FYE is the first-year engineering program here at UK, where you can take introductory level engineering courses that introduce you to all the different majors, and you get to work on design projects just to really enhance your knowledge of engineering and help you decide what path you want to take in the College of Engineering.

A lot of the projects that we did really gave me some hands-on experience and a glimpse of what being an engineer really was. One project we did was this engineering ethics problem dealing with medicine. And it really hit home. It was like, you can really make a difference in the world if you want to be an engineer.

Having our engineering classes taught by full-time FYE faculty members helps us to have a friendly face within the College of Engineering. So we know that the person who is teaching us is also someone we can look to for guidance in the College of Engineering.

You see them walking around. And you can ask them any questions you have. And they're just there to help you.

There's actually a whole section just on the engineering grand challenges in the first-year engineering program.

Engineering grand challenges are some of the largest problems that face the world today and that engineers work with all the time.

So that's like solar energy, engineering better medicine, providing clean water.

So this benefits us as students, because we're looking at real-world issues that have true application in today's society. And they're issues that, when we get into the professional world, we're going to be working on as well. So they help us do real-life problem solving while still in a classroom.