Ritika Bhattacharjee, senior in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has a rare perspective on life at Texas A&M University. As both a student blogger and student podcast host, she views the world as an aspiring engineer and someone who actively seeks out stories in others.
Ingenium, the official student blog of the College of Engineering at Texas A&M, launched in 2018 with the goal to give students a space to be themselves, share their experiences and learn from one another. Ingenium was designed to inspire creativity and to provide a window into all the opportunities and resources that are available to students in the College of Engineering while also building on the camaraderie for which Aggies are known.
“Nobody can tell our story but us — there is significance and power in the unique perspective we all bring to the table,” said Bhattacharjee. “Ingenium, the blog written for engineering students by engineering students, is a window into the soul of student life that allows us to connect over our shared experiences. Roughly a quarter of current Aggies study engineering; that's a lot of people to reach, and not everyone finds exactly what they want to do at their New Student Conferences. Ingenium is like the older sibling who's already in college that we all wish we had coming into Texas A&M.”
Bhattacharjee went on to explain that the inherent authenticity that Ingenium offers will allow the platform to remain relevant in the golden age of media, where the written word is constantly adapting and reaching more people than ever before.
Nobody can tell our story but us — there is significance and power in the unique perspective we all bring to the table.
On Ingenium, students will find blog posts covering internships and study abroad experiences, academic and entrepreneurial activities and the breadth of student engagement opportunities available to engineering students. Ingenium features blog posts from undergraduate students and graduate students, and even covers topics relevant to prospective students looking to attend Texas A&M Engineering in the future. Former students also have a space on Ingenium to reflect on lessons learned before and after graduation, allowing current students a crystal ball view of their academic endeavors as they still walk the halls of the Zachry Engineering Education Complex.
One year later, Engineering SoundBytes was launched. The official podcast of the College of Engineering, it consists of three segments that encompass stories about all aspects of engineering, including significant research, professional growth opportunities and student life. Guests come from all walks of life at Texas A&M — faculty, staff and current and former students.
“In a way, my college identity ‘grew up’ with the podcast because I started so early,” said Bhattacharjee. “I didn't realize how amazing and special it was until I met with Leanne, our new student host, for the first time. She was asking me questions, and I didn't even realize that in all of my time of having fun and planning episodes with this amazing group of people, that I was actually learning and expanding my horizons. I thoroughly enjoyed the creation of each episode, but that single conversation was incredibly eye-opening as a reflective tool for realizing my own growth.”
Engineering SoundBytes covers topics ranging from hurricane recovery research to what academic dishonesty means in a virtual classroom to what it’s like being an international student at Texas A&M. As second student co-host and electrical engineering senior Drew DeHaven explains, it’s like listening to a mentor explain various aspects of the College of Engineering.
I have learned that my voice has power, that words have influence, and that's something I'll take with me from classrooms to conference rooms to boardrooms and the world beyond.
Guests include faculty members and graduate students presenting their cutting-edge research, undergraduates showcasing their college experiences, former students offering advice to aspiring engineers, staff and administrators sharing college-wide opportunities and the founder of the REACH project encouraging Aggies to give back to their community.
“During my time as a student host, we got the chance to highlight a lot of different organizations and activities and talk about some key issues facing our student population today,” said Bhattacharjee. “Those key issues will evolve as our student population evolves, and I know that one day I will be listening to an insightful, vulnerable and empathetic conversation on the podcast about something that's critical to the student experience decades from today.”
Each of these platforms provides an exclusive look into the groundbreaking research, new developments and student experiences found only in the Texas A&M College of Engineering.
“I have learned that my voice has power, that words have influence, and that's something I'll take with me from classrooms to conference rooms to boardrooms and the world beyond,” Bhattacharjee said.