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Engineering Fields Project
Engineering Fields Project
Project Objective: The purpose of this project was to research an engineering field interesting to the student and to explore that field as a possible career path.
Learning Target: This exploratory project was meant to help students learn about a field of engineering and learn whether or not it would be a good fit for them.
Personal Reflection: This engineering field project helped me learn more about aerospace engineering, a path of engineering I have been interested in. While there are many different types Of engineering, Aerospace is possibly the most glamorous to the public eye. Throughout this project, I learned that it is not only glamorous to the public, but it is also a difficult and rewarding field of engineering with lots of new opportunities opening up. Due to the increase of space travel companies like Space X and Blue Falcon the aerospace field is a rapidly growing field with many new opportunities for young engineers. I have found aerospace engineering very appealing ever since I wanted to be an engineer. This project helped me explore my interest more and helped me decide whether or not Aerospace is right for me. For this project, I should have picked a field that I was less familiar with, such as mechanical engineering, so that I could explore different options. I need to do more research to find out what my best fit is, but this project was certainly a step in the right direction.
Professional Interview
Professional Interview
Project Objective: Students were tasked with finding and interviewing an engineer, transcribing the interview, and giving a presentation to the class paraphrasing this interview.
Learning Target: This project helped the students learn about the day-to-day life of an engineer and receive advice on education.
Personal Reflection: This project was truly a big help in understanding the life of an engineer. I was lucky enough to interview NASA engineer Mark Haynes, the project manager for the ground equipment at the Kennedy Space Center. This interview was a great opportunity for me, both as an engineering student and as someone interested in aerospace engineering. Mr. Haynes went into great detail about his experience as an engineer and the path that led him there, giving me some great insight into what my future might look like. Mr. Haynes changed my perspective on a few things, including what degree I should pursue. Haynes advised me to get a degree in mechanical or electrical engineering, as those degrees are more versatile than a degree in aerospace engineering. I think I will take this advice, especially after taking this class and realizing aerospace engineering may not be right for me. Mark also encouraged me to pursue internships and begin networking early so that I may be more successful when I look for a job; I will heed this advice, especially now that engineering has become so competitive. Overall this was a great learning experience and I enjoyed getting to talk to Mr. Haynes.
Compound Machine
Compound Machine
Group members: Catherine Boss, Jacob Ramirez, Arjun Naik, Aditya Singh
Project Objective: Students were tasked with building a compound machine out of simple machines learned earlier in class. The machine must either lift 500 or 1000 grams 3 or six inches vertically, have a mechanical advantage between 5 and 15, and include a minimum of 3 simple machines.
Learning Target: This project taught students how simple machines work together to create mechanical advantage and increased student's ability to work in groups.
Personal Reflection: This project what is a challenge for me, as it was the first time I had worked in a group in this class. My group initially struggled with calculating all the necessary values and had to make adjustments To our design multiple times due to incorrect equations. It was a great learning experience for me, as by the end of the project I had a much firmer grasp of how to calculate each value. I struggle with taking control of a group, especially when group members are disengaged. I need to work on being more equal with the distribution of tasks, and being a member rather than a leader. I believe my group's project turned out well, and that in the end, we worked well together. If I were to change anything with the design, it would be the gear ratio. Our group had a very high gear ratio, and as a result we were not able to add a block and tackle system while remaining within the constraints. I would have liked to redesign the machine so that the mechanical advantage was more evenly distributed between the systems. Overall this project helps me learn a lot not only about simple machines but also how to work with other group members.
Hydrogen Solar Car Lab
Hydrogen Solar Car Lab
Group members:Catherine Boss, Yohan Abraham, Brad Powell, Marco Vittoria
Project Objective: Students were tasked with building a solar powered motorized car that could be powered with a solar panel or a hydrogen fuel cell.
Learning Target: Students learned how to wire a motor to an energy source using a breadboard.
Personal Reflection: This project had a shorter turnaround than that of previous collaborations, making it A bit more difficult to manage time-wise. My group and I worked very well together, and I was very appreciative to work with them we completed our car fairly quickly and very collaboratively, which is something that I had been working on. This project presented some challenges for my group, as we had some mechanical failures in our solar panel. A car also needed to be reassembled after we assembled it too hastily at the beginning of this project. The very first time we assembled the car, we took some shortcuts which compromise the integrity of the car, and made all the joints very loose; We had to take extra time to disassemble and reassemble the car properly, teaching this all available lesson on doing things right the first time. Hydrogen fuel cells are a relatively new piece of technology, and for very interesting but challenging to learn about this project helped me to better understand how hydrogen fuel cells work, and how they can be used. Wiring up a breadboard for the first time was a challenge, especially since no one in our group had ever used one. This challenge helped strengthen our group as we learned together how this new piece of technology worked. I am very pleased with how this car turned out, and how our group worked together to create a successful solar car. Overall this was a great learning experience on taking your time to do things correctly, working with hydrogen fuel cells and breadboards, and how to work collaboratively.
Renewable Insulation
Renewable Insulation
Group members: Catherine Boss, Anwita Bulusu, Arjun Naik, Snigdha Paul
Project Objective: Students were tasked with building a 8x8x1in insulation block out of recyclable household items.
Learning Target: Students learned about thermodynamics relating to insulation, as well as explored conductivity of recyclable materials.
Personal Reflection: This project helped me understand not only how best to insulate a heat box, but also how to research a topic and analyze data. In this project, we had to create a renewable, cost-efficient insulating material with things we had around the house. Through this project I learned how we can become more environmentally sustainable, and how we can take negatives like pollution and turn them into positives like recycling. If I were to do anything differently, I would not use the plastic sheeting my group put on the bottom of the Insulating unit, because the cost is too high to make our insulation affordable overall. The other materials we used were only a couple of cents, but the plastic for one unit was over $6. without this sheet of plastic or insulation would only have gone down marginally, and we would have had a much more cost-efficient and recyclable insulating unit. I know that I need to work on thinking things out in a realistic manner before we complete the project. If I had taken the time to look at the price of plastic sheeting, my group and I could have found a better solution.
Renewable Electrical Energy Generation and Distribution
Renewable Electrical Energy Generation and Distribution
Group members: Catherine Boss, Dyanada Gavande, Ayush Mitra, and Mckenzie Webb
Project Objective: Teams will design and create a renewable electrical energy generation and distribution system that utilizes wind, solar electric power, and fuel cell energy conversion systems.
Learning Target: Students learn about electricity and renewable forms of power, as well as gaining experience working in groups and using breadboards.
This Project taught me a lot about working with a team, building circuits with electricity, and understanding renewable energy better. It was a representation of how wind, solar, and hydrogen power can be used to make a more environmentally conscious power grid. This project also was a great way to learn how to troubleshoot circuits, and better understand how to use a breadboard. I learned a great deal about wiring, especially when my group had problems with LEDs not lighting up. I think this project was an excellent model A simpler version of what a real -World engineer might come up with. This practical experience has been very valuable, especially when it comes to solving problems with creativity and logic. Team members also provided the learning experience, as we learned to work together and coordinate with each other. This project was valuable and so many ways, and I hope in the future we can convert to more renewable energy.
Truss Design – SSA
Truss Design – SSA
Group members: Catherine Boss, Cole Johnson
Project Objective: Students fabricate two small trusses and perform destructive tests of each to determine the efficiency of the truss.
Learning Target: Students gain a better understanding of truss design, working with others, and physical construction of trusses.
This project, although simple, has been my favorite project so far. In teams of two, we created two trusses out of wood, paper, and glue; after the trusses were created we tested them to determine their strength. I love making things, especially out of wood, which is one of the things that Drew me to engineering. this project was not only fun to build, but it helped me understand how trusses distribute a load and how to create an en effective truss. Working with a partner on this project helped strengthen my collaboration skills, and I believe my partner and I worked well together. After observing how the trusses failed I better understood how a load is distributed in different trust shapes. Truss one was an excellent example of evenly distributed stress, as it broke symmetrically. Truss two did not break how my partner and I had hoped, but this was largely due to weaker wood. If I could redo this project I would have chosen a thicker piece of wood as that was the largest flaw in our trusses, our glue and dimensions were done well. While it was difficult to master at first and requires a lot of algebra, I find working with trusses fun and satisfying upon completion. I am not sure what field of engineering this type of work would fall under, but I think it may be a good fit for me.
Structural Design
Structural Design
Project Objective: Students work individually to design a functional bridge while adhering to a number of constraints, most notably a $400,000 price limit.
Learning Target: Students apply knowledge of truss design and material properties to better understand how the two ideas relate to each other and how they could be applied to design work.
This project was a fun and challenging way to apply my knowledge of truss design and material properties and was incredibly successful in my opinion. I learned a lot about how trusses and bridges can be made practically and how to properly utilize the materials available to me. The project was individual for the first time this year, but I found myself working with the people around me anyways. Throughout this project and this class, I have begun to understand and be more comfortable with the collaborative nature of engineering. This project in particular helped me realize that working together often gives you better results than working alone. This project also taught me not just how my classmates and I can work together to build a stronger bridge, but also how tension and compression can work together to build a stronger bridge. When Tension and compression work to balance each other out and distribute stress more widely among a bridge design. The knowledge gained from this project will help me and my engineering journey as I understand how to build a stronger bridge and how to apply my knowledge.
Machine Control: Cable Winder
Machine Control: Cable Winder
Project Objective: Students work in small groups to build and program a solution to a given problem. In the case of the Cable Winder, students must make a machine that can pull up a specified amount of cord when prompted and shut off if an emergency switch is pressed.
Learning Target: Students apply knowledge of coding and building machines to better understand how to solve problems with the materials and skills available to them, and how to troubleshoot a complicated solution.
This project was challenging in a way I really enjoyed. I was in charge of coding for my group, and I faced lots of complications to overcome. Over the course of the project we not only had to figure out how to program in numbers using only a handful of buttons, indicate a ones and tenths place, program in an emergency stop button, and account for equipment failure and motor drift within our physical build. This project was challenging and forced me to problem-solve on multiple occasions, at times in ways that seem roundabout or unusual. I love being challenged like this, because it helps me grow and better understand the coding language and how to solve problems. In this project, our cable winder was meant to be programmed to accept and execute values up to a tenth of an inch, and ours ended up having accuracy in the real world within about two tenths of an inch. This success was so gratifying to me, because the coding and effort I put into this project was difficult and took many class periods. this project was really confirmation that I want to go into engineering, despite the challenges and the frustration and the struggles; I felt capable and I felt gratified with the final project. I want to continue to build and overcome and solve problems in the real world, and projects like this help me build those skills.
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