Week 2

This week, I learned a lot more about the engineering process, and how it came to be. I had never considered how Science, technology, and engineering are so closely related yet still separate. Before I started this class, as well as your other class (Manufacturing systems) I would have agreed with what I believe was the first or third model you showed where there was no separation between the three. Now I see how and agree with the second model as well as the one Jhorvi suggested with engineering at the top.

Something we discussed in class that I had already been applying is the engineering design process. Similar to the CAFEQUE process, I have used the engineering design in other hands on classes I have taken as well as prominently the robotics team I was on in high school. I agree with your statement in class how the process is not linear, as I found myself jumping around from ask right to create, then to improve, then back to ask, then to plan and so on. I find it interesting that in my high school classes, or on my team, we were never formally taught this process, yet, we all would analyze problems presented to us this way.

Lastly, I also have had some first hand experience with engineering in the sociotechnical aspect. Again, while on my robotics team, I both saw and took part in lots of this. For example, lets say our coach wanted us to design a part for some specific function. It would be brought to design where someone would sketch it up, they would bring it to the group who knew how to use CAD and model it. Then, they would show me who was on the team that fabricated things and I would need to interpret both their original idea along with the CAD model presented and the criteria given. Ultimately, it would be brought to our coach who would usually just shake her head because it was like we had just played a game of telephone and it ended really bad. So, to say the least, I am very grateful for my high school robotics team because as you will see in many of my reflections, it has taught me a whole lot that I didn't even realize I knew.