Engineering
Media Arts Engineering Department's mission is to provide students at HTHMA the best possible project based learning experience, while maintaining providing a strong background in physics content, equivalent to the college credit 12th grade students receive in this course. This gives them the opportunity to deeply explore engineering concepts and a collegiate work load.
Salt and Pepper Shaker Project
What strikes you about this whole project?
What strikes me about this whole salt and pepper shaker project is the process that we took to get from writing a list of ideas to pouring salt onto my meal. The project went by fast but I did not feel behind at any time and was very productive from the start.
What was the highlight and why?
The highlight from the salt and pepper shaker project was using the bandsaw for the first time. I was very nervous that I would mess up or hurt myself but was very glad once I made my first cut. Now I feel confident in using most tools in the lab.
What was the most difficult part of the process?
The most difficult part of the process for the salt and pepper shaker project was knowing when to stop sanding. I tried to get smooth curves on my letter B and sanded it down a little bit more than I had planned. It was a learning experience to practice getting smooth edges overall.
What do you think made this project work/not work for you?
What worked for me during the salt and pepper shaker project was the freedom to come up with a creative design. I had many ideas that made me want to get started right away. What did not work for me during the salt and pepper shaker project was the limited time to use the bandsaw. One day I was waiting in line for a long time to use tools and needed supervision which was not available for an hour. It would be more convenient if there was a tool sign up sheet.
What could be done better in the future to help make this project work even better?
What could be done better in the future to help make the salt and pepper shaker project work even better is like I said above having a signup sheet for the tools so that everyone has a fair time to use the tools to complete their shakers on time. Also, I would like a few more rounds of critique so that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into before I started cutting. I probably would have had a better grasp on potential problems/challenges if I had one more day of fine tuning my design and process.
What lessons did you learn in this project that you think will apply to future projects?
One of the major lessons that I learned in the salt and pepper shaker project that I think will apply to future projects is time management and attention to detail. When I got feedback from my peers I had to consider how long each letter would take and asked a lot of questions to produce the best shaker that I could. Time management is something that I always can improve on. I set goals everyday to make sure I finished everything on time.
What strikes me about this whole salt and pepper shaker project is the process that we took to get from writing a list of ideas to pouring salt onto my meal. The project went by fast but I did not feel behind at any time and was very productive from the start.
What was the highlight and why?
The highlight from the salt and pepper shaker project was using the bandsaw for the first time. I was very nervous that I would mess up or hurt myself but was very glad once I made my first cut. Now I feel confident in using most tools in the lab.
What was the most difficult part of the process?
The most difficult part of the process for the salt and pepper shaker project was knowing when to stop sanding. I tried to get smooth curves on my letter B and sanded it down a little bit more than I had planned. It was a learning experience to practice getting smooth edges overall.
What do you think made this project work/not work for you?
What worked for me during the salt and pepper shaker project was the freedom to come up with a creative design. I had many ideas that made me want to get started right away. What did not work for me during the salt and pepper shaker project was the limited time to use the bandsaw. One day I was waiting in line for a long time to use tools and needed supervision which was not available for an hour. It would be more convenient if there was a tool sign up sheet.
What could be done better in the future to help make this project work even better?
What could be done better in the future to help make the salt and pepper shaker project work even better is like I said above having a signup sheet for the tools so that everyone has a fair time to use the tools to complete their shakers on time. Also, I would like a few more rounds of critique so that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into before I started cutting. I probably would have had a better grasp on potential problems/challenges if I had one more day of fine tuning my design and process.
What lessons did you learn in this project that you think will apply to future projects?
One of the major lessons that I learned in the salt and pepper shaker project that I think will apply to future projects is time management and attention to detail. When I got feedback from my peers I had to consider how long each letter would take and asked a lot of questions to produce the best shaker that I could. Time management is something that I always can improve on. I set goals everyday to make sure I finished everything on time.
Laser Cutter Project
For my mechanics project I challenged myself to do a rack and pinion mechanism. A rack and pinion mechanism is is a type of “linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion applied to the pinion causes the rack to move, thereby translating the rotational motion of the pinion into the linear motion of the rack.” I used the gear generator website to create my pieces and glued them onto a back plate so that it would function without having to hold the pieces together.
What is your project used for in general, and/or describe your project technically. What was the highlight of this project? Why?
In general, this type of mechanism is used to convert rotation into linear motion. The highlight of this project was taking inspiration from a design and making it my own. I changed the lever on the bottom left to be a circle on the top right to steer my gear.
What worked well in this project? Why?
For me, what worked well in this project was the creative freedom. I liked that we could explore and choose what we wanted to construct. I also liked that it was individual because it was a one person job and if I had a partner I think only one person would do the work.
What was the hardest part of the project? Why?
The hardest part of the project for me was visualizing the outcome of the final product. When my pieces came out of the laser cutter I wanted to get started right away and when things did not go as planned when gluing down it ended up being kind of messy because I did not take my time with the assembling process.
What could Brendan do to make this project better?
Brendan can make this project better by helping us create goals to manage our time. In the beginning of this project I felt like I was going to run out of time. I think we should have daily and weekly deadlines to make sure that we are staying on track.
What is your project used for?
My project is used for steering and other linear motions like converbelts. It is helpful to find real world connections to everything we make in class.
How could your project be used by other students in their future projects? (I.E. if you made a model of part of an automotive automatic transmission, what could other students use it for?)
Students in the future could use my mechanism to transport items from my rack and pinion to other locations. For the next project I know that we can use my rack and pinion for turn an object in circles if you attach it to the gear. This could be useful in many ways because of it simplicity.
Do you think your project should be placed permanently on my DP? Why?
I think it is very important for my project, along with my peers, to be placed permanently on my digital portfolio because it is great to show work that you are proud of and when visitors or outsiders like colleges can see the great work that we produce. It is also important to post the reflections so the reader can see how we felt during the project and how we have grown and what we have learned.
What is your project used for in general, and/or describe your project technically. What was the highlight of this project? Why?
In general, this type of mechanism is used to convert rotation into linear motion. The highlight of this project was taking inspiration from a design and making it my own. I changed the lever on the bottom left to be a circle on the top right to steer my gear.
What worked well in this project? Why?
For me, what worked well in this project was the creative freedom. I liked that we could explore and choose what we wanted to construct. I also liked that it was individual because it was a one person job and if I had a partner I think only one person would do the work.
What was the hardest part of the project? Why?
The hardest part of the project for me was visualizing the outcome of the final product. When my pieces came out of the laser cutter I wanted to get started right away and when things did not go as planned when gluing down it ended up being kind of messy because I did not take my time with the assembling process.
What could Brendan do to make this project better?
Brendan can make this project better by helping us create goals to manage our time. In the beginning of this project I felt like I was going to run out of time. I think we should have daily and weekly deadlines to make sure that we are staying on track.
What is your project used for?
My project is used for steering and other linear motions like converbelts. It is helpful to find real world connections to everything we make in class.
How could your project be used by other students in their future projects? (I.E. if you made a model of part of an automotive automatic transmission, what could other students use it for?)
Students in the future could use my mechanism to transport items from my rack and pinion to other locations. For the next project I know that we can use my rack and pinion for turn an object in circles if you attach it to the gear. This could be useful in many ways because of it simplicity.
Do you think your project should be placed permanently on my DP? Why?
I think it is very important for my project, along with my peers, to be placed permanently on my digital portfolio because it is great to show work that you are proud of and when visitors or outsiders like colleges can see the great work that we produce. It is also important to post the reflections so the reader can see how we felt during the project and how we have grown and what we have learned.
QCCQ
Q - Quote
Select a quote from the pages you have read that you feel is significant.
Place the quote at the top of the page in the following format:
“Plants are nature’s alchemists, expert at transforming water, soil and sunlight into an array of precious substances, many of them beyond the ability of human beings to conceive, much less manufacture.” Michael Pollan from The Botany of Desire. p xix
Henry Ford says, “Every object has a story if you know how to read it.”
C - Comment
Comment on the meaning of quote. Explain the science/biology content that is related to the quote. Explain why it is significant in the reading and explain why you chose it.
Sam analyses a vegetable peeler and tries to make it easier to use for those with extremes like arthritis. He adjusts the handle to be bigger like a child’s crayon so that it is user friendly. He explains that if he can modify to fix those who are the maximum or minimum and then the average customer will “fix itself”.
C - Connection
Discuss connections related to the quote. For example...How can you connect the quote with current science in the news or with current content in biology class? Does the quote have any personal meaning to you?
This quotes relates into my everyday life from the keys that I type on my computer to the knife I use to cut my apple. In engineering I have learned how to simply objects so that it is easier for the user. The quote connected me to the ideas of an engineer and how difficult something can be to create a very simple item which is very interesting to me and makes me have a lot more respect to designers and engineers.
Q - Questions
What questions do you now have about the topic? What does this make you want to know or learn more about?
Are there any two designers who have the same job?
About how long does it take to build a basic chair like the one in the video?
What is the first step of design?
How do designers get inspiration?
Select a quote from the pages you have read that you feel is significant.
Place the quote at the top of the page in the following format:
“Plants are nature’s alchemists, expert at transforming water, soil and sunlight into an array of precious substances, many of them beyond the ability of human beings to conceive, much less manufacture.” Michael Pollan from The Botany of Desire. p xix
Henry Ford says, “Every object has a story if you know how to read it.”
C - Comment
Comment on the meaning of quote. Explain the science/biology content that is related to the quote. Explain why it is significant in the reading and explain why you chose it.
Sam analyses a vegetable peeler and tries to make it easier to use for those with extremes like arthritis. He adjusts the handle to be bigger like a child’s crayon so that it is user friendly. He explains that if he can modify to fix those who are the maximum or minimum and then the average customer will “fix itself”.
C - Connection
Discuss connections related to the quote. For example...How can you connect the quote with current science in the news or with current content in biology class? Does the quote have any personal meaning to you?
This quotes relates into my everyday life from the keys that I type on my computer to the knife I use to cut my apple. In engineering I have learned how to simply objects so that it is easier for the user. The quote connected me to the ideas of an engineer and how difficult something can be to create a very simple item which is very interesting to me and makes me have a lot more respect to designers and engineers.
Q - Questions
What questions do you now have about the topic? What does this make you want to know or learn more about?
Are there any two designers who have the same job?
About how long does it take to build a basic chair like the one in the video?
What is the first step of design?
How do designers get inspiration?