Lucy Cheung 

     Since I was younger, I’ve always had a passion for taking things apart and putting them back together. Granted, half of those computers, alarm clocks and phones never worked again. But, this curiosity for the world fostered my love for physics and engineering.

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     As an avid rock climber, I see the world in terms of force diagrams and mechanical systems. Much of engineering can be applicable to rock climbing – the top rope rig is representative of a pulley system, the positioning of my body can be translated into complex force diagrams or allow for kinematic analysis. When I’m 50 feet in the air, dangling off the wall at the New River Gorge in West Virginia, I can see the application of this pulley system. When I’m bouldering at Joshua Tree National Park and am struggling with a particular move, I think of how my center gravity may be affecting my body positioning.

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     Rock climbing has allowed me to travel across the country and become more immersed in a another community outside of CMU. Very often, it is easy to become trapped in the CMU bubble when we are surrounded by ambitious individuals, all with the “go-getter” attitude. But three times a week, I step out of this strenuous environment, into the safe-haven of the climbing gym. Climbing provides a mental break from schoolwork and for at least a couple of hours, my troubles fade away. I am immersed in a blissful, supportive community where people from every background can come together with the common passion for climbing. At the gym, I have met everyone from physical therapists to Uber engineers to 10 year old climbing prodigies. On a larger scale, when I am climbing outdoors, regardless of when it is at Coopers Rock in West Virginia, Bishop in California or Red Rock in Nevada, I never cease to meet individuals who are more than just another “climber”, they are people with stories and experiences outside the depth of my imagination. 

         

     Being all over the country, meeting so many incredible people, experiencing so many unique experiences, we realize that we are just a small part of this world. But just as a drop of water results in endless ripples, and a forgotten hex nut can result in a catastrophic engineering failure, a small change can contribute to bigger resultant. I hope to contribute to this world of change, regardless of whether my direct impact is minuscule or astronomical.