Undergraduate / "apply it to society" - Stanford Essay Questions [11]

For the first question, I don't know if I am properly addressing the prompt. It says "experience" which is what I described but I don't know if it really cuts it...please help:

Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging.

When I was working as an intern, I was told by my supervisor that "you can be the smartest guy in the world, but if you can't apply it to society, you're just as dumb as the next guy." That is what I believe intellectuality is. When I participated in a 3D Design camp over the summer, I was able to experience this belief. My team was instructed to use CATIA, a 3D design software, to develop an F-22 Raptor, a U.S. fighter plane. Upon its completion, the wireframe sketches we made resembled a picture of the plane. But something was wrong... I stared deeply into the computer screen. My pupils widened as the pixels on the screen vibrated in my eyes. Then I had an epiphany- why were we designing this? Why does anyone design or create anything? What good is an invention if it can't be used by society to benefit the world as a whole? I realized that's the ultimate, continuously running goal of the world- help society help itself. Innovation truly is nothing unless it helps millions of people live and breathe. In this case, planes needed the wheels to utilize hydraulics to sustain itself during the impact force during landing. Yes, the design wasn't actually going to government headquarters but what if it was? The way it was fixed at this point, the plane would stumble into its landing, slam onto the ground, and possibly concuss anyone on board. I modified the constraints to the design so that, during implementation, the bottom portion of the wheel leg would utilize hydraulics and shift up into the upper portion to sustain plane balance. Moreover, the constraints allowed the wheels to fold up into the plane after takeoff. Now the plane could actually function in the real world, helping U.S. citizens fight for their country- and that is what is truly important.

Undergraduate / Caltech Essay- How do you express your interest in math, science or engineering? [3]

Also, if anyone knows, there's no recommended length. This is 583 words. Too long? Too short?

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When I was growing up, I always bugged my parents with questions about the world around me. When I turn on the television, how does a motion picture appear? When my parents were driving me around in a car, how were we able to move? When I type on the computer, how do numbers and letters show up on the computer screen? When I continually asked these questions, I realized that, while they all had their own specific answer, there was a common answer for all: engineering. Engineering is why we can go from Georgia to California in four hours. Engineering is how we have been able to fight the Measles, smallpox, and diphtheria. Engineering is why I can submit a college application online.

My curiosity about how the world works shaped my interest in engineering. I want to be that guy who puts the questions in the minds of aspiring engineers in the future. As I grew older, walking around every day, I still asked questions. But I also answer them myself. And I try to make something out of it. In middle school, I was riding up an elevator when it hit me. How does an elevator work? That's when I learned about the world of mechanical engineering with pulleys, levers and wheels and axles. I put together a system of my own using wood and string. A pulley carried up a rubber ball as an elevator wood; it turned over on a wheel and axle, landed one side of a lever and blasted a smaller ball on the other side into a cup. Side projects like these were fun, but I wanted to explore my interest more. I wanted to see engineering as it's used in the world.

Intrigued by the thought, I networked with professional engineers who would teach me much about applications of engineering principles to real-life problems. My experience as an intern in the aerospace engineering department at Georgia Tech was an eye-opening adventure into the practical use of engineering in the real world. I worked as part of a team researching ways to construct a rugged, low-cost renewable energy device, a vertical axis wind turbine, for use in developing countries that extracts mechanical energy from the wind to power other electrical devices. I specifically had to work to strengthen the wind turbine blades with the desired effect of achieving higher and withstanding higher wind speeds in comparison to previous results. The journey I went through was like none other I had ever had before- I was helping develop something that could feasibly be used in the world.

My thirst for engineering led me to another internship at Xnth Engineering. I was assigned more responsibility in an engineering project than ever before. I used 3D AutoCAD design software to help design an anaerobic digester for construction in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was here where I learned the greatest joy of being an engineer. Bringing theoretical ideas into material is an enjoyable experience, but it doesn't quite compare to the sense of satisfaction I get knowing that I helped society grow. To reiterate a quote from my supervisor, "you can be the smartest guy in the world, but if you can't use that intelligence to benefit society, you're just as dumb as the next guy."

I asked questions about the world around me. Now, I can ask questions, think of ways of answering them, and maybe even use those answers and apply them to something real.

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Thanks for the feedback!