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Week 3
Welcome family, faculty, fellow students, and COSMOS prospects to Cluster Ten's Library!
Here you'll find details on our projects, assignments, and daily activities. So, without further ado sit back, relax, and crack open a book about our weekly experiences.
And PLEASE, if you smell smoke...say something.
The Great Gearbox
Sunday 7/21/24 (Chapter 14)
On this gorgeous Sunday, the students went to breakfast, as per usual, and enjoyed plenty of inside time. They used this time to do laundry, work on their digital portfolios and final project proposals, catch up on sleep, and more. After lunch, the students that attended family weekend began returning. Once they’d checked in and lugged their belongings to their dorms, the students began unpacking, before making their way to the green. At the green, the students clumped into their clusters, as the RAs began leading them, and some of their parents, to an admissions presentation. At the presentation, the students received information on the application process to UCSD, as well as more information about UCSD’s eight colleges. Additionally, they learned more about all the majors offered at UCSD, and were able to vaguely gauge the admissions process to the other UCs as well.
Presenter
UCSD Majors
Once the presentation had ended, the students left the building and began walking back to ERC. Some students were sent off by their parents at the presentation, while other students were just now arriving on campus. Regardless, by dinner time, all the students were safely back. But, instead of the regular nightly programs after dinner, students were able to participate in a COSMOS tradition: Casino Night. After eating, an hour of inside time was permitted, allowing for the young pupils to dress to impress, donning dresses, button-ups, and nice shoes, they returned out to the green to observe the tradition. Both Middle Earth and Europe Hall were decked in red, black, and gold streamers. Many students participated in games such as poker or blackjack, while some RAs acted as their dealers. Some other students, however, simply hung around on chairs, sipping on fruity mocktails. As the clock struck ten, students began heading inside, winding down in their suites, before dozing off, earning their well-deserved sleep for the long week ahead.
Blackjack
Poker
Dhilan at Work
CAD-22
Monday 7/22/24 (Chapter 15)
It’s really not that hard, well, it shouldn’t be. No really, all you have to do is—no, no, no! You need to sit up, not lay back down! Come on, all you have to do is—alright, that’s it. And with that, the students of Cluster Ten are finally able to get out of their beds and prepare for the beginning of the week. The students began their day in class with a lecture on CAD, or computer-assisted design, laser cutting, and 3D printing. Additionally, the students received an introduction to legged mobility, where they took notes of human walking styles to apply on their legged robots, which they would begin working on in the afternoon.
Prof. Gravish Teaching
Shortly after their lectures, however, Cluster Ten received a presentation from Dr. Xiaolong Wang, a guest speaker. Dr. Wang spoke about full-body control and manipulation with robotics, showing videos of a walking robot he worked on. After asking questions and thanking Dr. Wang for speaking to them, the students trekked to the dining hall for lunch. Once they were fully recharged, the pupils prepared for three hours of lab time. Today, they began creating prototypes for their walking robots. Utilizing cardboard, poster board, popsicle sticks, and more, the students got to work, creating their robots. As they cut and glued and pieced their products together, the day passed, and before they knew it, it was time to leave for the day. And with that, the students finished off the Monday, tired, accomplished, and ready for the next.
Juha and Sophie at Work
Evan Experimenting
This Tuesday, the students began pairing up, in preparation for their final projects. They were told to brainstorm a final project, and began to formulate a way to pitch the project to Professor Gravish and Jonathan. The students talked and talked, as they researched, sketched, and came up with different ideas. Before long, however, the students had to submit their project proposals, before leaving for lunch. After lunch, the students walked up to the lab, where they continued on creating their legged robots. As pupils tinkered with their code, the whirr and rrrr of servos echoed through the room.
Gulliver's Robots
Tuesday 7/23/24 (Chapter 16)
Beep! Beep! Beep! Contrary to the popular opinion, that’s actually not the sound of a faulty robot. Rather, it’s the unfortunate tune of an infamous household instrument: the alarm clock. And this morning, it’s making sure that the students of Cluster Ten are awake. Today, after a brief breakfast at Cafe Ventanas, the students hurried over to their classroom, where they were welcomed by Johnnie. This Tuesday, the students began pairing up, in preparation for their final projects.
Brendan Experimenting
Kaitlyn and Jenny, Working on Their Code
Additionally, Rohan, one of the teaching assistants, showed groups how the LaserCAMM worked, to further their understanding of the previous day’s lecture. Time passed by, and more and more scraps of foam made its way to the originally clean floors, signifying that the day was coming to a close. And with that, Johnnie declared clean-up time; code was saved, Raspberry Pis were shut down, and batteries were taken out to be recharged. The exhausted pupils walked back to ERC where they had dinner, observed nightly activities, and caught some shut-eye.
UCSD
The students began their Wednesday with lab time, having two hours to work on their legged robots. Several robots were tested during that time, some creeping, others crawling, and one…swimming? Nevertheless, the students eventually made their way down to the classroom, where guest speaker Dr. Sylvia Herbert spoke about her and her team’s research. Dr. Herbert focuses on Control Systems and Automation, and her presentation intrigued many students. In her lab she applies machine learning and a plethora of mathematics to ensure the safety of items, including helicopters, cars, and humans. The students thanked her, profusely, for speaking with them, and then made their way to the dining hall.
Pachi and Evan
1984 (Lines of Code)
Wednesday 7/24/24 (Chapter 17)
Mornings are a time for deep contemplation. Concern about future plans, one’s existence, and the deep debate of whether or not to leave a bed: all consistent prompts to regularly think about. This morning, the pupils of Cluster Ten left ERC, moving onwards towards bigger, better, and “bot”-er things.
students at work
Following their brief recharge, the students walked back to the engineering building for an afternoon in the lab. Today, the students made major fixes and optimizations to their robots, and many pairs were able to laser cut their pieces. As zipties, foam shavings, and rogue cardboard pieces hit the floor, the students stepped closer and closer to their final designs. Students continued testing on the floor, some robots proving successful, and others…having bits and pieces fall off. With that, the San Diego sky turned from high noon to early evening, forcing the students to leave their lovely lab and return to ERC.
With this, another day has begun, and the young robot inventors make their way to a lovely breakfast, before leaving for class. Today, the students were able to enjoy a Women in STEM panel. The individuals hosting the panel provided valuable insight on what their experience is like as women in STEM, giving advice and knowledge to the young students watching. Shortly after the panel ended, the students were able to return to the lab, where they began the final tinkerings on their robots. While they did that, Professor Gravish and Jonathan discussed privately with final project pairs about their robot pitches. As the lovely sound of servos echoed through the room, the students prepared to leave for lunch, where they would rest until more lab time in the afternoon.
A Time to CAD
Thursday 7/25/24 (Chapter 18)
Vrrrr. Vrrrr. Vrrrr. The calmness of a still room is disrupted by the unfortunate noises of an agitating device. The common individual would groan, dragging themselves out of their bed with zero thoughts in their mind. The average Cluster Ten student, however, leaves their bed, thinking only of how they could possibly construct a robot that turns off an annoying alarm.
During lab time, the students continued testing their robots, while others began marking down their timed trials. The competition essentially mimicked the tale of the tortoise and the hare, only, this time, slow and steady definitely did not win the race. This week’s winners for fastest run time were Evan and Pachi, while the winners for best design were Jenny and Kaitlyn. Good job winners! As the day slowed down, the students cleaned up their workspaces, settling down for the day and walking back to their dorms.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Gearbox
Friday 7/26/24 (Chapter 19)
Centuries from now, when scientists learn to clone humans and COSMOS instills a cluster for that exact task, students will be able to clone themselves and stay in bed while their counterpart walks to class. But, alas, today is not “centuries from now,” today is today, and the students of Cluster Ten must leave the comfort of their mattresses. Once they were finally able to drag themselves out of bed, the students journeyed to the dining hall, where they received a nice breakfast, before leaving for headcount. Once their cluster RA approved that everyone could leave, the long trek to the engineering building began. After another mile-long walk, the students met in the courtyard, and soon left for the lab upstairs. Today, the students would start working on their final projects in pairs.
Michael at Work
Each project has its own special charm, crafted, and contemplated by the students at work. The morning began slowly, as the students continued to wake up for the day. Sketches were made, CAD files were created, and lots of discussion resonated in the room, until Johnnie finally called, “Power down your Pis!” And with that, the students closed shop for the morning, leaving for lunch to recharge. Once they returned to the lab in the afternoon, the robot inventors continued doing what they do best: inventing robots! Students were able to continue creating parts to laser cut on OnShape, and others began prototyping with a wide assortment of cardboard, foamboard, hot glue, and more.
Audrey(↑) and Ruairi(↓)
A Messy Desk
Before they knew it, the hours had gone by and the temperature outside shifted, leading the students of Cluster Ten back to ERC. After enjoying some inside time and dinner, the students were able to watch Inside Out during a movie night with all of COSMOS. A large screen was set up outside, and other COSMOS students brought chairs while RAs passed out snacks. And with that, the clock hands turned, and the calendar’s date moved to the weekend.
Jamba Juice
Robinson's Great Code
Saturday 7/26/24 (Chapter 20)
The students’ last weekend as COSMOS started off as per usual, with breakfast down at Cafe Ventanas. After eating, the students went up to their dorms for some inside time. Some students continued sleeping, did their laundry, watched some movies, and a small, select few, spent their time working on final project posters and presentations. As lunch came around, the students readied themselves to leave the comfort of their dorms.
From lunch to thirty til four, students were able to leave ERC and traverse the rest of the UCSD campus. Many students spent this time going to the bookstore to purchase UCSD merchandise, while others went to get frozen yogurt or boba. One Target trip after another, the students slowly returned to campus, where they enjoyed outdoor activities. From soccer to frisbee to badminton, the possibilities were endless, and the students relished in them as they played all the way to inside time. After their second round of inside time, the students made their way to dinner. Following dinner, the students were able to experience another COSMOS tradition: the carnival. At the carnival, students were able to play games such as the ring toss, jenga, and pin the hat on the cat! If students performed well in these games, they were awarded with tickets which they could put into a raffle for a wide assortment of prizes. As laughter filled the sleepy San Diego sky, the students slowly stowed away another wonderful COSMOS memory.
Don't stress about it! The newsletter should be a fun way for you to help document your cluster's experience, don't develop a stress ulcer over deadlines
Rich Bot, Poor Bot
And we're back! With another advice column. This week, our advice is centered around those who are interested in working on the newsletter next year! Please enjoy our words of wisdom for the week.
Be organized; know who's covering what section, who's taking which photo, etc.
Maintain contact with each other/have a group chat where you can easily communicate together
Remember what day it is; the weekly deadline will very much sneak up on you
Brought to you by the Cluster Ten Newsletter Team!
Writer(s): Kaitlyn Ly
Editor(s): Brendan Gho
Photographer(s): Alo, Anthony, Brendan, Clarisse,e and Siya
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