Wow!  It is quiet!

After the chaos of the past few weeks, wrapping up classes, I just can’t get over how quiet the Engineering Complex is this Monday morning of finals week.

My first final exam isn’t until Wednesday, so I am catching up on my grading, prepping my finals, and taking care of some administrative work.  There is certainly plenty to keep me busy, but I have to admit that the quiet is a bit distracting.  I guess, after awhile, you get used to working with the background hum of people.

Hope all this quiet means many of you are studying hard for your finals!

One piece of advice– You should NEVER underestimate a final exam.  I made that mistake once as a freshman and dropped a letter grade!  I can’t tell you how many times students have bombed one of my finals because it just seemed so easy in class.  When it comes to math, science, and engineering, practice, practice, practice!

Best of luck!

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I meant to attach this video to my last entry about the concrete canoe.  The students made concrete cylinders as proof-of-concept tests.  The cylinders helped verify that their concrete mix would float.

They also died the cement red so that the styrofoam pieces used in lieu of aggregate would show up more clearly.

Btw, concrete cylinders are poured to test the strength of concrete.  A small portion of a concrete mix is poured into a cylindrical mold and allowed to cure (i.e., dry and reach strength).  The cylinders are then placed in a compression tester (a machine that squeezes them until they break).  This machine allows us to calculate the compressive strength of the concrete.  Tests are usually performed at 7 days (when the concrete has gained most of its strength) and at 28 days (when concrete is fully cured and at full strength).

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I’ve heard it said that art washes away the problems of the soul. Art inspires and motivates me, especially in times of turmoil. In the process of “doing business,” I find that art humanizes us again and connects us with the spirit. Inspiration comes from any place. Because different cultures often don’t see eye-to-eye with each other, it is important to learn to visualize them through art to get to what really matters…. the heart.

A few of our TAMUK art students are seeking this path to enlightenment. Santa Barraza wants to take 10 students to University of Graz in Austria this summer. To help raise the remaining money to allow the students to study abroad, the art, communications and theatre department at Texas A&M-Kingsville will host a benefit art auction from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Center.

For more info visit http://www.tamuk.edu/events/2012/04/artauction.html.

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It seems like our students have the worst luck with ASCE’s annual concrete canoe competition.  A couple years ago, their canoe sprang a leak at competition.  They plugged the leak with chewing gum and competed anyway.

This year, in the same spirit of cheerful persistence, the civil engineering students faced an even greater challenge.  About two weeks ago, they returned to school after the weekend to find their canoe destroyed.  All the faculty were upset for them, particularly as it looked like a case of deliberate vandalism.

But the students?  They didn’t spend time complaining.  Within two days, they had poured a new canoe.  Last Friday, I took some video of the new canoe as it cured.  It is in a wooden mold and will be unmolded when the concrete is dry and strong.  A lot of work needs to be done before competition next week, but our students are up to the challenge.

Now that something we can all point to with Javelina Pride!

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Easter Javelina

Some of you Javelinas will be out and about looking for Easter eggs. Others are going to be hitting the books. Then, some of you will be preparing for final projects. Many of us celebrated Spring last Thursday by going retro. I will try to bring you some of my most favorite pics from that event. However, first I have to finish grading or my students will get upset with me.

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