ME Student Reporter Says Goodbye and Moves On After Graduation

After two years as student reporter for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, ME major Lauren Frye bid farewell to the department after graduating from the Clark School this past May. As the ME reporter, Frye composed concise narratives for the ME website on news and events affecting the Mechanical Engineering department and the Clark School community. Beyond reporting on ME news and events, Frye’s articles were designed to help prospective students learn about the culture, research, and activities of one of the nation’s top Mechanical Engineering programs.

Post-graduation, Frye will pursue a joint JD/LLM-Intellectual Property (IP) degree, with a concentration in patent law, at the Franklin Pierce Law Center. According to the November 2009 issue of The Financial Times, Pierce Law is regarded as “the US’s foremost institute for the study of intellectual property law.” Upon graduating from law school, Frye hopes to work on patenting revolutionary medical products and processes as a specialist in medical patent law.

Frye became interested in patent law while attending Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, where she honed her aptitude for the sciences and the humanities. Inspired by her father, Frye choose to further her knowledge of the physical sciences by pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at UMD. However, Frye’s interest in the humanities and desire to synthesize her talents inspired her decision to study patent law as a postgraduate.

In her time as student reporter, Frye learned a great deal about the ME department and its faculty while gaining valuable experience as a technical writer. Frye recollects that before taking the student reporter position she knew very few of the professors in the ME Department, and had little to no contact with them. Frye states, “This job has definitely improved my ability to take information and concisely convert it into readable material.” Reflecting on the totality of her experience with ME, she adds, “Working for the Department prepared me for work outside of college by demanding improvement of my general research skills and a strict adherence to deadlines.” Above all, Frye credits ME Faculty Affairs and Communications Coordinator Felicia Stephenson with helping her become the writer and professional she is today. “As mentor, supervisor and friend, Felicia has played an essential role in my development as a student, professional and overall woman. I feel confident in beginning law school knowing that I have been under the tutelage of such a person as Felicia,” Frye notes.

When asked to recall the most important thing she learned from her university experience, Frye remarks, “This experience has taught me how to conduct myself professionally and how to maximize group productivity in order to meet objectives and deadlines in an assortment of circumstances.” She adds, “Working effectively in groups has been a valuable lesson. I learned to work with people from all different backgrounds and cultures to reach a goal and have found that keeping a group interested and motivated can be made easier by listening to everyone and taking their ideas into account.”

In reflecting on the lessons learned as a ME major, Frye advises incoming ME seniors to develop strong relationships with their senior electives teachers. “Electives have smaller class sizes, allowing students to establish rapport with professors who can be significant resources down the road for letters of recommendation and even graduate work,” says Frye. She also suggests that seniors initiate their job search at the start of the school year instead of waiting until their final semester. From observing her peers’ experiences, she noticed that those who found jobs early were less nervous about transitioning into the ‘real world.’ Her final advice to seniors is, “Work hard, but make sure that you enjoy your final year as an undergrad because it flies by.”

The Department wishes Lauren well in Law School!

For some of Frye’s most memorable articles, please visit the following links:

ME Graduate Student Receives Top Awards at the National Society of Black Engineers Convention

Severinsky to Receive Prestigious ASME Patent Award

ME Grads Enjoy Advantages of Alumni Membership

ME Department Welcomes New Grad Students

ExxonMobil Donates to Engineering Societies

Published August 17, 2010