"Year One: Life at ASU" is a periodic photo series following five freshmen navigating their first year at ASU. This installment checks in on Shuo Zhang as he settles into class and lab work.
The transition to college can be difficult for any freshman navigating new physical and intellectual landscapes. But Zhang has an extra hurdle to cross — adapting to a place where English is the primary language. Zhang, a native of China, speaks the language well, but he still wants to work on his skills, which is why he's taking Intro to Academic Writing. There's another plus to his course — the class has a few Chinese students who have helped ease his transition to life in America.
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Zhang listens during Intro to Academic Writing on Sept. 4, 2015. The course, taught on ASU's Polytechnic campus, includes lessons on synonyms.
Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Lecturer Amy Shinabarger uses the whiteboard to illustrate her point as she instructs 17 international students in Intro to Academic Writing class on the Polytechnic campus. Zhang says she's a great teacher and the class is helping him understand how to make his English writing more vivid by broadening his vocabulary.Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Zhang shows other students some synonyms for "walk," in his Intro to Academic Writing class. Zhang, who is working his way to a degree in automotive systems engineering, says this class has a deeper perspective of writing and language than some of the English courses he took prior to starting his ASU career.Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Eventually, Zhang wants to make a car. To get there he is going to have to understand some of the mechanics and machinery involved in creating and crafting automobiles. As part of this process, Zhang and his peers are being trained to use the Epilog Mini Laser in the Startup Labs on the Polytechnic campus.
Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Startup Labs manager Sean Dengler instructs more than a dozen engineering students on using the Epilog Mini Laser cutter on the Polytechnic campus on Sept. 3. Zhang says the hands-on approach to learning is part of the reason he came to ASU. The training is part of an assignment for Foundations of Engineering Design.Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Zhang takes his turn programming the Epilog Mini Laser cutter to engrave a piece of cardboard.
"The way you use the laser cutter for measurements is great," he said. "It's better than doing it by hand."Charlie Leight/ASU News
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Zhang created this nameplate using the Epilog Mini Laser cutter during a lesson on engraving. The instrument is delicate enough to etch Zhang's name in a piece of cardboard he can take as a keepsake for the experience. He has since used the laser cutter to make parts for a project in which he and other students are constructing a water tower.Charlie Leight/ASU News
See what Shuo was up to earlier in the semester in this past gallery:
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