Live and Learn on Purpose.
We spend a lot of time wishing things were different than they are. I had a bad day on Sunday (I’m thankful that they are few and far between). We had plans to meet a friend for rock climbing. I spent most of the week […]
One of the most interesting transitions I went through while I was a college student for over a decade involves the way I approach work. When I was starting out, I struggled to find the motivation to do the work – schoolwork, and even research […]
Stop for a second and think about the three biggest things you’re hoping to accomplish right now. What came to mind? For some of you, you instantly thought of school assignments or work projects that will be finished in the next few days. Others might […]
Couldn’t resist the song reference – Maurice is my middle name. It’s the start of the semester, which means I recently met several hundred new people. Every time, I face a challenge: a student will ask me what I prefer to be called and I […]
My graduate advisor, the late Dr. Walter O’Brien, rarely told me stories from his personal life. However, after I expressed concerns over my own future, he shared with me a little of his own past. Graduate school takes a lot of work and seems to […]
After three amazing years as a mechanical engineering professor at Temple University, I’m excited to announce that I’ve accepted a new faculty position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas! This is an amazing opportunity to expand on what I’ve been doing at Temple, and […]
“How do we stop people from texting while they drive?” I remember the speaker asking this question during a seminar on creative problem solving like it was yesterday. The audience instantly jumped into brainstorming mode, listing solutions such as “automatically lock phones over a certain […]
The first thing I can remember borrowing real money for (other than student loans) is a TV. I followed this with a brand new car, a furniture set, a vacation, and (my favorite) the moving bill to move all of that stuff across the country. […]
This past weekend my mother-in-law was kind enough to buy me a few shirts as a gift. Their purpose? Something to wear while rock climbing, running, hiking, and other outdoor activities. They’re made of specially-engineered materials that wick away sweat, dry quickly, inhibit odor, and […]
This is the 200th post at tonyferrar.com! I started writing here in August 2016, just under three years ago. I set out to create a place for students to find advice from a positive voice. What I didn’t realize is how much I would grow […]
