T&M Thought Blog

By Tommy Carver

AI is probably the hottest and most thrown around buzz word currently. It has quickly transformed from theory in academic research to the most in-demand marketing tool. It seems like every website sprinkles the words “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning” all throughout their marketing pages just to grab attention. But, what really is AI, how can we use it, and where is it leading?

By Sam Wageman

It’s unbelievable to think that this semester is coming to an end so quickly. Admittedly at times, for many students, it felt like it would never end. The pandemic has changed so much about all our daily lives, but I’d like to argue that through everything, we’ve all grown both closer together and as people. Before beginning my reflection on this past semester, I need to thank everyone who made it possible including all the student board members, the student workers, and John, Beth, and Ilalee for their constant support.

By Ayusha Ayalur

One of the best lessons I’ve learned came soon after graduating high school when I took part in a summer filmmaking program aimed at increasing gender and racial diversity in the film industry. The mantra that we used for inspiration throughout the program was one that Reese Witherspoon, the actress and producer who created the program, relayed to us. It was, “In order to change the stories, we have to change the storytellers.”

By Shannon Ferguson

I’ve known that I wanted to study computer science since I was in middle school. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of creating something powerful and useful from just writing a few lines of code. That being said, by the time I took my first computer science class in high school, I realized most girls my age did not share the same fascination with tech that I did. I was one of two girls in my class and I could already sense that being the odd one out was going to be a recurring theme if I chose to pursue a field in STEM.

By Adithya Sundar

In March 2020, families were flooding supermarkets, clearing aisles, and overstocking on basic goods. In just a few months, though, the prices of foods have gone back to what they originally were. However, that doesn’t mean that the effects of COVID are gone. To understand how food manufacturing and consumer habits have changed, it is necessary to go back to where it starts – the farm.

By Charlie Foster

DOWN! UP! One. DOWN! UP! Two… the more repetitions you get, the stronger you get. In anything. Practice makes perfect and developing the mindset you want is no exception. Charlie, what?! How can you practice how you think? Reps, reps, and just when you think you are done with reps, MORE REPS! With a strong, growth mindset, almost every task becomes completable and those with a consistent strong mindset will perform much better in any task than those with a weak mindset.

By Wei Yang Ang

I love food. I can barely cook, so I love eating out. I love the communal feeling of eating with others. With the rise of COVID-19, the restaurant scene is experiencing changes that have never been experienced before (RIP ordering and sharing food). Now I know that I am 3 months late to the #takeout season party, but I’d like to share two suggestions regarding ordering out and purchasing food.

By Helen Sun

This is the long and twisted story of my quarantine job search.

My first internship opportunity was canceled in late March, the same week I was due to return to America after my canceled Dublin study abroad semester. In between my mom leaving food outside my bedroom door three times a day like I was a hostage since I returned, I frantically applied to all the job listings under the search term “Construction Intern” on LinkedIn, writing cover letters with the same desperation I had writing secret love letters to my crushes in middle school after just ten minutes of brief internet research. After I was freed from isolation, whenever I passed a construction site on my weekly neighborhood jogs, I paused to snap a photo of the construction company logo on the site barrier to reach out to them later. After a final exam that ended at 4 am due to time zone difference, I attended my first virtual career fair on Handshake the same morning and messaged several company HR’s in a chatbox, struggling to focus and make my appeal using only texts that awkwardly lagged. I even reached out to my former SE 101 TA, who then referred me to her boyfriend who manages a small construction company. I must have written thirty or so cover letters to these random companies I encountered.

By Abby Iuorio

If I had a dime for every time that someone said the word “sustainability” during my college career, I’d probably have enough money to stop climate change. I came into college as an Engineering Undeclared major, eager to find my passion. I had always felt at home in nature and was drawn to the title of Environmental Engineering. In the spring of my freshman year on campus, I joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. As I dove deeper into my coursework, I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of environmental harm being inflicted on the planet, especially by myself. I use too much plastic, emit too much carbon, and exercise too little concern for the Earth. Fast forward three years, and sustainability factors into every choice I make. I take public transit every chance I get to limit my carbon footprint. I buy the majority of my clothes from thrift stores to keep myself from supporting wasteful fast fashion brands. It makes me feel like I am making a difference, no matter how small.

By Kevin Halloran

We’ve all heard it a million times: “Your network is your net worth.” But what does this really mean?

To a typical engineering student, networking sounds like an idealistic short cut to employment. What do you mean, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?” Why am I taking all of these hard classes if a robust understanding of the content won’t land me a sweet six-figure job? It seems like the business kids have it easy—get through FIN300 or ACCY whatever and go work for an investment bank or the Big 4, because the people you’ve met will help you out with recruiting. It doesn’t seem fair; however, little does the average UIUC student know, their network is waiting to be discovered down any avenue.