Purdue engineering alum Shah gained early leadership experiences in EPICS
A theremin wasn’t a normal part of Darshan Shah’s time before senior year. Shah didn’t even know what a theremin was until he joined the Happy Hollow Elementary School EPICS project.
Then, not only was the laser harp a typical part of his week, but so was a phosphorescent flash wall. Shah (BSECE ’01) wouldn’t have traded these odd contraptions for the equations and logistics he normally contemplated, though. The project was a unique experience that would set him apart when he graduated that December.
Plus, Shah was having a lot of fun in EPICS.
“When you're talking about science and engineering (in an elementary school), you have to make it fun,” said Shah, an Indiana native based in Indianapolis. “Kids love to play scientist. Couple that with spaces where they get to see and touch things, it's a totally different experience.”
The Happy Hollow Elementary School EPICS project in West Lafayette, Indiana, sought to make engaging, educational engineering projects that elementary school students could navigate. The first idea the team sought to execute was to make a visually stimulating, colorful wall. Then, they had another idea that included substantially more engineering.
And phosphorescence — meaning an object that glows in the dark without a constant light source.
They created a flash wall, comprised of a dark sheet and a button-controlled panel of bright strobe lights. While the lights flashed, a student could put a hand between the strobes and the sheet — or stand in front of the sheet for good measure — and the lights would “freeze” a glowing shadowy shape against the black background.
To the team’s surprise, the flash wall was surprisingly practical. Just what they needed for an EPICS project with a future.
“You’re always trying to figure out the balance between things that are valuable and things that are practical,” Shah said. “We had so many ideas of exciting things, but we had to cut down to what we could do by the end of the semester.”
The other component that Shah’s team felt was in reach was the theremin. The laser harp is played by moving a hand closer or further away from the instrument, thereby changing the pitch from higher to lower. The team made one with sensors, lasers and a 12-volt battery.
All the parts were easy to replace, and the instrument was fascinating to play. A job well done with Happy Hollow Elementary: impactful, practical and real-world.
“That's literally at the core of what EPICS was doing and has been doing for 30 years. It’s an interesting full circle moment that I wouldn’t have noticed until I thought about my foundational experiences.”
Shah worked on the project in the spring and fall 2001, only leaving the project when he graduated from Purdue in December. Shah’s professional career started at Eli Lilly & Company in spring 2002. He held roles in automation, project engineering, supply chain and field sales in six years. It inspired him to return to school for a master’s in business administration, which pivoted his career from practical everyday engineering to using engineering in managerial and strategic roles for companies like Deloitte, the State of Indiana and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.
Shah was able to take what he had learned of Gantt charts, executing plans, self-directing on tasks and managing projects to be a leader on each of his teams. But that wasn’t all he gleaned from the EPICS experience. Outside of the technical realm, Shah also became an aware engineer, sharpening listening skills and communication with clients to become more efficient — and more thoughtful about projects.
“EPICS gave students, at most, a scaffold, and then they let the team very much run with the project,” Shah said. “I learned that I do like projects. I do like deliverables. I do like working in teams. I do like talking to customers and clients and understanding what they're seeking and being able to meet those interests. All of those spilled over into what I do now.”
The wide range of “likes” that Shah discovered through EPICS served him in each part of a diverse career. While most of the roles took Shah further from concrete engineering and deeper into program delivery, he is still an engineer, both in heart and in practice. After all, projects don’t often include working with a theremin.
“The engineering principles are key to whatever you do,” Shah said. “They stay with you. Our community partners are seeking that talent in (EPICS) projects that are fun and different for a college student and they see EPICS as a win-win. I’m glad the program is still kicking and doing great things 30 years later.”