In PKSC 4540, also known as the Product and Package Evaluation Laboratory, where lab experiments are conducted to determine the properties of packaging materials and to evaluate the response of the packages and products to shock, vibration, and compression. It was also in this lab where I would partake in operating standard testing equipment and become familiar with industry recognized test methods and standards. This lab course is taken alongside of PKSC 4040 where we are able to visualize the theory we discuss in lecture by seeing it in action during lab. This lab was especially beneficial for me as I am a very hands-on and visual learner so being in this lab helped me have a better understanding of the concepts we had been learning in 4040. Had I not taken this lab at the same time I was taking 4040, I do not believe I would have done as well as I have in the 4040 course. It was also in the course where I learned how to properly craft and give presentations to an audience. In my first presentation for this course I received a very unsatisfactory score and made sure to improve for future presentations and ended up making A's on my remaining presentations in the semester.

For my artifact, I chose to include my presentation on our Transmissibility lab and also describe the lab itself. In this lab, we have two expanded polyethylene (EPE) cushion blocks that each a different density. It comprised of a 3.0 lb/ft^3 black EPE block and a 1.5 lb/ft^3 blue EPE block. Both of these foam blocks had an accelerometer and a series of various weights placed on them during the testing. Once the weights and accelerometer were attached, these blocks were placed on a servo-hydraulic vibration machine where a sine sweep from 3 - 300Hz with a sweep rate of 1 octave/minute was ran. From this machine we extracted curves that we are able to use as transmissibility tools to see where the coupling, amplification, and attenuation regions of the foam block are located with respect to frequency and static load. This transmissibility tool is very important when it comes to protective package design because this tool is very helpful with the vibrational design for cushioning systems. Vibrational analysis is a vital part of package design that comes into play during transit for products.