photo by Mark SchmidtBy Greta Petry
Junior Liana Rodriguez thinks everyone should know about the 3+2 program in engineering which UAlbany offers in conjunction with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In this program, students complete three years at UAlbany, majoring in either chemistry or physics, and then transfer to Rensselaer�s School of Engineering to study an additional two years. When finished, the student has a bachelor�s degree from UAlbany in chemistry or physics, as well as an engineering degree from Rensselaer.
�I just want students to know that there are a lot of opportunities out there that aren�t advertised, especially for minority students. You need to look for these opportunities, and if you don�t see an opportunity, make one,� said Rodriguez, whose parents were born in New York and are of Puerto Rican descent.
A resident of the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and a native of the Bronx, Rodriguez found out about the 3+2 program through her older brother Mark, who finished the program in 1997. Raised in a family where education was stressed, (her father is a systems engineer with several advanced degrees and her mother, a kindergarten teacher, has a master�s degree in education) she saw her brother become a senior programmer analyst on Wall Street as a result of the 3+2 program.
�He can do anything with a computer. He�s a whiz,� she said. �My brother really encouraged me and helped me out with my work when I needed it. He�s been my No. 1 fan since Day One.� He also introduced her to Dawn Kakumba, who has been her adviser.
Liana Rodriguez said earning two degrees will add to her marketability after graduation. �Unemployment is very low right now and technology jobs are booming,� she said. �I am not worried about getting a job.�
The junior explained how the program works. �Your first years are the same for the major and besides that, you fill the general education requirements. For the first three years I am a chemistry major, and I also take upper level physics, which is required for the engineering major. I will also finish some chemistry classes for the degree at RPI. I will take a leave of absence during my last two years, and will use that time to complete the engineering requirements at RPI. You can choose the type of engineering you want. I will graduate with a B.S. in chemistry from UAlbany and a biomedical engineering degree from RPI.�
Rodriguez is also considering attending graduate or medical school after graduation from Rensselaer.
Students are formally admitted to Rensselaer after their fifth semester of study, according to the Undergraduate Bulletin. Admission is based on the recommendation of the UAlbany chemistry or physics department and the student�s grade point average, which should be about a B+. For more information, contact the Advisement Services Center/Undergraduate Studies office in ULB-36.
�We�ve gotten some really wonderfully prepared students through the 3+2 program,� said Kathleen Stacey, associate dean and director of transfer admissions at Rensselaer. Stacey herself is a UAlbany alumna, having earned a B.A. in 1985 and an M.S. in 1988.
While Rodriguez loved chemistry in high school, it was her experience at UAlbany that crystallized her interest.
�I don't want to be a typical role model,� Rodriguez said. �I just did something I am passionate about. If you are passionate about something, you are going to do well in it, and you are going to be happy.�
The 3+2 program exposes UAlbany students to opportunities at both universities. Rodriguez went to a Rensselaer career fair last year, where she learned about a paid internship with Corning Inc.
�I worked at a good job last summer, a paid internship,� she said. �I went out there and made my opportunity. I put myself out there. You have to start somewhere and make your own way.�
In order to earn college credit for the internship, Rodriguez said she worked out a plan with Professor Paul Toscano of the Department of Chemistry through UNI 390.
�I reported to him (Professor Toscano). I didn�t know about this opportunity until Dawn Kakumba told me about it. They will let you do this if it is a meaningful project.� To find out more about internships at UAlbany, see Ivan Edelson in the Dean of Undergraduate Studies Office. As part of her internship Rodriguez conducted electro-optics research in the photonics division at Corning.
UAlbany also has 3+2 engineering programs with Binghamton University�s Watson School of Engineering, the SUNY College of Arts and Sciences at New Paltz, and with Clarkson College in Potsdam.
