Engineering is a field where individuality is worth 50% of the job, while the other 50% needs to be dedicated towards teamwork. Tesla didn't create their world renown electric cars with one engineer. They succeeded with mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, automotive engineers, etc. That was the message the"My Introduction to Engineering Enrichment" program intended to teach.
Several professors came to our classroom to express their field of study. Each of them had different projects they were working on but they all agreed that at some point in time, they admitted to needing another engineer of a different area to help them. Our group was split into smaller subgroups to work on a Rube Goldberg machine. The main goal of this project was not to create the best machine, but instead to learn how to use the limited time and resources we were provided to create something that didn't go over any of the constraints given.
Before starting the project, we went bowling to get familiar with each other. Establishing a direct relationship with fellow engineers is important because it helps the person understand how the other person thinks so ideas can come across easier. This bonding is essential for the next part of the project where we came up a rough sketch of our machine combining all of our ideas. The first assignment was probably the hardest because everyone in our group came from different places with different ethnicities, races, beliefs, and education.
The next part of the project, my team assigned roles for each of us to play. Each role represented the different engineering fields. Like real engineers, we were given a budget and limited time. Over the course of the project, we created a professional and friendly community with other groups. In the end, we presented a working, stable product.
In the end, I learned that you become half an engineer when you graduate from college, the other half is how you work with everyone else.
Several professors came to our classroom to express their field of study. Each of them had different projects they were working on but they all agreed that at some point in time, they admitted to needing another engineer of a different area to help them. Our group was split into smaller subgroups to work on a Rube Goldberg machine. The main goal of this project was not to create the best machine, but instead to learn how to use the limited time and resources we were provided to create something that didn't go over any of the constraints given.
Before starting the project, we went bowling to get familiar with each other. Establishing a direct relationship with fellow engineers is important because it helps the person understand how the other person thinks so ideas can come across easier. This bonding is essential for the next part of the project where we came up a rough sketch of our machine combining all of our ideas. The first assignment was probably the hardest because everyone in our group came from different places with different ethnicities, races, beliefs, and education.
The next part of the project, my team assigned roles for each of us to play. Each role represented the different engineering fields. Like real engineers, we were given a budget and limited time. Over the course of the project, we created a professional and friendly community with other groups. In the end, we presented a working, stable product.
In the end, I learned that you become half an engineer when you graduate from college, the other half is how you work with everyone else.
