Field Trip!

Today we were able to visit Olin College for part of their Tech Day event. While I wasn't able to stay for very long, what I heard/saw was really cool.

Multiple presenters described a certain technology being implement in a developing country, with products ranging from food storage containers to sanitary napkins. The format was great, because I got to hear a bit about every product before I had to leave.

My favorite product that I heard about was probably the "charcoal" briquettes made from agricultural waste. Not only were they developed/ sold by women (snaps to that!), but they recycled material that was just going to waste anyway. I think a lot of engineering efforts must go to the development of products to serve the needs of people in developing countries, but not as much emphasis is placed on the sustainability or environmental impacts (disclaimer: this is an assumption, not a statement of fact). The bottom line is, creating fuel from waste products benefits all involved, and I hope it becomes more widespread until an even better solution is developed.

All in all, I got a taste of a more comprehensive look at global engineering efforts. The program was was great opportunity.

A dim outlook- reflection on working without light

As an exercise, we spent a good portion of Tuesday's class working without light. Well, technically we were working by candlelight but in technologically advanced nations such as the United States, we would barely classify candlelight as usable light. Unfortunately, working by candlelight is the norm in many places still around the world.

The purpose of the exercise was to gain insight into life without access to reliable electricity, and it proved a stark reminder of the advantages we have in this country. Trying to write with a small light source shared by several others was challenging, as we had to fight physical and mental effects of the dark: eye strain and our brain's association of darkness with sleep. I can only imagine what it must be like for those relying on candlelight-aside from the dangers of fire and smoke, they must struggle to accomplish even the most basic of tasks.

Completing the quiz in "normal" lighting was much easier, as it was what I'm used to and I only had to focus on the answers rather than fighting to see. The exercise definitely inspired me to count my blessings.

Time management

I'll be the first to admit, my time-management skills are subpar. I'm usually the type to wait until the last minute to complete an assignment. For these two projects, the group aspect of the sharps container helped hold me accountable for making sure I had that project done early. We set meeting times to solely focus on the container, and we all worked during that time to create the project.

Having a really busy schedule this semester, it wasn't easy finding time to work on my lantern project, but I set aside several hours one night a few days before the due date to get the framework down, so the final days would just be touch-ups and smaller alterations. Allotting a specific evening just for the project was the best use of my time, as that period was focused on that one thing.

Once I got the initial part of the project to be successful, that is, creating a reliable circuit, it was easy to find smaller blocks of time to tweak smaller aspects of the project.

Overall, it was a bit stressful having 2 projects due on the same day, but since I was finished before the night before, and didn't have to panic at the last minute, I would call this a successful job of time management.

Playing with knives

Ok, so maybe we weren't actually playing with knives, but for a group assignment, we had to create a container for sharps, or dull knife blades. The challenge was to create something practical, safe, and to work as team to accomplish these objectives.

My team, Diana, Ananya, and Kavi had these grand ideas originally about using a combination of heat and pressure to crush and melt discarded blades into sheet metal, completely recycling the pieces. But when it came time to actually creating the product, we realized we would have to scale down our approach to come up with a more feasible idea. We decided on something that would double as a container, and as a tool for safely breaking off the sharps from the Olfa knives.

We used an old can as the container for 2 reasons: it was an easily acquired and cheap item, and it was made of metal so it could be recycled along with the blades. We discarded the lid to the can, and replaced it with a much stronger piece of metal with a small slit in one end so that we could slide the tip of the knife in and brace the blade against the can and break off the sharp part. Ananya came up with the idea to also attach a small piece of metal to the side of the can to prevent the blades from falling out of the container, should we accidentally drop the can.

The end result was a working container that we could successfully use to break off the blade, and safely hold the sharps. However, one of the major drawbacks of our design was the fact that when it filled up with sharps, we would have to recycle the whole thing and make a new one. It was a relatively easy assembly, though. It might be practical with a little perfecting.

I consider myself as someone who works better alone, but I found that working in a group on this project was really beneficial, because the other members came up with lots of ideas I never considered. The experience was definitely positive.

Shining a light on the situation

When I first heard that our assignment was to create a lantern out of materials for a simple circuit, I was immediately apprehensive. However, as I actually began thinking about the project, I realized that I didn't need a degree in engineering, I just needed a little creativity.

Being impatient, I wanted to just get started building a lantern and when I got to the lab I grabbed random materials to try and create something. I realized after a series of failed attempts that if I actually took the time to plan things out and sketch, I would have a lot more success. So I started brainstorming, and came up with a flashlight-inspired design that would maximize the LED light.

For the end of the flashlight, I cut off the bottom of a paper cup, poked a hole in the bottom for the light, and glued scrap metal around the light for reflection and brightness.

On the other side, I assembled my circuit, using electrical tape, paper clips and aluminum foil to connect the battery, LED, and resistor. The I ended up using was 470 ohms, as I calculated the resistor to be at least 450 ohms. By using a paperclip connected to the resistor and touching it to aluminum foil at one end of the LED, I could close the circuit.

To make a switch, I stretched a rubber band around a pushpin to put pressure on the paperclip to hold it against the foil, completing the circuit and making the device light up!

With a working light and a switch, I just had to work on the appearance of my new flashlight. I used a larger cup and some pieces of paper as a cover, and cut a hole for the push pins to stick out. The design protected the materials from harm while allowing the user to easily switch the light on and off.

I glued the larger cup to the circuit device, using some folded up pieces of aluminum foil to brace against the opposite side of the cup. Then, feeling artsy, I painted the flashlight and labeled the on/off switch.

After completing the design, I was really hoping it would still work...

:)

Looking back, I'm proud of what I accomplished. Maybe my "flashlight" isn't ready to hit the shelves at CVS, but with no prior experience I managed to make something that actually worked. I even got a glowing (pun intended) review from a real engineer!! Well, it was my dad and he's probably a little biased, but still...

What I like about this class is that it challenges me to do something I wouldn't think to even try normally, and making this project was a genuinely rewarding experience.

Fun with the drill press and band saw

Today was a throwback to 6th grade shop class, and I discovered that after 8 years, it's probably a good idea to re-learn how to operate potentially dangerous machines.

One of the most important rules in operation is to be aware of yourself and your materials at all times-never be careless or put yourself in a position to get something caught in the machine. It was also emphasized to use the buddy system, whether it's having someone close by to spot you are whether the other person is actually holding on to a particularly long piece of material that you're working with. Also, make sure you and others around you are wearing safety glasses to avoid any nasty situations. By moving slowly and being cautious, operating the band saw and drill press wasn't extremely difficult in the end.

The drill press created a nice, clean hole through the metal, which could vary in size, but that was about all it could do. It was great for that very specific purpose. The band saw had some more opportunities for creativity, granted designs were created using straight lines. I couldn't use the band saw to make a curved edge, but it did create a series of clean lines. Both machines were relatively easy to use, but I believe that I could have more creative freedom using a larger piece of material.

My vision first was pretty complex, incorporating a series of cut out triangles in order to create a "British flag" shape. However, I realized that a more intricate design would be very difficult to achieve with such a small square of metal. I then changed my design to a more simple hourglass shape consisting of 4 diagonal cuts.

The end result was pretty close to my original design, with the exception of a little flaw where the middle part of the hourglass was much narrower than intended. All in all, it was a fun day in the shop!

Responding to "Poor People's Energy Outlook 2014"

I enjoyed reading this article. While I had a general idea about energy poverty in developing countries, the detail and specific examples of how technology can impact the lives of billions of people was illuminating. What first came to my mind was how gender roles and the family structure can be impacted by changing technology, specifically among women and children. Most of what is commonly assumed to by "women's work", i.e. cooking, cleaning, laundry, maintaining the home, is dependent on heat. Women particularly spend long hours of the day using inefficient, rudimentary appliances to accomplish these tasks, and not only are they risking their health, they are potentially severely limited in their freedom. Of course, we shouldn't presume that other nations should be upholding the gender roles we see in the United States, but I found it interesting to imagine how the lives of women and children could change with better technology. Not only could more advanced stoves be safer, but they may dramatically cut back the amount of time and effort women must spend accomplishing daily tasks. Less time over the stove may mean that women are able to attend school, spend more time with their children, or work in more male-dominated areas to increase productivity. It may be a stretch to say that better cooking and heating technology could have feminist implications, but the hope is there.

Another area of the reading I found interesting was at the very end, with a call for more service-based assistance rather than just supply-based. The focus was certainly on the more long-term solutions to areas in need. It's easy to just spend a lot of money buying, for example, cell phones for a village in Africa. But, what good will those do for a region of people completely unaccustomed to our Western idea of "civilization"? A better strategy for humanitarian aid involves actually servicing the underserved, and taking time to teach people about new technological benefits. By personally working with a group to maximize resources in order to actually improve their lives, we might actually make a difference.

Meet the Ann-gineer

Hi everyone! I'm Ann, and I'm a sophomore. I don't have a major yet, but I am considering something in the humanities department, maybe International Relations? I'm taking the class because my dad is an engineer, and I have some engineering experience myself. I thought it would be cool to take a course about some "bigger picture" aspects of engineering, especially making a difference for people in need. I had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica last spring, and saw firsthand the extreme poverty that many people live in, in stark contrast to wealthy tourists and resorts. I'm definitely interested in safe, clean, sustainable irrigation techniques during the dry season. Many natives, making a living through agriculture, would benefit from year-round farming opportunities.