Student Spotlight: Ariana Rennie

Ariana Rennie graduated summa cum laude from the Dean of Engineering Honors Program at New York Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in mathematics in May of 2018. She is now a Master's Thesis student in the Stony Brook University Mechanical Engineering Department. Here is a little Q&A with Ariana:

Share a little bit about yourself.

I am currently pursuing my Master’s Thesis with a concentration in controls/robotics as a GEM Fellow through The National GEM Consortium.
I have also been interning during the summer of 2018 and prospectively 2019, at my GEM Employer Sponsor, United Technologies Research Center.

What interested you in pursuing a degree at Stony Brook University?

My interest in Stony Brook University began back in middle school when I was selected to participate in my school’s Advance of Inquiry Research project which required me to work alongside one of SBU's medical students in their research paper. I chose SBU not only because it is a GEM University but also because it has a robotics laboratory where I plan on focusing my research.

In which areas of Mechanical Engineering are you most interested?

I consider Mechanical Engineering to be the best discipline of engineering as it is the broadest type of engineering. My interests lie in robotics, controls and machine learning.

Are you conducting, or do you plan to conduct, any research?

As a Master’s Thesis student, I will be conducting research with faculty in the Mechanical Engineering Department on aligning with robotics to increase the level of independence of individuals with varying disabilities. I’d like to work on and publish research papers.

What advice do you have for Undergraduate MEC majors?

My advice would be to get involved in a variety of engineering organizations as possible and participate in the organization’s competitions, workshops and conferences. Also, it is important to build your resume and network as well as apply to scholarships and fellowships such as GEM.

What are some fun facts that you can share?

A fun fact about me is that I know some American Sign Language (ASL) and I can sign songs in ASL.