Students Talking Tech

D I Y… do it yourself, but not the usual household repairs and home improvements. We’re taking about computers - configuring and building our own PCs… why do we do it, what are the benefits, plus the we’ll give you ideas on how to steer clear of the many pitfalls and challenges. Just about everyone needs a computer, but they can get rather expensive, so we’ll talk about how building your own PC can give you flexibility and the best of both worlds in terms of capabilities and price. Not everyone knows how to go about building a computer, and not everyone even wants to learn. That’s where tech-savvy students come in! We’ll talk about how we’ve provided guidance to friends and family on how they choose the components for their build, how we’ve actually built PCs for others. You’re welcome, Grandpa!

Internships: the options, the benefits, the challenges, the overall experience, and how to set yourself up for a successful future. I’ll share with you my recent experience doing a technology-focused internship in a corporate environment this past summer, and we’ll talk with both my supervisor there and one of my fellow interns. You’ll learn a lot from hearing about internships from these different perspectives, and we’ll discuss how internships benefit the student prepping for college and a professional career, and what the host companies get out of the arrangement. Not everyone plans to go to college. Not everyone has the same advantages during high school. We will talk about how to navigate pursuing your own unique passions, whatever they might be, and whatever your situation, and the various internships and other programs that can help you, the student, get where you want to go. We’ll hear inspiring stories you won’t want to miss! And how do you best take advantage of any opportunities once they actually come your way? We’ll talk about how to set yourself apart, and how just about any student can make a difference in a professional environment.

I talk to three of my fellow Walton Robotics Team members about what makes competitive robotics different from other high school sports, and the incredible experiences we had and teams we met at the FIRST World Championships in Houston in April 2022, and we and members of other teams share what we plan to major in during college and what we might do for our professional careers.

We interview Dr. Rich Simmons of Georgia Tech, plus students Austin Fan and Matthew Warner of the Georgia Tech Energy Club, to discuss the transition to electric vehicles and the power grid of the future. What career opportunities are there in the EV and clean energy transitions, and when, if ever, will the last gas station close?

The technology of roller coasters - the experiences and the engineering. Interview with Matthew Waller, student at Georgia Tech and member of their Theme Park Engineering and Design Club. Some of the tech behind roller coaster operations, my top 10 roller coasters (*that I've ridden so far), and our Gamers' Roundtable becomes our Roller Coaster Roundtable.