Engineering Stock Room Parsons Building, B174 A well-managed academic stock room is crucial to scientific research, especially in the highly technical realm of engineering. Established in 1972 in the Parsons Building basement, the engineering stock room contains a full inventory of top-quality instruments, tools and fasteners, much of it available 24/7 to students. Instructional support coordinator since 1998, Husameldin (Sam) Abdelmuati manages this arsenal of awesome and knows the location and function of every item in stock, from oscilloscopes to digital multimeters. The stock room must meet the unique materials demands of various classes and programs—including Clinic—that require current and specialized equipment. For those who don’t know their way around a cheese head screw or a banana plug, the engineering stock room is worth a visit.
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Fabiha Hannan ’16: “My favorite part of the engineering stock room is Sam Abdelmuati. He is always willing to help you find what you need, even giving students, like myself, encouraging words when they need it. It’s extremely helpful to have access to all the tools, supplies and general resources that the stock room provides.”
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A gate separates the consumable materials from specialized items that require signing out, like potentiostats and logic analyzers.
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“The stock room is a true reflection of the unique character of the Harvey Mudd engineering program,” says Abdelmuati, who ensures variety, accuracy and efficient inventory flow, in addition to overseeing shipping and receiving for the engineering department. Here, he advises Sachit Sood ’15.
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Cody Crosby ’15, who recently presented research on high-entropy alloys at the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research, says, “Every engineering major has 24/7 access to mechanical and electrical components, some of which are quite expensive. While reinforcing the Honor Code’s inherent trust in the students, it’s extraordinarily convenient as well.”
Josh Sanz ’15: “Not only can you find all the supplies you could ever need for class projects (including several $100 photodiodes), it also has a lot of parts that are available and useful for personal projects.”
A handy conversion chart includes metric-toU.S.- standard measurement to quickly determine which socket, screw or drill bit is needed.
Back here you’ll find tachometers, strain gauges, balances, DMMs—a veritable cornucopia of measurement gadgets. Adjacent is a special section devoted solely to laser equipment, and an entire wall dedicated to plugs, cables and cords.
In this section, you’ll find everything from oscilloscopes—a popular item that measures frequency and other electronic component behavior—to data acquisition systems and Proto Boards, which are used for designing circuits.
KEENAN GILSON
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Colorful drawers at the stock room’s entrance house all manner of useful items, from integrated circuitry to drills and bolts. Engineering Professor Emeritus Joe King acquired the storage unit from a local hardware store’s going-out-of-business sale.
SPRING 2014
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