I don't really like the title, but I'm not creative enough to think of a better one :D
Let me know what you think of my essay, any suggestions would be nice!
Prompt: College of Engineering: Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest. (500 words)
A wooden plank, two curtain rods, a protractor, a few nails, some screws, and a relatively sloppily cut plastic water bottle sat before me on the carpet. Soon these seemingly random materials would come together to build a unique and one of a kind catapult. It all started when I heard about the PUD: Power for the Future student science competition over the intercom during our school's morning announcements. My goal was to build a catapult that would launch white, lightweight wiffle balls into concentric rings of buckets. The innermost bucket was worth the most points, reminiscent of a ball toss game at an annual carnival.
Although in the beginning I was completely clueless as how I was going to create such a complex mechanism, the ideas soon began to flow. I attached the bottom third of the water bottle to the curtain rod to form a throwing arm via screw, and attached the middle of the throwing arm to the base which consisted of a perpendicular curtain rod and the board of wood. I was quickly enthralled by my newest project and spent almost all my free time working on it. I decided to make the spring out of an old rust colored bungee cord. In order to make each throw precise, I glued on a protractor to the vertical curtain rod, so that I could measure how far I pulled back the throwing arm and documented how far the ball flew.
When it came time to test my contraption for the first time, I was filled with suspense. I had put massive amounts of effort into such a small device, and I couldn't wait to see it pay off. I carefully placed the off-white wiffle ball into the cup and pulled back the throwing arm. Upon releasing it, joy washed over me as the ball sailed through the air. It was a success!
The competition was fierce, and although I didn't place in the competition, I still had fun creating my home-made catapult. Because of that experience I was able to find my true passion of engineering and believe that Cornell is the best place to pursue this career path. Besides the fact that Cornell Engineering receives numerous excellence awards every year, provides a high quality education, and is a world-class research university, it has thirteen majors that will help me find my perfect fit. I'm currently looking to major in computer science or electrical and computer engineering and recognize that Cornell's rigorous courses will provide me with the education I thrive for. By providing me with opportunities such as the Cooperative Education program and Kessler Fellows Program, I will be able to use my knowledge in a real world application and practice what I have learned. I believe that with an education from Cornell I will be able to "catapult" myself into an engineering career.
Let me know what you think of my essay, any suggestions would be nice!
Prompt: College of Engineering: Engineers turn ideas (technical, scientific, mathematical) into reality. Tell us about an engineering idea you have or your interest in engineering. Explain how Cornell Engineering can help you further explore this idea or interest. (500 words)
A wooden plank, two curtain rods, a protractor, a few nails, some screws, and a relatively sloppily cut plastic water bottle sat before me on the carpet. Soon these seemingly random materials would come together to build a unique and one of a kind catapult. It all started when I heard about the PUD: Power for the Future student science competition over the intercom during our school's morning announcements. My goal was to build a catapult that would launch white, lightweight wiffle balls into concentric rings of buckets. The innermost bucket was worth the most points, reminiscent of a ball toss game at an annual carnival.
Although in the beginning I was completely clueless as how I was going to create such a complex mechanism, the ideas soon began to flow. I attached the bottom third of the water bottle to the curtain rod to form a throwing arm via screw, and attached the middle of the throwing arm to the base which consisted of a perpendicular curtain rod and the board of wood. I was quickly enthralled by my newest project and spent almost all my free time working on it. I decided to make the spring out of an old rust colored bungee cord. In order to make each throw precise, I glued on a protractor to the vertical curtain rod, so that I could measure how far I pulled back the throwing arm and documented how far the ball flew.
When it came time to test my contraption for the first time, I was filled with suspense. I had put massive amounts of effort into such a small device, and I couldn't wait to see it pay off. I carefully placed the off-white wiffle ball into the cup and pulled back the throwing arm. Upon releasing it, joy washed over me as the ball sailed through the air. It was a success!
The competition was fierce, and although I didn't place in the competition, I still had fun creating my home-made catapult. Because of that experience I was able to find my true passion of engineering and believe that Cornell is the best place to pursue this career path. Besides the fact that Cornell Engineering receives numerous excellence awards every year, provides a high quality education, and is a world-class research university, it has thirteen majors that will help me find my perfect fit. I'm currently looking to major in computer science or electrical and computer engineering and recognize that Cornell's rigorous courses will provide me with the education I thrive for. By providing me with opportunities such as the Cooperative Education program and Kessler Fellows Program, I will be able to use my knowledge in a real world application and practice what I have learned. I believe that with an education from Cornell I will be able to "catapult" myself into an engineering career.
