The Engineering Student Experience Podcast

Feb 23 2025 37 ep. 48 mins 37
The Engineering Student Experience Podcast artwork

This podcast explores topics relevant to current and future engineering students through conversations with practicing engineers, engineering faculty, and engineering students.

  Education
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Episode 37 - Exit interview with Jared

Feb 23 2025 55 mins  
In this episode, Paul interviews Jared Changizian right when he graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. You can listen to Jared as a freshman in episode 14, as a sophomore in episode 19, and about 1.5 years before he graduated in episode 31. Paul and Jared are joined by Dr. Jessica Perez, a faculty member in the Center for Excellence in

Episode 36 - What is a Dean?

Aug 31 2024 46 mins  
In this episode, Paul tries to demystify the role of "Dean" of a college by interviewing the Dean of the College of Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona, Dr. Andrew Ketsdever. During the conversation, Andrew describes the responsibilities of a Dean, shares his experiences of being a Dean, and explains how a Dean impacts students, faculty, and staff. Here is how Cal Poly Pomona organizes

Episode 35 - What is a department chair?

Apr 29 2024 66 mins  
In this episode, Paul tries to demystify the important, but often misunderstood, position of "department chair" by interviewing Dr. Berit Givens (Dept of Mathematics and Statistics) and Dr. Shokoufeh Mirzaei (Dept of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering), both of whom are department chairs at Cal Poly Pomona. During the conversation, Berit and Shokoufeh describe the role and re

Episode 34 - What is professional licensure?

Dec 05 2023 47 mins  
In this episode, Paul interviews Davy McDowell, who is the Chief Operating Officer of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). During the conversation, Davy provides an overview of the process engineers go through to become professionally licensed. He also discusses the types of engineering jobs that typically require professional licensure, what the

Episode 33 - What is Manufacturing Engineering?

Aug 14 2023 44 mins  
In this episode, Paul interviews Dr. Victor Okhuysen who is a Professor in the Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Department at Cal Poly Pomona. During the conversation, Dr. Okhuysen provides an overview of the field of manufacturing engineering. He compares manufacturing engineering with other engineering disciplines, discusses career paths available in manufacturing engin

Episode 32 - What’s it like to be a veteran and an engineering student?

Jun 12 2023 58 mins  
In this episode, Paul interviews two Cal Poly Pomona engineering students, Elizabeth Sanchez (industrial engineering) and Esteban Alderete (aerospace engineering), who also are US Marine Corps veterans. During the interview, Elizabeth and Esteban share their experiences of active-duty service, transitioning back to civilian life, and being engineering students. They also provide ad

Episode 31 - What’s it like to have to repeat a course?

Apr 03 2023 55 mins  
In this episode, Paul interviews two Cal Poly Pomona engineering students, Jared Changizian (mechanical engineering) and Michael Youssef (electrical engineering), who discuss a very common experience for engineering students -- having to repeat a course due to receiving a low grade. During the interview, Jared and Michael describe the emotions and thoughts they experienced when the

Episode 30 - What is ABET?

Jan 04 2023 21 mins  
In this episode, Paul provides an overview of ABET, which is the agency responsible for accrediting engineering programs. He discusses why accreditation is important for students and what an engineering program must do to receive accreditation. During the episode, Paul mentions that all of his department's program educational objectives are listed on his department's website. You c

Episode 29 - Engineering in the Air Pollution Control Industry

Oct 03 2022 66 mins  
In this episode, Paul explores the field of air pollution control (or air pollution abatement) with Anoosheh Oskouian and John Von Bargen from Ship & Shore Environmental, a company based in Signal Hill, CA that specializes in designing and constructing air pollution abatement systems. Anoosheh is President and CEO of the company, and John is the Vice President and Director of Engin

Episode 28 - What’s it like to start a start-up?

Aug 01 2022 50 mins  
In this episode, Paul talks with Isabel Gutierrez to learn what it's like to create and grow a company. Isabel is the CEO and founder of Vistendo, and earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2019. Vistendo is a company dedicated to ending the suffering related to untreated brain dysfunctions including brain injuries and mental health disorders. The technolog