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Setting up
the Engineering Notebook |
Activity 1.1.1: An
engineering notebook is a book containing all the
information that is relevant to its purpose. It includes
contact information, correspondence, telephone logs,
sketches and drawings, reference citations, collected data,
and a chronological listing of the events connected to the
journal’s purpose. Documentation is a vital part of
engineering. In the case of liability suits, good
documentation has kept many engineering firms out of court
because it proved there was no wrong doing on their part.
You may be thinking, “Why
bother, I remember everything.” The problem with that
mindset is you will be working on this project for nine
months and have numerous distractions, other course
deadlines, social dates, extracurricular activities, and
family vacations. No doubt every bit of information is
stored in your brain somewhere, but to have it readily
available when you need it is a huge challenge. Writing it
in your engineering notebook will help you put your fingers
on information more quickly, therefore wasting less time and
being more productive. Also, if you decide you want to file
for a patent, you will need the dated notebook to provide
proof your idea was original.
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Portfolio
Assembly |
Activity 1.1.2:
A portfolio is a collection of an individual’s work and
accomplishments that is useful in demonstrating the individual’s
performance and capabilities. The portfolio can be used for
college admissions and employment opportunities. Whether you
realize it or not, you already have quite a few excellent parts
of the portfolio; they may not be in a useful format yet, but by
the end of this project you will have a skeletal framework that
can be added to. A portfolio, electronic or otherwise, is
somewhat of a brag book that serves as a personal advertisement
highlighting your accomplishments. Its goal is to help you sell
yourself in your face-to-face interview. It is the
WOW
factor.
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Personal Business Card |
Activity 1.1.3: Have
you ever been in a restaurant and witnessed a group of
professionals passing business cards while they were
talking? Have you ever been asked for contact information
from a potential employer or friend? This practice can be
observed taking place just about everywhere you go. There
are more people choosing to share their contact information
through business cards than ever before. So what is a
business card and why is it so important?
Business cards generally display
contact information for a person or company. The most common
contact information found on a business card include the
following: the person or company’s name, the person’s job
title, the individual’s address or company’s address, the
company logo (if available), the office phone number, an
individual’s cell phone number, and a fax number. Additional
pieces of information would be extension numbers for the
office phone, e-mail addresses, or available office hours.
Business cards provide immediate
access to contact information in a world that is fast paced.
They allow people to spend more time focusing on the
critical aspects of their conversation without the
interruption of jotting down each others contact
information. The image that you project is significantly
different when you use a business card versus a napkin or
sheet of paper to share your contact information.
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Project Management / Filling in
the Boxes |
Activity 1.1.4: How
many times have you waited until the last minute to finish a
large project only to realize you didn’t have enough time to
achieve the “A” you really wanted? As you look back, you
probably realize there were times when a little planning would
have come in handy, and you would have been able to get that
“A,” if you had thought ahead. Well, there is always next time.
Your company, WeBGood has been
awarded a contract to design and build a prototype, test, and
manufacture a device for mobility impaired children. This device
will help them participate in organized sports by supporting
them in an upright position. You have been assigned the position
of project manager. Your engineering director wants the
necessary documentation to begin the project by the next staff
meeting.
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Design Process Review |
Activity 1.1.5: The
word
design
is used throughout many disciplines, each with its own
slightly different definition. Technical and non-technical
people alike use the word in its generic form to identify
something that is the product of a conscious human effort.
Design as process is the
cornerstone of all engineering professions. Professionals
often use the phrase “the design process” when talking about
a method by which problems are identified and solutions are
generated. This sometimes suggests there is only one way to
plan or problem-solve. In fact, there are a multitude of
methods to design. Some are very vague, while others are
quite detailed. But, they all start with a need, a problem,
or a want, and follow through a series of steps or phases
that result in the creation of something that serves as a
solution to the need, problem, or want.
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Analyzing Designs |
Activity 1.1.6: As a
consumer, you have used a product and thought “What were the
people thinking when they designed this?” For instance, a
childproof cap on medicine that the elderly can’t open. Or
handicap bathroom stalls where the door is too close to the wall
for wheelchair access. Everybody has encountered products that
cause people to question how the product was designed.
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