Wow, what a week. I've never had a week like this since I came to Wentworth. So many things and obligations, and all in one week. I am usually good in time management, but this time I wasn't the one managing my time. In previous semesters professors would schedule mid-terms and projects over three weeks (before mid-term week, during mid-term week, and after). However, this time, they put everything into this week, plus many other things fell into this week, too.

Here is a short overview of my schedule during mid-term week:

Friday, October 12 - Desk Attendant duty, 9:00pm-12:00am

Saturday, October 13 - Boston Area College Housing Association (BACHA) conference, 7:45am-3:00pm; worked on an important case study that was due Thursday, October 18, 3:30pm-3:00am; Resident Assistant duty, 9:00pm-3:00am

Sunday, October 14 - Wentworth Open House day, 8:00am-2:00pm; studied for my first mid-term exam in Finite Math, 3:00pm-8:00pm; Desk Attendant duty, 8:00pm-11:30pm

Monday, October 15 - Finite Math midterm and classes, 9:00am-4:00pm; studying for a mid-term in Project Management, 5:00pm-12:00am

Tuesday, October 16 - Classes, 8:00am-2:00pm; studying for a mid-term in Project Management, 3:00pm-6:00pm; co-op info session with Cisco company, 6:00pm-8:00pm; Resident Assistant duty, 8:00pm-12:00am

Wednesday, October 17 - Project Management midterm and classes, 9:00am-4:00pm; first interview with Cisco, 4:00pm-5:00pm; program for my residents, 6:00pm-11:00pm; Desk Attendant duty, 11:30pm-3:00am

Thursday, October 18 - Project Management project submission, 10:00am-12:00pm; studying for a midterm in Ethics, 1:00pm-5:00pm and 8:00pm-12:00am; second interview with Cisco, 5:30pm-7:00pm

Friday, October 19 - Ethics mid-term and classes, 9:00am- 4:00pm; write a blog for WIT, 5:00pm-6:00pm, Desk Attendant duty, 9:00pm-12:00am

As you can see, it was crazy. However, the outcomes of the week were more than good. Finite Math, Project Management, and Ethics mid-terms were all "A"s, Project Management case study was also an "A", two interviews with Cisco were great, program for residents was a complete success, and duty nights were quiet and without problems.

Midterms weren't completely over, since I had one more this week, but I decided to treat myself and join 12 of my friends and spend a weekend (October 20 & 21) in Cape Cod. It was just what I needed: sun, beach, fireplace, Red Sox game in a pub, and dear friends. I recharged my batteries and attacked the following week (this week). There are still things to accomplish, but more about it next week :).

Posted by Dejan Petrovic at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Being a good student at Wentworth always pays off. Two weeks ago, I was notified by the school that I was one of the participants assigned by school to go to IDEAS Boston 2007 Conference. I did not know what kind of a conference it was, but I've checked the web site (www.ideasboston.com) and it seemed interesting.

The conference took part in Federal Reserve Bank in Boston's Financial District. I woke up early, dressed up and sit on a T to South Station. I arrived at the South Station just on time (around 8am). As I was on the escalators, coming out of the station, the beautiful Federal Reserve building was standing in front of me. After the security check, I registered at the information desk, got my visitor-package and ate some breakfast that was served (free food! - always welcomed in a student world). While eating, I was reading the program and list of panelist. The conference was consisted of 20ish 20-minute presentations by the some of the Boston's most distinguished scientists (chemist and microbiologist, politicologist, economist, composer, computer genius, internet entrepreneur, engineer, musicians, etc.). It was a very appealing list. Each of these panelists was going to share highlights of their current work and ideas.

The presentations started at 9am and finished at 6pm. We had some breaks and snacks in between that we used to talk to the presenters. It was amazing, and the time passed so fast. I was thrilled! It was like watching the Discovery channel Live. Some of the panelists were:
1. Joan S. Brugge, Ph.D. - Cell Biologist
Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and research scientist working to identify and understand the mechanisms involved in cancer development.

2. Erik D. Demaine, Ph.D. - MathematicianThe MIT Esther and Harold E Edgerton Professor in Computer Science, and one of the founders of "origami mathematics"' which has applications such as folding telescopes and understanding how proteins fold.

3. Michael Gandolfi. - Composer, Music Professor
Internationally-renowned composer and teacher of composition whose latest work, "The Garden of Cosmic Speculation" - a seventy-minute orchestral composition inspired by Charles Jencks' Scotland landscape of earthworks and installations -represents for the composer a magnificent joining of physics and architecture.

4. Edward L. Glaeser, Ph.D. - Urban and Social EconomistHarvard Professor of Economics, whose work has focused on international disparities in social welfare systems and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission.

5. David C. Kang, Ph.D. - Specialist on East AsiaProfessor at Dartmouth, Author, and an expert on the history and politics of China and North Korea. Impact of the China's economic growth on the World order.

6. Nancy G. Kanwisher, Ph.D. - Cognitive NeuroscientistA professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and an investigator at The McGovern Institute for Brain Research, who studies the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying human visual perception and cognition.

7. Ioannis (Yannis) N. Miaoulis, Ph.D. - Science and Technology Educator
President and Director of the Museum of Science who is an innovative educator with a passion for both science and engineering.

8. Nader Tehrani, M.A.U.D. - Architect and Urban DesignerInternationally recognized Co-Principal of design firm Office dA and Professor of Architecture at MIT, whose work ranges from one-of-a-kind furniture to urban

9. John C. Warner, Ph.D. - A Founder of Green ChemistryPresident and Chief Technology Officer for The Warner-Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry and a pioneer in the use of innovative materials to reduce waste, pollution and energy consumption.

During short breaks in between presentations, I was able to go into topic's details with some of the presenters. It was a real honor to be able to talk to these people and learn about their view on life and approach they have toward their interests.

In the evening, organizers prepared a cocktail for presenters and visitors on the 31st floor of Federal Reserves Building. It was just the right way to finish such an amazing day. Smooth sounds of Jazz, cocktails and the view at the Boston skyline. Just magical.
Enjoying this wonderful day gave me a boost of energy and will to continue my hard work toward the degree and making my mark in the World.

Posted by Dejan Petrovic at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here we are in another school year at Wentworth. Almost a month and a half passed and I must say a lot of interesting things happened. New people arrived at Wentworth, went through orientation week and started taking their first college courses. First grades were earned, first homesick moments passed, first problems experienced and many of those were solved. All that happened in a life of a freshman.

However, this is my third year at Wentworth. I am done with those first-year issues, and now I am the one helping others overcome them. Being a student leader for two years in a row, allows me to share the problems of students at Wentworth and assist them in solving those. In order to do that, every year, student leaders arrive on campus three weeks earlier than everyone else. To prepare for the year in front of us, we go through intensive two-week student leadership training.

I am a Senior Resident Assistant in one area of residence halls called the Apartments. My position is consisted of coordinating other Resident Assistants (RA) in the area, performing all of the duties of an RA and being a liaison between RAs and Housing Office. It requires a lot of knowledge, responsibility and dedication to accomplish these duties and that is what the training is all about. We spend two weeks in lectures and workshops, preparing presentations, learning about all of the possible problems and situations we might find ourselves in and the proper ways of avoiding or solving them. It sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but we also have a lot of fun.

During the training we go to a camp on a beautiful lake for three days. We have a lot of different activities while trying to get to know as much as we can about all 100 of us. We make camp-fires, swim in the lake, play all kinds of sports, compete among each other and learn. Those three days are always a highlight in the first period of the new school year of a student leader.

Posted by Dejan Petrovic at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)