Nashville State STEM Students Keep Busy During Spring 2024 Semester

Evan West and Hugh Foley recently completed a tube guitar amplifier to better understand electronics and the physics of sound amplification.  

When asked about his motivations for taking on the project, West, a lifelong musician, replied, “I’ve always been fascinated by how things work—taking things apart and trying to understand what’s going on. When you do that, you realize there is a lot of foundational science underpinning technology and our everyday experience. It’s beautiful to learn about it all.”

Foley, a chemistry major, was equally enthusiastic, “I want to be interdisciplinary, not just with a chemical engineering skillset. I also want a skillset dipped in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. I want to be well-rounded.”

Looking back on his past two years at Nashville State, Foley reminisced, “Going to a community college seemed like the best idea to figure out exactly what I wanted to do – and at Nashville State, I did figure that out. Definitely.” 

He has yet to decide on a school to complete his bachelor’s degree but has begun to receive offers. Ohio State University recently accepted him into its selective chemical engineering program.

After two years of consistent effort at Nashville State, it is clear his work is paying off. “It’s very exciting”, Foley said.

We also spoke with Luke Huddleston, a mechanical engineering major and expert small engine mechanic.

We met Luke for the photo at Ace Hardware, where he works after attending his calculus-based Physics II class at Nashville State.

While discussing his plans to transfer to Tennessee Tech in the fall, he gave us a masterclass on small engine carburetors.

“I’ve been working on chainsaws since before I could walk,” Huddleston joked.

His work is a natural extension of the physics material he’s learning in class. The topic of the day: magnetism.

Huddleston wrestled the housing off a Stihl saw and demonstrated how magnets in the spinning flywheel generate an electric current.

“Dr. Bohara wasn’t lying – it really works,” he said smiling, referring to Nashville State Assistant Professor of Physics Bir Bohara, Ph.D.

We left him to his repairs, but not without discussions on fuel mixtures and batteries. “A lot goes into this work,” says Huddleston. We believe him.

Back on the White Bridge campus, Jacob Pickos, a computer science major, is constructing a programmable 8-bit computer as part of an honors project.

“Before college, so much of my life was reliant on these machines that I knew so little about. I wanted to do something to change that,” he remarked.

Pickos, who graduated with his A.S. in Computer Science in December 2023, has stayed another semester to earn more credits toward his bachelor’s.

He was recently accepted to a 10-week internship at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville this summer, an opportunity shared by one of his professors.

“Nashville State has been good to me,” Pickos said. “Make a plan. Try hard in your classes. The opportunities are here.” 

Photos courtesy of Zaki Daouk