links to websites are blue.

What else would you like to see here?  What questions do you and your classmates ask often?  Send your ideas to co-webmaster Mike Bernard.

  • 1. WHO'S WHO: Your 'Go To' People

    You can go to these Mechanical Engineering staff members for help!

    Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager
    mike.bernard@jhu.edu | 410-516-7154 | Latrobe 230

    • Academic Advising
    • 4-year Degree Planning
    • “Good Standing” letters
    • Career and Internship information
    • Anything else not listed here

    Kevin Adams, Academic Program Coordinator
    kadams24@jhu.edu | 410-516-5930 | Latrobe 223

    • Key Distribution
    • Reserving rooms for class, lab, and group meetings
    • “Good Standing” letters
    • Teaching Assistant hiring and payments
    • Pi Tau Sigma membership, graduation accessories
    • Anything else not listed here

    Shawna O’Brien, Administrative Coordinator
    sobrie22@jhu.edu | 410-516-6782 | Latrobe 223

    • Purchasing of supplies and equipment
    • Travel reimbursements
    • Coordinate shipments and deliveries

    Deana Santoni, Administrative Supervisor
    dsantoni@jhu.edu | 410-516-6451 | Latrobe 223

    • Schedule meetings with the Department Head, Professor Gretar Tryggvason

  • 2. IT'S ACADEMIC: Advising, Checkout Sheets, Minors, Forms, Manuals, Catalog, Policies

    Contact your faculty advisor or Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard (mike.bernard@jhu.edu | 410-516-7154 | Latrobe 230) with questions on course selection, degree requirements, other minors and majors, and 4-year degree planning.

    Visit these links:

    Check out the dozens of minors available!

    Visit the University Course Catalog for information on degree programs, academic policies, majors, majors, and faculty.

    Some policies that students find important:

  • 3. IT'S ACADEMIC II: Calendar, Courses, Registration, 990.100 Lab Safety Course, Transfer Classes from Outside JHU, Summer Classes Outside JHU

    Visit the Registrar’s “Academic Dates” page for the academic calendar, which displays dates for registration deadlines, breaks and vacations, alternate class days (Monday-on-Thursday, for example), and exam periods.
    Visit these pages for course schedules

    Visit the Registrar’s course registration page for Registration Instructions and Deadlines.

    All students taking courses with experimental labs must now take 990.100 Laboratory Safety for Undergraduates before registering for your Fall 2016 courses. This two-hour online course should be completed 24 hours before your registration period begins so the SIS registration system will acknowledge the course’s completion.

    If you are registering for any of these, you must take 990.100:

    • 530.105 MechE Freshman Lab I
    • 530.202 Statics and Mechanics of Materials Lab
    • 530.232 Thermodynamics Lab
    • 530.241 Electronics and Instrumentation
    • 530.329 Intro to Fluid Mechanics Lab
    • 530.344 Design and Analysis of Dynamic Systems Lab
    • 530.352 Materials Selection
    • 530.354 Manufacturing Engineering
    • 530.403 Senior Design

    To take the course:

    1. Open the myJH Portal
    2. Select the Education sidebar tab
    3. Select the MyLearning option
    4. Enter Laboratory Safety Introductory Course in the search area
    5. Select the course title, then Add to Dev Plan
    6. Click Next, then click Done to begin the course.
    7. If you need help, contact help@jhmi.edu

    Please note that the course EN.990.100 will NOT be visible on your transcript even after you successfully complete it. It is administratively recorded in SIS, and will be read by SIS when pre-requisite checking your classes.

    Visit the JHU Course Catalog’s “Transfer Credits” page for information on how to request approval to take courses.

    Visit the Whiting School Academic Affairs office in Shaffer 103 for the form to use to request approval.  Students can take up to 12 credits outside Hopkins toward their degrees (besides AP and IB credits, and those earned by students who transferred from other institutions).

    Obtain the course’s syllabus or detailed course description.  The student’s advisor will determine if the course will count in the degree.  Once approved, the request goes to the Whiting School’s Academic Advising office in Shaffer 103, where they will review and approve the course.

    Students can then take the course and must earn a C or higher.  The school then sends the transcript to Hopkins.  Once received, the credits will be transferred to the transcript, though the grade will not be calculated in the Hopkins GPA.

    Some students like to take courses during the summer to make room for courses during the academic year, especially if someone wants to earn a minor or repeat a course to absolve a low grade.

    Pre-approval of all summer courses are required.  Visit the “Summer School” bar on the Whiting School’s Academic Policies page  for details on the process.

  • 4. RESEARCH: How do I get into Undergraduate Research? Can I get credit or payment?

    Our faculty welcomes undergraduate student participation in research, which greatly enhances your educational experience beyond coursework. Opportunities are available during the academic semesters, intersession, and summer through independent study and research courses or through paid research positions.

    How?

    To find Undergraduate Research opportunities in Mechanical Engineering, contact the faculty directly to ask.

    • Visit the Faculty page for a list of our faculty and their research interests. There are links to their lab sites where you can view their research in detail.
    • Contact the faculty members of interest by e-mail, phone, or in person and express your interest in their research and that you would like to get involved in their research.
    • Be prepared to talk about what interests you about their research. On each Faculty member’s “full profile” pages are publications of their recent papers, which you can often look up in the MSE Library.  Read a couple papers. While you won’t be expected to know, much less understand everything in the papers, that fact that you took interest and can discuss what you read will impress professors.
    • Sometimes, professors would like to see your resume and/or transcript, so keep those handy when you make your first contact.

    The Undergraduate Academic Advising Manual describes undergraduate research opportunities.

    • Sections 1.2.6-1.2.9 discusses general research information, and pre-research course requirements in laboratory safety and responsible conduct of research.
    • Section 2.8 describes independent research and independent study for credit.
    • Your advisor must pre-approve your doing research for credit.
    • A 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher is strongly recommended before doing independent research.
    • Generally, 40 hours of research work = 1 credit.
    • Students must register in the first two weeks of the semester to earn independent research or study credit that semester.  The University prohibits retroactive registration.
    • Students taking three or more credits of undergraduate research are encouraged to present a research poster at the University’s Day of Undergraduate Research (DREAMS), which happens in the spring of each year. Visit the link for details on the event and how to submit your poster.

    The department receives information on all kinds of Research Experiences for Undergrads (REUs) and Summer Research opportunities from universities all over the United States and beyond.  Watch your e-mail for those opportunities.

  • 5. COMPUTING and FACILITIES: Printers, Computers, Software, Library Services, and Facilities Help

    Canon Printer iR_ADV 6265

    • Services include printing, scanning, faxing, file storage, copying
    • Driver Access and Operations Guide
    • IP Address:  10.160.48.40
    • Fax number is +1-410-516-4316.
      • Fax using individual sheets or multiple documents through the document feeder.
      • Dial “9” to get an outside line, then…
        • For local numbers, dial the area code and telephone number.
        • For long-distance numbers, dial “1” then the area code and telephone number.

    Large Format Printer

    • Print posters and large-scale documents
    • IP Address: 10.160.48.244
    • USB Drive accessible
    • Contact Mechanical Engineering’s Lab Manager Tom Benassi with questions and to request access.

    The printer in the back of the administrative office is only for use by staff and faculty.  Please do not connect to or use that printer.

    Visit the Johns Hopkins Library page for information about our libraries.

    You have a librarian!  Contact Engineering Librarian Steve Stich at 410-516-8357 or sstich@jhu.edu.  He can help you find research resources and show you how to use the library’s resources and services.

    You are welcome to use the computer facilities throughout campus, especially in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and the Brody Learning Commons.

    Laptops, pads, and software are available at a discount student rate when purchased through Hopkins.

    The Mechanical Engineering department has 30 laboratories throughout the Homewood campus.  With the depth and breadth of our research, labs can be as simple as a laptop on an office desk to as complex as a full laboratory with elaborate equipment and potentially dangerous situations and substances that need vigilant maintenance.

    Inevitably, there will be problems with offices, facilities, and equipment that need attention beyond our department’s ability to address them.  There is a central reporting tool that the department uses to vet, record, and refer such problems to get the appropriate help.

    Visit the Mechanical Engineering Department Facilities Concerns site to report your problem, no matter what type or size.

  • 6. STUDENT COUNCIL: Who is MUSC and what do they do?

    MUSC, the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Student Council enables communications between undergraduate students and the faculty.

    MUSC meets several times a year to discuss issues such as the way courses are taught, availability of courses, advising, and department support.

    Two student representatives from each class are elected by their colleagues during the Fall semester. The minutes from MUSC meetings are distributed to faculty, and the issues presented by the students are brought up for discussion and action at faculty meetings.

    MUSC welcomes your thoughts, ideas, and concerns. Contact MUSC by e-mail.

  • 7. JOBS ON CAMPUS: Student Employment / Hourly Positions and Time Cards

    Students can work right on campus!  There are all kinds of paid jobs all over campus, some engineering, many administrative, and all rewarding and fun.

    Student Employment Services offers jobs on campus for full-time students.  The Student Handbook has good information on jobs, applying for them, interviews, and work conduct.

    Some research positions are paid positions, particularly those worked during the summer.  Visit Tab #4 about Undergraduate Research.

    You can work as a research assistant, student worker, teaching assistant in the Mechanical Engineering department.

    • If you’re hired as a research assistant or student worker, visit the Mechanical Engineering office in Latrobe 223 to inquire about the hiring process.Please ensure that your hiring supervisor notifies Research Service Manager Alison Wampler of your hire, and that he or she provides the date of hire, the position hired, and student year to determine hourly pay.
    • If you’re hired as a teaching assistant, Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams will notify you directly to begin the hiring process.

    Most undergraduate students are paid hourly and record their time with time cards.

    Hourly Pay
    Undergraduate Assistant or Graduate Assistant in Mechanical Engineering

    • Freshmen – $12
    • Sophomores – $13
    • Juniors – $14
    • Seniors – $15
    • Graduate Students – $16

    Note that some positions pay differently than these rates, depending on the salary stipulations of the grant or project.

    Time Cards
    Time Cards must be used to record hours worked.  Please use either:

    How to Submit Hours

    1. Complete all sections of the time card.
      • Name: the employee’s full name
      • “Pernr”: the SAP personnel number
      • Principal Investigator for Grant/CC: supervisor name
      • Cost Center/Internal Order: the account number to charge salary
      • Signature:  employee signature and date. Both can be typed.
      • PI/Supervisor Signature: supervisor’s signature and date. Both can be typed.
      • Hours Submitted by…: leave blank, as the MechE staff will complete this.
    2. Have the Principal Investigator (PI) or authorized supervisor sign the card to confirm and authorize your hours worked.
    3. Your PI or supervisor will send the card by e-mail to meadmin@jhu.edu.
      • Subject line must read:  “Time Card”
      • Attach the completed time card.
    4. Designated staff will record the time in the CATS system in SAP and file the submitted time cards.

    Deadlines
    Time cards must be submitted by e-mail to meet the submission deadline of 2:00 p.m. one week before payday.

    Visit the Hourly Payroll Submission Deadline Schedule for the deadline in the “Time Entry Cutoff 2:00 p.m.” column.

    Hours submitted after the deadline will be paid at the next available pay period.

  • 8. CAREERS: Internships, Jobs, and Career Planning

    Students have all kinds of questions about how to prepare for life after college.

    “Is my major the right one for me?”
    “How can I maximize my summer experience through internships?”
    “What do I want to do after graduation?”
    “Should I go to graduate school?”

  • 9. SHOW ME THE MONEY: Financial Aid, Fellowships, Scholarships

    College is a huge financial undertaking for families.  There is help:

  • 10. FOR FUN: Things to do in Mechanical Engineering and beyond

  • 11. Need a little extra help?

    Occasionally, students may feel overwhelmed by the rigors of education, especially if coupled with outside stresses like health and family concerns.  Johns Hopkins offers a host of resources where you can ask for and receive help.

    If you need someone to listen, you can talk to your faculty advisor and Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard.  Sometimes, venting to someone may be all you need.

    Other times, though, you may want to talk to someone who is trained to help people in distress.  View these pages for information and hours:

  • 12. Graduation

    That big day at the end of a student’s four years at Johns Hopkins culminates in the celebrations of graduation and commencement.

    Timeline to Graduation

    • November – seniors send their completed Engineering Mechanics or Mechanical Engineering “checkout sheets” to Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard, who will review and confirm that they are on track to graduate.
    • February – submit the Application to Graduate when notified by the Whiting School.  Information is available on the Graduation Eligibility and Application page.  For the Class of 2017, the deadline to apply for graduation is February 10, 2017.
    • March – the department certifies graduation and concentration eligibility.  No separate application is necessary for the Aerospace or Biomechanics concentrations.
    • March to May – seniors complete Exit Interview Surveys and has an Exit Interview.  Students will be notified of the schedule.

    Celebrations

    • Obtain your diploma at Johns Hopkins Commencement.
    • Join your family and friends at the Mechanical Engineering celebration, right near Commencement.  Graduates will receive an invitation in mid-Spring.

  • And one more thing...

    Go have some fun!

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