Aha! I knew someone was reading this blog. Now I'm the recalcitrant one, as it turns out.

Well, here's the deal: it sounds like Cooper is in big trouble. I've been an occasional member of a flurry of email conversations detailing the mess that seems to be piling up around Cooper Square these days. From the sound of things, it might be that tuition - and a general engineering degree, ironically - may be in the offing for the future of our much-maligned alma mater. My personal attitude toward these changes - and Kate's provocative post, consequently - is a negative one. I don't think that throwing out engineering majors is a viable solution to the school's problems. Tuition, I'll admit, is another story - I would rather see Cooper survive than not. But one must take these Band-Aid solutions with a grain of salt: considering how mis-management and poor decisions have gotten Cooper into the shape it's in, how can we trust the school's guiding administration to shepherd it through such drastic changes as these? No, my fellow survivors, I don't think we can allow them to chip away at old Pete's Foundation in this way.

But, that's just my $0.02.

never mind. So, maybe something simpler? How's the weather? Does Autumn still bring back fond memories of Freshmen Orientation? Leaves scattered on the quad outside the gymnasium building? Or, like me, are you suddenly plagued by "I'm late for a test" nightmares when the temperature dips and the sky threatens something resembling snow, or at least a very chilly rain...?

oh, hi there. I guess Erik's last post seemed like a good place to stop. But since you asked... here's a topic to discuss, if anyone reads this. Do you think that Engineering education would better serve students with a change to a 5-year program? What if you'd had an extra year to really delve into a project, to work one-on-one with a professor, full-time? Or do you think 4 years was plenty? Lately I've been thinking that the best solution would be to remove specialization from the undergrad curriculum, since it seems like nobody sticks hard and fast to their major anyway. Let everyone get a general engineering degree, try it out, and then come back and specialize in a Masters or PhD program, if they think it's necessary. I think most engineers could have done with a bit more business and/or humanities education. What do you think?

Okay. Anyone besides me think that this is getting pretty silly? Hello?

Oh, c'mon - you know you're watching right now.

Friday will be my last night on the East Coast. Come out to Ace Bar (5th St. between Ave A and B) to celebrate! Saturday morning I start driving to Los Angeles!

See you there!

Happy E-Week, everybody. Anyone introducing a girl to engineering today? breaking through to creative engineering?

Go get your hands dirty!!

ah, kate, but you don't know the secret. thought of it myself, since i'm not a big fan of curdled milk. hot, salty water, followed by a dunk in cold water, and drying off seemed to take away much of the acid, and seal things up a bit. engineers, we. big dreams. like luau cheerios.

tomorrow, madison, wi.