Coming from Smalltown, U.S.A. to the nation’s largest institution may seem like a difficult feat for most. However, for this week’s Campus Celebrity, Phil Kehn, there is no other place he’d rather be. He finds himself enjoying the ambiance of such a prestigious university and the opportunities presented here on campus. The mere fact that he is able to intensely enjoy the campus environment is impressive in itself – seeing as he is one of OSU’s numerous commuters. Arriving early in the mornings and staying late into the evenings, Phil is basically a fellow dorm resident without the tremendous fees. Participating in a wide array of organizations, Phil can be considered an all-around human being with a knack for creating relationships with fellow classmates and exploring ideas that others have overlooked. For example, Phil finds himself a leader in the engineering group ECOS in which he is heading the newly-developed project of building a steam-vented Block O to be placed within campus, demonstrating his ability to create a brilliant experiment from scratch. Apart from maintaining his social activities, Phil finds himself in the midst of a potent battle with the rigorous course load that defines the chemical engineering program. Although difficult, he has been rising to the challenge by successfully passing every course, partly by taking the initiative and organizing study groups and meeting with professors, but mainly because of his indescribable intelligence. Despite the chaotic lifestyle that he lives as a student, commuter, engineer-in-training, and inventor, Phil manages to maintain a cheery disposition and continue through college with a positive outlook. As exemplified through his developing initiatives that are bettering OSU’s campus, it is clear that Mr. Philip Kehn will one day do spectacular things for this society.
Name: Philip Kehn
Year: Junior
Hometown: Glenford, OH
Major: Chemical Engineering
HC: What organizations are you involved in here on campus?
PK: I am part of ECOS (Engineers for Community Service), which is a service group that uses the talents of aspiring engineers and others (you don’t have to be an engineer to join) to make a difference in both the local and international communities. I also, as time allows, participate in wrestling club and Filipino Martial Arts, which I find to be very fun and exciting. It is just another way to get out from behind a desk and computer screen and do something active.
HC: Being able to transfer to OSU’s main campus from a satellite location must have been a transition. Can you explain the difference in atmosphere and the overall shock of the change?
PK: Well, my experience was unique to me as anyone else’s is to them, but to me, the transition was crazy. First off, I was moving from my podunk, small country home to Columbus. That was a huge switch in itself. Now, not to say branch campus is easy, it still takes a lot of work, but compared to main campus, it doesn’t hold a candle as far as academic workload, which can be both positive and negative. It was positive because, while many freshmen where struggling with their 900 person general chemistry class, I had, like, 30 people and a great teacher. It is a negative because I was so unprepared, time management-wise, for main campus. Oh well, live and learn.
HC: Can you detail what your organization, ECOS, does and how people can get involved in it?
PK: Well, I sort of did that in the first question, but hey, any chance to plug ECOS. We, as I said earlier, are a service-learning group dedicated to using our knowledge as engineers to service the local and international community. We work on all sorts of projects, from helping middle school and high school students with their homework through our Phone-A-Buckeye program, to building wheel chair ramps for those who need them in the local community. Other projects include Westminster, a retirement home where we help the elderly learn to use computers; Eastminister, which is a school we help take care of in small ways like painting, fixing shelves, etc. We also have the Steam Vent project, which looks for a safe and aesthetic way to replace the ugly steam vents on the OSU campus. We also have projects in Honduras, one of which is helping with an orphanage for children with HIV. I have not personally been part of that project, but I am looking forward to trying it in the future. (Now that you have read my ECOS plug.) All in all, it is a great organization, and the best part is, you really don’t need to be an engineer to join. If you want more information, you can visit our office in the Ohio Union Office of Student Leadership, second floor at the end of the hall, or visit our webpage, which you can link through the Ohio Union website. Or contact grigger.4@osu.edu or kehn.14@osu.edu with the subject line ECOS and a brief message of the info you want. Also, by contacting either of those two emails, we can put you on the list to receive ECOS-related e-mails.
HC: You have just been appointed to a pretty exciting project in ECOS. Can you explain what that is?
PK: Yes, I, and a fellow ECOS member, were just appointed the head of the Steam Vent Project group of ECOS. Last year, the group designed and built a prototype condenser in the shape of a block O to replace a steam vent on campus. We are now in the implementation stage where we are meeting to decide when is the best time to start testing our prototype. If the condenser works like it is supposed to, the hot steam will condense on the inner surface of the Plexiglas, condense to liquid, and filter out the bottom of the structure. It is going to be a much better system than having hot steam spew forth all over – it is much safer and our way would make the campus look even more beautiful. Our fingers are crossed that the testing will go well.
HC: What advice would you give to other commuters about what they can do to feel more associated within the campus?
PK: Stay late. Late is when everything happens. Intramural games, info sessions for internships, and socializing in general all happen in the later evening. Now, I know from experience that sometimes it is so tempting to just drive home and forget about campus life each day, particularly the long ones, but the real campus experience comes later in the evening. Stay for it.
HC: What is your favorite aspect of being here at OSU?
PK: The environment and the resources that we enjoy. On football Saturdays, even during bad years, the energy is electric. That translates to the campus environment, as well. People generally enjoy being here, learning here, and having fun here. Also, the amount of resources that Ohio State devotes to their students is unbelievable. The RPAC and the Ohio Union are just a few of the shining examples of what OSU does for its students.
HC: What advice would you give to your fellow aspiring engineers that are struggling with the rigorous course work?
PK: Use your resources. We have everything you could ever want here as far as people to help you figure out a problem. Professors, TAs, tutors, math centers, success centers are all ready to offer help to anyone who asks. So ASK. The idea to just ask when you have a problem has been beaten into us since we were little, but for whatever reason, some of us college kids forget that. We take on too much new stuff by ourselves. To use an analogy, it is like an elevator with a counterweight. The motor has to do less work and use less energy to move the elevator with a counterweight than to move one without. The same goes for our studies. If you can find someone to help, it is not so hard to do well.
HC: What are your aspirations for the future: career/personal?
PK: I would love to go work in the energy industry. Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, solar are all forms of energy with potential to become better, not to mention they are just cool. I think it would be amazing to help revolutionize the world of energy somehow. If I had an ultimate goal, that would be it.
HC: What is one thing every Buckeye should experience before they graduate?
PK: Everyone you ask will say an OSU football or basketball game, which would be a great answer, but I want to say that everyone should experience something outside of their normal comfort zone. For me, it was taking a ballroom dance class, just so I could say that I did it. And I have to say, it was a ton of fun. I met a lot of new people, and now can cha-cha and tango.
HC: What advice would you give fellow classmates who are among the masses trying to live on a college budget?
PK: Don’t buy fast food. It is quick, it is easy, and it will eat money like taxes. Pack a lunch, even if it means investing in a few Tupperware containers for last night’s leftovers. Plan ahead, buy economy size, and avoid snack food that you really don’t need. You might find that you not only fatten your wallet, but that your freshmen fifteen has just become the junior fifteen-pound loss.
HC: What is an interesting fact about you that people may not know?
PK: My best friends are my brothers. There is no one on earth I would rather be with on any given day. They are who I look forward to seeing every weekend I go home, as well as my parents and my sister. We have a blast, and I miss them every time I have to leave.
HC: What kind of collegiette™ (female college girl, in case any male out there is confused) catches your attention?
PK: I like a girl that thinks like me. I’m not talking likes football or thinks Aerosmith is the bomb, but someone who has the same values that I hold and the same ideals that I believe in. I would also like to meet someone who is outgoing, but not over the top. Now, I know that no guy understands girls, but the girl I would like to meet is someone I’d understand just a little better than the others, for whatever reason.
HC:If you could have one wish, what would it be?
PK: I would wish that I received an internship with a good company. I believe that I am qualified, and that if I received the chance to interview for one, that I could impress. Many employers look for experience, and if I could just get my foot in the door, I truly believe that I could make waves as an intern.