The question every college student must answer literally a thousand times each fall: what did you do this summer? Summers are an opportunity to either take a break from the pursuit of a degree and put some coin away for the school year, or a chance to continue schooling outside of a formal classroom setting. This past summer, brothers of SigEp spent their free, or not so free, time in many different ways.

Many brothers of SigEp decided to spend their valuable summers working internships to ensure that they are always one step ahead of their peers. Seamus Hoolahan, a chemical engineering major, spent the first 10 weeks of his summer working a virtual internship for Sandia National Laboratories. Much of the research conducted focused on determining the mechanisms by which soot forms during combustion. Word on the street is that some of the interns would work shirtless...oh well...whatever “soots” them!

Although everyone may call him crazy, Jacob Oppelt is pursuing degrees in both physics and mathematics. This summer, Jacob had the incredible opportunity to work in the Solar Physics Department. His hours were consumed by soldering test boards, writing code for future data analysis, and typing official documents for NSROC and MSFC. And believe it or not, Jacob helped develop an x-ray radiometer that will be in space by 2024! SIGEP TO THE MOON!!!

The hardest part about being a “balanced man” is realizing when one must take a step away from academia and spend their summer doing what they enjoy the most. Cole Schultz spent his summer coaching the local pool’s summer swim team. Cole lives for swimming, so it was no surprise when he came back and told stories, both good and bad, of his summer as a swim coach. He loved teaching swimming so much that he said that he might even consider becoming an educator at some point in his career. Over the summer, Cole got really interested in working out. His favorite exercise is the “pool-ups!”

For his third summer, Reese Campbell spent his summer working in the fly-fishing industry as a river guide. Most summers he is guiding in Alaska, but decided to stay local and fish the Gallatin river for the season. Over the course of the summer, he taught over 1,000 individuals how to fly-fish! Reese is currently doing his Student Teaching at Bozeman High School to become an English teacher. If he plays his cards right, he can teach English during the school year and fly-fishing during the summer. Whatever he ends up doing, he will definitely try his best to keep it “reel!”

The 2019 SigEp Grand Chapter Conclave was held in Houston this year, and during it SigEp at Montana State was given their third Buchanan Cup in a row! The Buchanan Cup is awarded only to the top chapters in the nation who excel at every area of development. The Buchanan Cups are judged on two years of performance, and are given out at each bi-yearly Grand Chapter Conclave. A chapter's fifth consecutive Buchanan Cup will be gold instead of silver to symbolize a decade of high achievement.