I felt like the career of an Aerospace Engineer would best prepare me for my childhood quest. So I selected that as my major before I browsed through the list of its required classes. There were basic classes required for graduation: English, American history, a second language, chemistry, physics, basic mathematics and etc. I had to maintain a 3.0 average in my studies. A piece of cake! I thought. I looked at some of the required classes for my major: Calculus, Differential Geometry and Differential Equations, Abstract Algebra, Elliptic Curves, Cryptography, Introduction to Manifolds, Probability… there were many more.
Studying the list, I made notes to myself. #1 Calculus I had always been afraid of. #2 I had often wondered what the differential was between Geometry and Equations. #3. Abstract Algebra…algebra had always been abstract for me. #4 Elliptical Curves…my girl friend had curves but they weren’t elliptical, #5. Cryptography… I didn’t like the idea of going to the graveyard to study for this class, #6 Introduction to Manifolds…I never worked on my own car nor was interested in auto mechanics, so when it came to #7 Probability… I thought yes, it was very probable that I would drop out of this major. But I had to give it my best shot before graciously backing out. And then the thought of fulfilling my childhood dream passed before my eyes. I couldn’t back out! No, I had to give it my best try. So, I dug in and prepared myself for an exciting but perhaps lethal journey.
As a young man, going through puberty, entering into both junior and high school, and discovering girls all at the same time, I was cursed, at a very young age, with a horrible case of eczema. No matter what I used to try and control it, the itching persisted. I knew it wasn’t wise to scratch it with my fingernails, but, I just couldn’t hold back the urge. It was the only way I could relieve, at least temporarily, the itchiness. I tried to do it subtly, so that nobody was aware of my situation or knew what I was doing. The situation had persisted, unfortunately, until the present time. When I worked on my homework or studied for exams I would find a desk in one corner of the library so I didn’t draw attention to my problem. But when I was in class, it was difficult to control, and my hand went up frequently to administer quick relief.
When I started my classes in the university, I had a difficult time studying because I couldn’t understand the concepts. My first class, Abstract Algebra, was the worst. The professor wanted to test our understanding of what we talked about the day before by asking for volunteers to give the answers to some of the problems.
“And problem #1?” Right at that moment my scalp began to itch uncontrollably and I stuck my hand up to scratch it. “Aaron,” the professor saw my hand go up. “Eczema,” I replied, a little embarrassed. The Prof. looked surprised. I was a new student in his class. “X, Z, MA. You got it right on the head!” “Yes, I said” slumping down in my chair so as not to draw attention to my problem. “And it really bothers me.” “Don’t let it bother you Aaron. It bothered me too when I first struggled with it. But after a lot of effort in working through the problem, that was the only answer I could come up with. How does the rest of the class feel?” Everyone in the class shook their head. “Is that what you came up with too?” They all answered yes.
“Tell me, Aaron. Did you work through that all by yourself, or did someone else help you with the answer?”
“A lot of itchiness” I said.
“A lot of it’s…’Enos?’” the professor called out, “Have you helped Aaron with this problem?”
“No professor, he got it all by himself.”
From that day on, the prof took me under his wing, and I could do nothing wrong in his eyes. I aced out that class. After passing, and not just passing, but excelling in my Abstract class, I decided to tackle the differential Geometry class. I still didn’t know what was the main differential between Geometry and Equations. The first day the professor gave us a list of differential terms (he called them) to study. I wrote them down and determined I would memorize the meanings and perhaps I would be able to maneuver this professor like I had the one that was abstract.
#1. Geometric…that was easy. He must be referring to when my good friend Jo- Ellen met her future husband Rick Carter.
#2. The meaning of curvature. I think (don’t know for sure, will have to do more research on this one) this refers to my father’s back. After so many years of unloading concrete, his back is really rounded and in poor shape.
#3. What is a surface? That’s the top part of the cement Dad troweled out on the sidewalk after he poured it.
#4. Bundles and Connections. My Dad was also an electrician. When he wired a house he carried a bundle of cable into the home, wired the wall, and then (as opposed to other electricians that weren’t as efficient) immediately connected the fixtures to the wiring…outlets, light fixtures etc.
And the last one that the prof. listed: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic. This was a tough one. All I could figure is that my prof. was better acquainted with my family than I thought. He knew my former wife’s name…Trinsey. I just called her ‘Trin’. It seemed that she was always sick to her stomach. Her Indian doctor would come over to attend to her. He just took one look at her and then said to me, “In Trin sick!” meaning, she was sick to her stomach. After we divorced her problem continued. How did the prof know that she was now my ex-?” Just for your info, I didn’t do as well in this class as I did the other.
One of the most difficult things for me to master in all my math related classes was square roots. In early spring when I planted or prepared my little starts in the ground the roots were always rounded. This happened even when I put the starts in small plastic containers that had rectangular holes. As I took the starts to plant them some dirt always fell off and, once again, the roots were curved. This was one of the classes where I failed miserably. But I could make up the credits I lost here by excelling in another area. So I decided to make up this class and some of the others I didn’t do very well on by condensing some five or six classes and principles into one class.
I had always been impressed with Einstein and was amazed by some of the discoveries he made. I knew that he had much to do with our atomic power of today and that the atomic bomb came about because of his discoveries; also many of our communications media of today…television, radio and etc. I didn’t know about his involvement with the auto engine, and that he was even responsible for and had part of a motor named after him: they were called ‘Einstein manifolds’. So I thought I would take on this direction in my studies…all of which have had an influence on our autos of today: Vehicle design, Stability and Control, Propulsion systems, Structural Analysis, Power and Thermal Control. I was really excited because I could now declare a double major: Aerospace Engineer and Automobile Technology Management. After making this decision I decided to talk with my counselor about it. When I told him about the similarity of the classes he had a disturbed look on his face.
“Aaron,” he said, “are you sure you want to take this direction in your studies?”
Once again, my scalp was itching and I started to scratch it. “Just what I thought. Undecided. You feel moved to make the change, but are unsure of yourself. If you want my recommendation, I suggest you get out of this field altogether. I just don’t think it’s the right one for you.”
After I shared with him my reason for selecting this major he put his head close to my ear and whispered: “Aaron, you’re already on the moon. I think you’re as close as you can get right now to your answer.” He was right. It was then I decided to change my major to Auto Technology Management.
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