Portfolio
Last updated January 6, 2001
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Robot 101
In Engineering 101, taught by Dr. Robert Pearson we built tiny robots from kits. In the process of building these tiny machines, we learned all about the basic electrical circuits that make it work. From resistors to IC circuits, we learned it.
Statics
In the summer of 1998, I took a very challenging course taught by Dr. Mark Palmer of VCU entitled "Engineering Concepts." In other schools this would simply be called Statics, but this was much more. Packed in 8 short weeks we also learned a bit about the business aspect of being an engineer as well.
As part of our final grade, we analyzed a bridge using concepts learned in the statics portion of the course, then we had to exploit the structure and sell it to potential buyers. Using business tactics such as net present value and percent profit. We then presented our ideas to the class by creating a unique Visual Basic program.
Here is the final draft of the document our team submitted, Project, and the Visual Basic EXE file, Project EXE.
Deformables
In the Spring of 1999 I took a "Deformables" course, taught by Dr. Thomas Haas. Here is a sample problem from the text, "Mechanics of Materials." Gere-Timoshenko:
Chemistry of Materials II
By far, the most challenging course in my curricula so far has been this one. Chemistry of Materials, taught by Dr. Mark Palmer and Dr. Anthony Guissepi-Elie. The title doesn't sound like much, but beauty is only skin deep. We explored such things as crystal lattices, dislocation motion, polymer processing and characteristics, amorphous materials, semiconductor processing and characteristics, and a slight biomedical engineering twist.
MATH MATH MATH
Are you a math nut or possibly a genius? You may be interested in this program. Mathematics Plotting Package (MPP) was developed by some students from the U.S. Naval Academy and their software does wonders! Try plotting this graph: f(x,y)= (sin(sqrt(x^2+y^2))
Fluid Dynamics
In the Fall of 1999 I took a Fluid Dynamics course taught by Dr. Donna Meyer. This course proved extremely challenging. As a matter of fact, I passed with a B by the skin of my teeth! :) The most interesting subject throughout the semester was computational fluid analysis. We did several laboratories involving wind tunnels and airfoils at various angles of attack.
Heat Transfer
In the Spring of 2000 I took a Heat Transfer course taught by Dr. Daniel Cook. The course was traditional, however the lab requirement took it's own spin-off. Dr. Cook allowed us to create and conduct our own experiments. My team chose to conduct a very exotic experiment. We chose to find the experimental heat transfer rate of the barrell on an AK-47.
Thermal Systems Design
aka "Beer Class"
Also taught by Dr. Daniel Cook was a Thermal Systems Design course. This course was to teach us about a particular thermal process and how it is possible by use of a particular design. Dr. Cook chose to teach us about brewing. He chose this particular thermal process since he is a homebrewer himself and was very knowledgable in the subject area. In the class prior to this one, they learned about HVAC units, but I believe that beer making was much more interesting.
The assignment was to design a brewery, along with all the equipment necessary to brew a minimum of 4,000 barrells per year. This amount of beer per year is traditionally classified as a "microbrewery." In addition, we were to do cost analyses of the process and give a final report of our findings at the end of the semester.
Summer Internship
I was chosen to participate in a summer internship with Boeing's Phantom Works department.
Thermal Systems Design
In the Fall of 2000 I took a course on Manufacturing Processes jointly taught by Dr. Bob Heinz and Dr. Elliot Minor of the Business Department.
The course revolved around a manufacturing project which several teams were to build a specific mechanical device. The criteria for the project are: 1) Must be under $35. 2) Must have 3 materials. 3) Two or more of the parts must be casted. 4) Two of the parts must interact (move).
The final product that my group built was a bell ringing device. The four-lobed cog and the striker arm, driven by a high-tourque electric motor was used to strike a brass cowbell. Needless to say, this device was very loud and annoying. A wireframe drawing of the device can be seen below.
Photography
Over the 2000/2001 winter break I took a course in photography. This intensive 2 week course was very challenging and I have learned a new skill in not only taking photographs, but also in processing and developing in the darkroom.
Some of my more interesting photographs came about by mistake. Thumbnail views of the photos are seen below. Click on the icon to see a larger view.
Computational Fluid Dynamics
I took a course in my Senior year for Computational Fluid Dynamics. This course was exciting to me for two reasons. (1) I would get to work with Silicon Graphics UNIX machines again and gain more experience with them and (2) I would be exposed to C programmin which I desperately needed.
As it turned out, we worked more with an off the shelf package called MathCad than we worked with raw C code. We chose to compare the accuracy of a 1-dimensional heat transfer problem with MathCAD and with C. Due to time constraints, we didn't dive head on into C programming as much as I hoped, but the exposure was still beneficial.
Senior Design Project
As a requirement for graduation, I participated in a senior project which lasted through the final two semesters of my senior year at VCU. The project, entitled Thermomechanical Fatigue Resistance Assessment, was very challenging. It involved the use of nearly all subjects previously taught in other courses. The project was truly interdisciplinary, involving members from both the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering departments.
Thermomechanical fatigue is a leading cause of failure in solder joints of electronic assemblies. Failure is caused by thermal expansion and contraction at temperatures approaching the melting temperature of the solder. To date, only Lead-Tin solder has extensive fatigue resistance testing data. It has been predicted that lead will be eliminated from solder in the near future. Therefore, a testing technique to measure thermomechanical fatigue resistance in non-lead containing solder alloys is necessary.
Using up-to-date techniques such as finite element analysis, analog signal processing, and analog to digital conversion, a robust testing procedure has been developed. Goals of the project were to include a more precise determination of stress and strain in stiff systems, a more precise computer monitoring of temperature and load, and substantial cost effectiveness
The file for the final document is approximately 5MB in size. If you would like to read it, please email me and I will make arrangements.
Job Hunting
I have already accepted a position as Systems Analyst with The Boeing Company in St. Louis. My official start date is June 4, 2001.
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