A Day at USC Ruiyi Shen

On a Wednesday afternoon in May 2020, two partners and I are preparing our AME 331 final presentation for planning roads in cold mountainous areas—a dream inspired by my memories of not having such needed roads in rural China. Together, we sit in a reserved room at the 24-hour Leavey Library, excitedly drawing models. “Can we avoid frost heaving by building water-resistant layers under the road?”

The sun sets as we cross the quiet USC campus. I run to have dinner with Professor Terence George Langdon from the Department of Chemical and Material Science Engineering. We’ve been emailing to speak about new behaviors of a metal he had been researching, which can dramatically improve the efficiency of transportation tools. Considering this problem in my thesis, we discuss my group’s progress and share each other's’ opinions.

Late at night, as I go back and enter my dorm, I’m already thinking about my appointment with the Study Abroad Office the following afternoon. I’m very excited about the opportunity to research in France next semester because studying successful TGV train can provide me with extra invaluable insights.

These ideal experiences, which I envision and hope to one day materialize as a mechanical engineering student,...