Field Trip

On Wednesday March 4th, we took a field trip to the RATT Center to tour the building and learn about the variety of courses they offer there. A machining instructor guided us through the classrooms. He showed us the airplanes they house in the hanger as well as the machines the students use while training. We also saw a 3D printer in action! It was an awesome opportunity to talk to someone who has worked in a the engineering career environment and now teaches the courses required for preparation and success in today's work field.

Figure 1. Workbenches in a classroom.

Figure 2. A 1948 machine that is still in operation.

Figure 3. This machine cuts with water.

Figure 4. A tabletop 3D printer.

Figure 5. The software program for the 3D printer.

WBS and Gantt Chart

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an outline of the time, materials, and funding needed to complete the objectives of a project. It can also distribute responsibilities among team members. WBSs can be made to look like flow charts or tables depending on the preferred visual representation and the amount of tasks.

Figure 1. An example of a work breakdown structure with a visual flow of information.
Source: http://www.criticaltools.com/projwbs.htm

A Gantt Chart is a visual representation of the time required to complete each portion of a project from start to finish. It can also label who is responsible for each task. In the following example of a Gantt Chart, each row represents a different task. The vertical columns represent time increments. A line is drawn from left (start) to right (finish) symbolizing the amount of time it will take to complete a task. Task time increments can overlap. The advantage of using this chart is that you can measure progress and determine if the project is on time by pointing at the current date and drawing an imaginary vertical line down the chart. All of the tasks to the left of the line should be completed. All of the tasks that meet the line should be in progress. All of the tasks to the right of the line are yet to be started. In most charts a horizontal timeline is filled in to represent progress or percent of the task completed. If an important event will occur during the project such as an inspection or presentation, these can be noted on the Gantt chart with designated symbols instead of horizontal lines. These events are referred to as milestones.

Figure 2. An example of a Gantt chart.

Source of information and Figure 2: http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/me4054/assignments/wbsgantt.html

The Deep Dive

This week during Lecture, Mrs. Vestal showed us the first two segments of the 1999 news report on IDEO's engineering design process. We watched the team rise to the challenge of researching, brainstorming, designing, and testing an upgraded shopping cart that addresses four main needs: safety, shopping, checkout and finding what you need.

While watching the diverse group brainstorm and test their ideas, I really wanted to join them! IDEO's environment and culture is conducive to entrepreneurship and improvement. I hope to see more businesses employing the use of IDEO's methods into their workspaces as I become part of the workforce.

The three segments of the program can be found here:
Part 1 The Deep Dive
Part 2 The Deep Dive
Part 3 The Deep Dive

Share A Tree

Share A Tree

Last week Mrs. Vestal asked us to complete an assignment in Google Docs and post it online. Everyone's responses are located on one document. The link above takes you to the Share A Tree assignment.