Courtesy of Bockarie Amara

Boregard is everywhere these days; you’ve seen him perform at “Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) x BOREGARD.,” rhyme at Couchella, open for Ty Dolla Sign and even appear at local events like Friday Night Fever in West Atlanta. The Emory student and rapper has received shoutouts from the likes of hip-hop website Local Savage, and with new material on the way, he’s poised for many more. Soon, Bockarie “BOREGARD.” Amara (17B) is someone you’ll want to brag you went to school with.

The Emory Wheel conducted an in-person interview with Amara. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Leigh Schlecht, The Emory Wheel: How did you get involved in music?

Boregard: Just from listening to it a lot. There were times when I would be listening to an album and start hearing lyrics. I would have to look them up and read them. I wanted to go and give other people that feeling.

EW: So you like using allusions and double meanings?

BA: Yeah, stuff like that, and things that you can relate to. A good line with some good imagery, where I describe something in a very roundabout way. I wasn’t really thinking about making music but then I started writing little raps. I had so much fun and kept going with it.

EW: You mentioned the imagery. Are there any lyrics that inspired you or that you’re particularly proud of?

BA: My song “Interest” — [I’m in love with] the first eight lines. There are some alliterations and comparisons. It’s one of my best-written songs. I took a small concept and that song as a whole: the hook, what I’m trying to say, what it represents, it came together so well. I love that beat so much.

EW: What is your writing process like?

BA: It varies song to song. Sometimes I’ll have a beat and hear it and freestyle to it, and be listening to it all day, and I’ll write to it. Other times, … I’ll say a line. It might not be a rhyme that goes with that line, but there [will be] a single line that appeals to me because of how it sounded. It won’t be my first line, but it’ll be the seventh or eighth line and I’ll write above it and below it.

EW: How long does it take you to write a song and move it all the way through?

BA: “Honey, Did You Know About This?” I wrote that song in 12 minutes. It was dumb. And there are songs like “Interest,” which is also one of my best songs, that took a long time to work out. It depends on how it feels. Sometimes you might even be able to tell by the song. They might feel effortless and fun, and those are the ones I come up with quicker. It’s hard to get that feel if you’re really nitpicky. The ones where I’m gliding over the instrumental, it’s not hard for me, you know?

EW: Do you see yourself putting out another mixtape or EP sometime soon?

BA: There’s gonna be a Boregard album in 2017. That’s not a question. There are also a couple joint collaborations that I’m working on that I’ll drop before my full-length album comes out.

EW: What are some songs that people should listen to that they might not know about?

BA: “Magnolia” by Playboi Carti. That song is so good. Please listen to that. And listen to “30” by Larry League, that’s a great one. “Witness” by Starpav. “Daydream” by Nai Br.XX, and look out for a song called, “Dough” by me. It’s coming soon.

EW: Did you do everything yourself on the song?

BA: No, no, no. Sensei Bueno, that’s my childhood best friend. We both wanted to do [the mixtape] and worked on it together. He was like, “You concentrate on writing those lyrics. I’m gonna do like everything else. I got you.” We just did collaborative efforts and were like “Hey, you could do this, I could do that,” and we came up with strategies.

EW: How did you come up with your name?

BA:  A lot of people call me Bo, so people would ask, “Is that short for Beauregard?” I was really into French culture and I knew “beau regard” meant “good-looking” … and I originally spelled it the French way, but my friend was like, “make it more personal.” Now I like it in all caps, too. It has the right amount of ratchetness and elegance all at the same time. I customized the name to fit me — it’s “BOREGARD.” Period at the end. All caps.

EW: Is there anything that you’re inspired by or trying to work towards in terms of your sound?

BA: One of my goals is to make music that’s so profound, so skillfully done, that, despite the vulgarity, I have this cynical, nature in my lyrics. It’s my distinct style. I want it to set it up in such a way that it’s so clever that it’s like, “Damn, he described that in such a beautiful way using such ugly terms” that experts, critics, they’re like “Dang! I appreciate this.” My music is kind of like the talk. You have to expose everyone to it. Everyone has to hear it, has to accept it. It’s a beautiful process, but it can be ugly. There’s sexual harassment. There are dangerous, horrible violations of sex, but there’s also beautiful sex. There are babies, there are families, so I guess my music is like sex.

EW: You mention these vulgarities, but in this conversation you’ve only sworn twice. Is Boregard a persona that you create for yourself?

BA: There’s Bockarie Amara and there’s Boregard. I’m a student, and I’m also a rapper. There’s the sweet Bockarie — I’m a very empathic, quiet, peaceful, conflict-averse person. But sometimes there’s Boregard who just says it how it is. [The persona] is also kind of a play. I’m also into acting. When I was at Oxford [College], I was in all the plays except maybe one. I was not in The Vagina Monologues — I dunno why. But I’m the rap game Bo Jackson: I rap, I act.

EW: How has your life built you into who you are now?

BA: I grew up around very strong women, [especially] my mom. Seeing her work so hard pushes me to work hard too. I’m the type of person to say, “I want to be a rapper, but it’s too much.” Instead of saying, you have to do all that, she’d tell me to take it one step at a time. She made me a very patient person, a very persistent person. My family is the biggest blessing I have, and a great family made it impossible for me to say that I had a tough childhood. That was also what made my music better, because I was giving [them] something to support, something worth supporting.

The post Breaking Down Boregard appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Almost all young people, especially college students, have a form of technology on their person at all times. Whether that be a cellphone, laptop or tablet, all are used to sending messages, calling friends and possibly having a video conversation. All of these usages are perfect for communicating quickly, but I worry this ubiquitous aspect of technology is destroying personal interactions.

I don’t like the idea of neglecting face-to-face interactions just because technology allows us to. Every day, I see personal interactions that have been changed because of technology. For example, I walked into a cafe yesterday and observed the majority of occupants scrolling through their social media accounts, Skyping a friend or aimlessly searching Google instead of talking to the person sitting right in front of them. It’s estimated that nearly 10,000 interactions within Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr happen per second, while 2,600 Skype calls are placed and around 44,000 gigabytes of internet traffic are used every second. Without a doubt, technology, especially its mobile-friendly forms, has an increasingly pertinent space in the lives of many people.

It’s true that new technologies offer more convenience and speed than their predecessors. Attending class while sick in bed has become quite simple if the lecture has been recorded. We can order what are now viewed as necessities — Lyfts, videogames, food or clothing — and expect a delivery within minutes or a few days at the longest. As much as I support these very practical uses of technology, I am against the culture of erasing personal interactions and the growth of impatience that I believe it produces.

There’s an added layer of intimacy during in-person experiences. Being able to clearly see a loved one’s laugh lines, or hug them or “accidentally” bump into them when they say something off-color is priceless and simply not available while communicating through modern-day technology.

These technologies have gained popularity as they allow conversations to occur almost instantly. In a time-sensitive situation, a quick phone call or email can change the entire outcome. Because of this, there is both a pressure and a need to communicate as quickly as possible, thus fostering a culture of impatience that I don’t think would exist if technology wasn’t such a powerful force in daily life. As technology makes communication increasingly efficient, responses to emails, texts and missed calls are somehow required within a minute’s notice, even on “off-days” that were previously agreed upon. In light of this, some students refuse to check or respond to emails from their Brown account over the weekend, while others view this as unmannerly and unprofessional behavior. This difference of opinion can be attributed to the fact that boundaries between business and personal are consistently blurred, all in the name of being flexible and possessing a willingness to go above and beyond. These qualities are important, but they are next of kin to impatience. Consistently demanding and expecting immediate responses crosses into dangerous territory if and when it interferes with life, thus normalizing impatience in every situation we encounter.

Technology has broadened our ability to communicate. Often times, technology is the only way to globally communicate with individuals who may not be reachable otherwise. I am by no means discrediting or diminishing these resolute predicaments. But technological capabilities seem to be overstepping their bounds. I find technology most helpful when it enhances personal interactions instead of erasing them. Yet this is not what’s happening. The more technology advances, the further we stray from face-to-face contact — Facetiming replaces phone calls, which replaced in-person interactions. More technology means less physical presence and more voids that need to be filled. Then, the cycle continues: We ignore our immediate surroundings, as I observed in the cafe, in order to absorb technology-ridden business, and then we rush through the absorption of that business while staying connected and neglecting the connections right in front of us. Striking a balance between an online and offline presence has proven to be difficult, but it can lead to a more fulfilling life, one that does not end in becoming a robot waiting for the next email that needs a response.

Randi Richardson ’20 can be reached at randi_richardson@brown.edu, but don’t expect a response right away. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center’s CounterCurrent festival features performances and installations in venues all over the city. | File photo/The Cougar

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts’ fourth annual CounterCurrent festival kicked off its opening night celebration with a sold-out performance and a series of art installations at the Midtown Arts and Theatre Centers H on Tuesday.

Houston’s art community gathered to witness Ghana ThinkTanks’ “Mobile Mosque,” a project inspired by a University of Houston student, and a video installation that follows the lives of four Syrian refugees called “Stories of Refuge.” University of Maryland’s art group Winter Guests closed the evening with “Simulacrum,” a performance that combined Japanese kabuki and Spanish flamenco dances.

The projects’ artists were present at the opening day of the festival to provide insight into the inspiration behind their work.

“We are bringing a lot of artists that other organizations in Houston might not bring,” said program director for the Mitchell Center, Pia Agrawal. “I think we’re trying to find work that seems really relevant to Houston right now, so there’s a lot of shows about identity, politics in Houston and about conversations that we feel like Houstonians are having.”

Ghana ThinkTank is an artist collective that works with an international network of think tanks to find solutions for individuals experiencing personal, global and social problems in first-world countries. The think tank asked around the city, “What is your Houston diversity problem?”

“A young man at the University of Houston central campus said to us: ‘Even though Texas is so religious, I feel like five times a day I have to find a place to hide just to pray,’” said visiting Ghana ThinkTank artist Carmen Montoya.

Montoya said the group presented the collected problem to a group of Syrian women at a refugee center outside of Belgrade and Serbia. The solution they came up with was to build “Mobile Mosque,” which will travel to various areas in Houston during CounterCurrent, hosted by the local Muslim community.

“This is to give people a real idea of the diversity and the talents of the creative voice of young Muslims,” Montoya said.

The “Mobil Mosque” will be traveling to UH campus on Thursday, along with a Syrian women’s pop-up lunch.

“I think one of the themes that we’re really finding is storytelling,” Agarwal said. “We’re finding a lot of projects where we’re allowing people to tell their own stories.”

In “Stories of Refuge,” created by Beirut-based artists the Dictaphone Group, Syrian refugees document their time living in a refugee camp in Munich.

“They are very specific narratives about their experience arriving to Munich and what it was like to be in these temporary camps,” said one of the artists of “Stories of Refuge,” Abir Saksouk.

The installation also uses interactive pieces such as bunk beds, which provides audiences with an improved visual of the videos.

“The audience is invited to lay down on the bunk bed and watch the videos,” said another artist of the project, Tania El Khoury. “At the very end they can also write notes on immigration or about these characters in a note book.”

Saksouk and El Khoury have another project in the festival, “Camp Pause,” which is located at The Brandon, a contemporary art gallery at Brasil restaurant. The project tells the story of a Palestinian refugee camp in South Lebanon.

“It’s the story of the camp itself from different perspectives of characters that live in the camp,” Saksouk said. “They’re from different generations, different genders and different backgrounds.”

Karen Farber, the director of the Mitchell Center, said students have been able to engage with the artists in this year’s festival.

“That’s one of the reasons why a lot of this work is interactive, Farber said. “It’s so that the student audience can connect with the artist and really become a part of the work.”

The CounterCurrent festival opens the art galleries at various locations across Houston noon every day through Sunday. See the full schedule for performances and events for the week here.

“We call it a festival of art installations and ideas because we want the students to feel like they’re a part of it all, so it’s part of their learning experience being a UH student,” Farber said.

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“CounterCurrent opens with interactive art projects, performances” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

*The author is a member of the group Divest Harvard.

Coal has long posed a threat to environmental and human health, but the danger it poses has only grown in the past few months. It’s true that the burning of coal has represented a declining portion of energy production in the United States over the past 30 years, from around 50% up until 1985 to 32% in 2016. But the Trump administration wants to reinvigorate the coal industry. Given the direct dangers coal poses to humans, we must act.

Divest Harvard is a student activist group. On February 21st, we asked the administration that divestment from coal begin by March 10. Disappointingly, we received in return only another letter claiming that divestment is not in line with the University’s mission. But Harvard’s lack of action is irresponsible and risky.

To divest is to recognize the devastating consequences of supporting the energy industry as it wreaks havoc on the environment. It is morally, and intellectually, dishonest to continue investing—it suggests that the burning of fossil fuels, and investment in them, is a neutral act with acceptable costs.

This is not the case. The burning of fossil fuels has very real effects worldwide. Coal causes a wide variety of respiratory illnesses. Climate change’s effects are already being felt, whether that is through droughts in Syria that have exacerbated its civil war, or the growth in the El Nino Southern Oscillation that introduces uncertainty in fish stocks and food production across the southern Pacific Ocean. These problems seem menacing to us, but are even more acutely felt by residents of the global south. Estimates peg the annual number of deaths due to climate change at 300,000. Thus, divestment is not just a tree-hugging exercise of “high-minded moralism”: it’s a statement against an industry that produces devastating human, environmental, and security consequences.

But we all know that. And we all agree that climate change threatens us all. So why won’t Harvard divest?

Despite these realities, the administration refuses to divest based on the notion that divestment would constitute a political act, and thus be out of line with its mission of pursuing and disseminating knowledge. In a 2013 letter explaining the administration’s stance on divestment, Drew Faust voiced concerns over actions that would “appear to position the University as a political actor rather than an academic institution.” Moreover, some opponents of divestment claim that investment in fossil fuels doesn’t necessarily indicate approval of those activities.

But Harvard divested from the tobacco industry in 1990 because of “the desire not to be associated as a shareholder with companies engaged in significant sales of products that create a substantial and unjustified risk of harm to human health,” despite tobacco being a political issue. Thus, the University has shown in the past that it’s willing to engage in seemingly “political” acts when this choice is supported by scientific and moral reasons. The “substantial and unjustified risk of harm to human health” of fossil fuels is far greater than that of tobacco, the scientific consensus no less sound. Thus, by refusing to divest, Harvard implicitly condones the damage wrought by the burning of fossil fuels. And refusing to follow clear scientific and moral directives for fear of appearing “political” is foolish. Inaction on climate change will result in significant harm; we should not feel restrained from action by the intransigence of a certain political party. Must we wait until lawmakers—pockets enriched with money from the coal industry—come to their senses before it’s finally acceptable to act?

There’s another common argument against divestment that cites its supposed ineffectiveness. President Faust and the Crimson Editorial Board both recently opposed divestment because they claim market forces determine the success of fossil fuels, not the fraction of a percent of the endowment Harvard has invested in them. While this is true, this argument misses the point. The goal of divestment is not to singlehandedly tank the fossil fuel industry. Instead, it is to do what is morally right, while continuing the shift of endowments away from fossil fuels.

As Harvard students, we are direct beneficiaries of the endowment. We must show that we do not want to gain from dirty money. We will act to show that the University administration’s inaction is unacceptable, that the continued destruction of our planet is not part of the University’s mission. The research that Harvard professors conduct greatly enrich our knowledge and understanding of the world around us, but it is far better to act on results than to pursue knowledge and act as though that is enough.

Image Credit: Señor Codo, Flickr

The Middle East has always been in a state of unrest. With constant fighting, and rapid regime changes it is a place that is still developing and under a lot of pressure.

U.S. Military involvement has been a major factor in the region for many years. We have defended nations, invaded others, and overthrew dictatorships.

Since President Trump took office we have taken even more military action in the region specifically in Syria and Afghanistan.

After reports of Syrian Dictator Bashir Al Assad using chemical weapons against his own people the president ordered a strike on the airfield believed to have been used for the attack.

60 tomahawk missiles were fired on the base destroying much of Syrias air support.

In Afghanistan Trump deployed the largest non-nuclear bomb that the U.S. Has ever used. It is referred to as Massive Air Ordinance Burst (MOAB) or “Mother Of All Bombs”.

Our goal with all of these actions as it has been in the past is too make a statement that we will not back down or stand for the unethical and illegal treatment of any people in any region.

This does not mean that we can protect everyone, but that when a nation turns against its own people we will be there as a beacon of hope.
Many students agree with this view. “We need to try and be a force for good in the world. That does not mean that we need to be everyone’s nanny, trying to right every wrong, but it does mean that we need to be able to stand up for those who otherwise couldn’t. I think what Trumps doing is right,” James Green a student at Florida Southern said.

Other students take a different stance on the action taken in the Middle East.

“We do need to do the right thing, but where is the line drawn? So much of what we are doing in the region is hurting more than it is helping. We need to protect ourselves and protect other people but not at the expense of starting world war 3. There are certain foreign affairs that we should not get involved in,” Ashley Allen a junior at Florida Southern said.

We do need to be careful to not get too involved in other countries affairs especially when that means risking our own safety.

While we do need to look out for others around the world it is not our job to police every country. We need to defend our way of life and protect our people.

Overall this means that often times we may end up in tough situations, but we need to act smart and fight the right battles.

With the new administration we are taking actions that have not been seen since the days of World War 3.

Hopefully that is not the direction we are headed, but only time will tell.

Kiera Xanthos/Contributing Writer

Thanks to the influence of my vegetarian roommate, I have been well exposed to some of the terrible vegetarian restaurant options around Atlanta. But Green Sprout was a pleasant surprise, with a completely vegetarian menu ranging from soy protein seafood to beef and chicken to dairy-free bubble tea.

For a carnivorous Chinese food lover, the meat-lacking menu made me feel all too vulnerable. I knew all the names of the dishes, but I had only ever been acquainted with them when they contained real meat. I ordered a dish resembling what I would choose at any other Chinese restaurant: vegetable rolls and sesame soy chicken with white rice. The rice, unfortunately, had to be ordered separately since the meals are large enough to fill you up without the extra grain.

The first course was on our table within minutes. The two vegetable rolls came with an opaque white sauce, which emitted a delicate aroma similar to the typical orange gelatinous duck sauce that’s often found at Chinese restaurants. As I bit into one of the rolls, I was met with a satisfying crunch. While the rolls were small, the flavor of the vegetables came through. They were, however, a bit stingy on the filling. Next, I tried a roll with the white sauce, and while the sweet and tangy flavor livened up the dish, I was not yet impressed.

Before I finished my second roll, the main dishes arrived. The large portions were served on family style plates. The plate was heaped with sesame soy chicken, sporting some broccoli garnish. I stuck my fork into the soy and was met with a crunch. The protein had a beautiful batter under the sticky brown sesame sauce. When I took a bite, I was pleasantly surprised: the sweet sesame played well with the savory soy and batter, creating the illusion I was eating real chicken. The fried outside of the soy chicken prevented the protein from becoming overly saturated. The broccoli, however, was soggy. I powered my way through most of the dish, the portion being too large to finish in one sitting.

For dessert, there was only one option, fried bananas. The bananas arrived piping hot and covered in granulated sugar. Simple yet delicious, they were the perfect end to the vegetarian meal.

The quality of the meal was hardly reflected in the exterior appearance of the restaurant, which is located in an old strip mall located on Piedmont Avenue, nestled between Top Spice and a pharmacy. From the outside, it appeared closed — black plastic contact paper covered the windows. The curb appeal was lacking, but the simple ambiance inside was pleasant. The restaurant was empty besides one other customer, but it should not have been. The food was good and the wait staff friendly.

Overall, Green Sprout has an extremely pleasant atmosphere. The food was enjoyable, and only made unexpectedly better by the vegetarian menu. The pricing is fair for the quality and amount of food you receive, and typically ranges from $10 to $15 a plate. With a variety of options for vegetarians that satisfy carnivores and herbivores alike, efficient and accommodating staff and fair prices, Green Sprout should be your next stop on your tour of Atlanta restaurants

4/5 Stars

The post Benefit of the Sprout | Green Sprout Review appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Riverwoods, IL, April 20, 2017 – School’s almost out, and while summer break is typically reserved for fun, it can also be a prime time to establish smart financial habits—such as budgeting and building a credit history—and set yourself up for financial success next school year and beyond.

Give your finances a boost this summer by doing these three things:

1. Find a job and start budgeting: A summer job is a great résumé builder and an opportunity to add cash to your wallet or savings account for the school year ahead. Once you know how much money you’ll make, create a budget based on your income, what you’ll need to buy each month—such as gas and food—and how much you’d like to save during the summer. Having a budget in place while you’re in college will also make it easier to manage a budget once you graduate and transition to adulthood.

2. Figure out where your credit stands: Your credit score is a three-digit number that is used to assess your credit risk for when applying for a car loan or leasing an apartment. The number is calculated based on data from your credit reports, such as the amount of money you owe to creditors, your payment history, length of credit history and types of credit (e.g. revolving loans like a credit card and/or installment loans like a student loan). Building a credit history takes time, so it’s important to figure out where your score stands, or if you don’t have a credit score, to start building one. Start by checking your FICO® Score and the factors that go into your score at Discover.com/CreditScorecard at no cost, even if you are not a Discover customer. The higher your credit score, the more dependable you are as a borrower in the eyes of a lender, which can give you access to better rates and terms when it comes time to take out a loan.

3. Use a credit card wisely and make sure it fits your needs: Credit history is a key factor in your credit score as it shows your ability to reliably repay your debts. Using a credit card and paying it off on time each month is one way to build a credit history. If you are shopping around for a credit card, it’s important to do your homework and compare various options to determine what’s best for you. Research if there is a student-focused credit card that is right for you. The Discover it® chrome for Students card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter and $20 cash back each school year your GPA is 3.0 or higher for up to the next five years.  To be eligible for the Good Grades Reward, you must indicate on your application that you’re a student and your account must be open when you request the reward. However, the most important thing to remember with a credit card is to always pay your bills on time. Late or missed payments can negatively impact your credit score.

Once you’ve thought through your financial plan for the summer, it’s time to put it into action. Prepare your budget and stick to it, and check your FICO® Score often. Getting your finances in order takes time and energy, so help yourself out and start good habits now that will help you in the future.

Brought to You by Discover

Discover Student Credit Cards
The Discover it® chrome for Students and Discover it® for Students credit cards offer students a great way to build credit early in their lives. These student cards come with many benefits including rewards on popular student categories, options for support if they miss a payment and resources to help students understand their credit information and manage their finances. For more information, visit www.discover.com/student.

About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.

FICO^® Credit Scores provided by Credit Scorecard are based on data from Experian and may be different from other credit scores. See http://www.discover.com/creditscorecard to learn more. FICO is a registered trademark of the Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Media Contact:
Brittney Mitchell
224-405-0730
brittneymitchell@discover.com
@Discover_News

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Today, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and PepsiCo kicked off this year’s PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge, an annual competition that challenges undergraduate students to deliver innovative ideas and technical solutions in response to real-life business challenges. Teams will be competing for cash prizes and the opportunity to present their ideas in Austin, Texas at WE17, one of the largest professional development and networking conferences for women in engineering.

“Each year, the students who participate in the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge are given a unique opportunity to apply what they’ve learned and help shape the role engineering plays in supporting actual business needs,” said Kevin O’Sullivan, senior vice president, Functional Capability – Beverages R&D: Product, Ingredients, Flavor and Applications, PepsiCo. “Every day, R&D is helping drive PepsiCo’s business by providing unrivaled technical skills and solutions to offer more enjoyable and nutritious foods and beverages to more people, in more places. Now in our third year, partnering with SWE enables us to connect with the future generation of female engineers and through this year’s challenge, we continue to welcome their fresh approaches to improving our operations.”

From now through July 17, 2017, undergraduate teams comprised of up to four participants are encouraged to participate in the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge by responding to one of the following challenges:
•Water: Consider how water is used at different points along the life cycle of PepsiCo products and propose how we can lessen our net environmental, water extraction or overall usage.
•Packaging: Present a sustainable packaging solution applicable to a food or beverage product.
•Equipment: Design what the next core category of PepsiCo beverage equipment will look like to accompany our current offering of coolers, fountains and vending machines.

Among the total submissions across all three categories, the top three teams overall will be selected as finalists and will be invited to present their submissions to a judging panel of PepsiCo R&D leaders at WE17. Winners will officially be announced among WE17 attendees during SWE’s “Celebrate SWE!” event. To learn more about the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge, including submission rules, deadlines and judging criteria, please visit http://pepsicostudentchallenge.swe.org/.

“The innovation we see each year with the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge entries is profound,” said Karen Horting, executive director and CEO at SWE. “These students are the future of engineering, and we look forward to welcoming them to our community and seeing where their creativity and brilliance takes them this year.”

More than 11,000 women engineers are expected at WE17. The conference and career fair is an opportunity for the PepsiCo/SWE Student Engineering Challenge participants to explore graduate school opportunities with leading universities, meet hiring managers from major engineering companies and engage in educational and interactive discussions and events to help women on their career path in engineering.

For more information about the Society of Women Engineers, visit www.swe.org. For more information on PepsiCo and its longstanding commitment to STEM, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About SWE
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. The not-for-profit educational and service organization is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. To ensure SWE members reach their full potential as engineers and leaders, the Society offers unique opportunities to network, provides professional development, shapes public policy and provides recognition for the life-changing contributions and achievements of women engineers. As a champion of diversity, SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in their personal and professional lives. For more information about the Society, please visit www.swe.org or call 312.596.5223.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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When he leaves the classroom on a cold day, Tyler Farrell wears a red-and-white-striped scarf his wife knitted for him years ago. The scarf has always been sort of his “calling card,” as he said, and draws many compliments.

Besides being known as the “man with the red scarf,” Farrell, an English professor, was nominated for teacher of the year, leads a study abroad trip to Ireland and published two books of poetry. He will take students to Ireland again this summer, and looks forward to the month-long adventure.

“He truly (knows) how to engage students that came from a wide variety of majors and provided me with what has been my best experience thus far at Marquette,” Kathleen Wolff, a senior in the College of Education, said. She studied abroad last summer, where the small but enthusiastic group of students met Mondays through Thursdays in a classroom, spending afternoons touring museums and doing walking tours around Ireland to learn more about the culture.

“(He) cultivat(ed) a sense of openness and excitement in the classroom that was completely transferable to the outside world and culture of Ireland itself,” Wolff said.

The Ireland trip also left a positive impact on Patrick O’Connell, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.

“Even after getting back from the trip, Dr. Farrell has made numerous efforts to our group to stay in touch and keep up with the students throughout the year,” O’Connell said. “I would absolutely recommend anyone who has any interest in taking a class with him to take the opportunity.”

Farrell’s love for Ireland doesn’t end with the study abroad trip.

Of Irish descent and a lover of Irish literature, Farrell’s favorites are James Joyce’s “Dubliners” and James Liddy’s selected poems. The professor studied with Liddy at UW-Milwaukee and credits the poet for his appreciation for poetry and Irish literature.

His own books cover a variety of topics. “Tethered to the Earth” is a book about living in northern Wisconsin and traveling through parts of Europe, and “The Land of Give and Take” is a collection focused more on religion, relationships, and what Farrell describes as “more mature poems that make you ponder aspects of life.”

While going abroad with Farrell has been a positive experience for many, he also leaves his mark on campus. Farrell is Marquette’s second highest rated professor on ratemyprofessor.com. Although Farrell rarely looks at those pages, he hears about the online praise from students.

“It makes me happy that I can get students to be excited about what I’m teaching,” Farrell said.

I still remember my first semester at UF in 2012.