This is already posted on my other blog, but I thought I’d reblog this, since the content here quite relates to what a mechanical engineer experiences at least a few times throughout his or her degree.

Swamped with work, somehow people still persevere and finish the job.  But how?  Probably through all nighters.  We’ve all done them at some point and it’s obvious that they aren’t good for our health.  Kindly sent to me by one of my blog readers, here’s an infographic on just what an all nighter really means to our health.

Via: Online Colleges Guide

Maybe after this, we will all think twice about pulling all nighters!

Nobody really knows how long things take to get done.  When someone sets a project deadline, there is a high chance that there will be a delay.  Everyone has the thought of, “it won’t take me that long to do that, I just need to do X, Y, and Z”.  Nope.  A lot of people know it and think they can manage their time well, still nope.  A lot of people say “start early”.  While that sounds like common sense, a lot of people don’t do it.  Everyone thinks “oh I still have lots of time”.

For my fourth-year design project (8-month project), my team spent the first two weeks not really doing anything productive.  As a result, our team is now behind in a lot of the documentation work that should have been finished in the first term.  Also, one of our group members had to leave for personal reasons.  That took away 25% of our manpower.  It sounds like we’re not in that good of a situation.  To remedy it, each member of our team puts in twice the amount of time than what the professors expect.  The professors expect 8 hours a week for each person.  We each put in 16.  The idea of this is to help our team catch up from the setbacks we’ve gone through.  If we started earlier, we probably wouldn’t be in as bad of a situation.

For my Thunderbots project, a deadline for the robot design was set for 11 February 2012.  A design review was to be held so that everyone could help iron out anything wrong with the design.  Out of three designs for separate systems on the robot, none of them were finished completely.  I was in charge of designing the ball dribbling system with another teammate.  At the beginning, we didn’t really do much.  We didn’t really have a clear direction.  Once the project picked up we spent more and more time per week.  As we put more time into it, the more design problems we were faced with.  If we had more time, we could have tackled these issues sooner instead of dealing with them the night before.  We each probably spent at least 50 hours over 8 weeks getting the design ready.  We discussed a lot about how something would work or what would work better etc.  The night before the design review, we stayed up till 4am getting the design ready.  There were still some things missing in the design, but we felt we had enough to present for the design review.  It turns out that at the design review, we seemed to be better prepared than everyone else.  But regardless, we couldn’t meet the deadline.  If we spent more time at the start, maybe things would have been different.

We finished this CAD model in a night using notes and sketches that we prepared from our previous discussions

Starting early means less rushing at the end.  That’s what it comes down to.  Starting early reveals design problems sooner that can be fixed.  People just need to realize that time is of the essence from the start.  People in previous years try to make that point clear to students younger than them, but it almost always takes their own personal experiences for them to realize what has happened.  Everyone on the team needs to share the same mindset of starting early.  Even if one person starts early, it will be difficult for the one person to progress on things that depend on the entire team.  Regardless, the earlier a team starts, the less headaches there will be in the future.

Walking into my first Mech 358 (Math) class and having Dr. Homsy review first-order differential equations, reminded me of being in the deep end of a pool with a big cement block tied to my feet (aka not all that fun).

After being away on co-op for 8 months, getting back into school was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. However, trying to recall material from the first semester of Mech2 was WAY harder than expected. Thankfully after much searching, I found all my old Mech2 notes and not only my notes but the most valuable study tools I make for myself… Review Guides! These are short summaries or concepts, formulas etc… that basically stimulate my knowledge of the topics and in this case were my lovely lifesavers in helping my remember homogeneous equations, particular solutions, and MUC and saving me from the cement block around my feet. Oh glorious MUC!

Basically, I can not stress how important it is to keep your notes for reference further down the road. Whether it is for your future classes or even to help a friend in a lower year, they are invaluable lifesavers.

In addition to being busy reviewing topics from Mech2, I am busy with planning the Thunderbots trip to Robocup 2012 which is being held in Mexico City this year, planning a workshop for an event E-team is holding Jan. 26th called Design in Engineering, applying for co-op positions for this summer, and a variety of exciting tri-mentoring events!

Example of one of my Thermo Lifesavers

I don’t try to be up to date in American politics such as the upcoming presidential election in 2012, but I did come across this picture with the following caption, “Mitt Romney claimed this morning that he created more jobs in Massachusetts as governor ‘than this president’s created in the entire country.’ This chart shows the reality of President Obama’s strong record on job creation—21 straight months of it. Share it with your friends to get the truth out.”

I’m sure Obama’s campaign staff are quite competent (since after all, Obama became president), but I have no idea what those numbers on the vertical axis means.  On the top right corner it does say “Private sector monthly change, thousands” and then beneath it, it says,  “Total, excluding census”, which leads me to believe that that is a legend, but isn’t a monthly change in jobs different than the total number of jobs?  Am I reading it wrong?  With two entries in the legend, I thought I would see two graphs.  When it says “monthly change”, I’m assuming they refer to the “monthly change in jobs”, but it isn’t explicitly said.  The title implies that the units of the vertical axis are in numbers of jobs.

According to the caption, it seemed like the campaigners wanted to show that Obama did in fact create more jobs than Mitt Romney, but the chart doesn’t show that.  The graph just shows job creation differences between the two administrations over time.  It doesn’t show Mitt Romney’s personal contribution to job creation.

The graph does show the democrats in a positive light psychologically since jobs created being larger than zero is generally seen as a good thing.  Even if I don’t understand the units being shown there, it is a weapon to be used in the battle for the administration.

I thought making graphs were supposed to make things easier for people to understand?  Only if it is labeled properly.

As Christmas break comes closer, so does my last day working at Evasc. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 4-months working there with a lot of former UBC Mechs. Some of my tasks included:

• Writing protocols and test methods for testing of products
• Designing test jigs
• Helping with manufacturing
• Receiving and ordering parts

One of the aspects of the job and biomedical industry I have found interesting is the added problem solving needed to deal with the factors that are put into place due to the nature of the products. If something is going into your body, you want it to be compatible with your body and really really clean, right? Radioactive dirt does not sound all that appetizing. This adds another variable into the design of the products. For example, you may have to keep the device very small so it can be delivered into the body yet the right size to serve its purpose successfully. In this particular instance, really cool materials come into play!

This co-op job has also allowed me to use things I learned in Mech2! It is always exciting to know that material you learn is applicable to the “real” world. Particular things that come to mind are Apsci 201 I did a LOT of technical writing, Mech220 Machining, 3D modeling (if you have the opportunity or time…learn it! Whether it is through a student team or over christmas break. Maybe a Solidworks model of your Christmas tree or potential snow fort…?), and Materials to name a few.

As Mech2 Part 1 draws to a close for some of you, CONGRATS! Technically, you are almost halfway done. However, I would say Part 1 & 2 are hardly equivalent. I will be recalling some things that helped me survive in hopes that remembering my studying methods will help ease me back into school after being off for 8 months!

Good luck with finals and have a great Christmas Break!

Everyone gets into the spirit this time of year!

Hey, mid-Movember when did you get here? It is surprising how the time sneaks up on you when there aren’t milestones like midterms and project due dates to focus on!

I am currently on my second-term of my co-op work placement and will be starting my 3rd year of Biomedical Mech in January. I worked for an oil and gas company, Devon Energy, this summer and am presently working for a company called Evasc Medical Systems. I will be talking about some of my favourite things (cue music) and learning experiences while on the jobs and in industry!

One of my favourite things is having a plan. Whether it is a Mech 223 gantt chart (shout out to all you Mech2’s) or personal roadmap, I like being able to see where I am going and what needs to be done to get there. When I first started in engineering, there was no such plan. It was rather bewildering and felt like jumping off a diving board (another of my favourite things) and not knowing what to do in the air. I do remember one of the events that helped develop this pathway I am presently on, and it is coming up this weekend. The Engineering Open House! Not only does it continuously open my eyes to the amazing projects fellow students are working on, but it also allows me to provide information to those facing the “scary and big decision” of specializing whether they are in high school, 1st year or beyond.

No matter what stage of your schooling you are in, I highly recommend attending the Engineering Open House. It will be Saturday Nov. 26th from 9am to 4pm in Kaiser. Be prepared to see some awesome engineering. Bring questions and an arm for free swag (always a good thing) and come check out innovative projects, informative booths and student teams.

If you need something to shake out those mid-Movember blues, here is a project one of my co-workers, Jonathan Tippet, worked on. Imagine the pure thrill of being able to operate that spider and be one with that engineering masterpiece. Amazing!

Are you scared of a Mondo Spider?

So it’s almost the end of the semester (~2 weeks), and the work still hasn’t stopped piling up. Little by little I’ll go through my giant to do list and by that time it’ll be the end of the semester and just in time for exams. A little bit more work then and it’ll be Christmas Break. Here are some things that I still have left to do for the next two weeks:

• Capstone Design Project – Critical Function Prototype
• Japanese 100 – Oral Exam
• Japanese 100 – In-Class Composition
• Manufacturing Processes – Term Project
• Sensors and Actuators – Lab Report
• New Venture Design – Business Plan
• Thunderbots – Dribbler Design CAD

It will take a lot of work, but I’m up for it. At times, I feel that I’ve done so much work in one day that my whole body feels exhausted not physically, but mentally. Sitting there toiling away in front of the computer to finish that lab report, assignment, or intense research on Google for another project really takes its toll me. Taking study breaks are totally worth it. In fact, part of my study break is writing this post. Another form of study break that I take is playing Tetris. Here’s a video of me playing from a about a year ago. Enjoy!

Looking back at this video, I can probably play way better now!

Hi I am Henry and I am one of the new blogger in this space.  For the next little while, I will be posting little tidbits about my life as a mechanical engineering student.  Right now, I’m in the middle of my fourth year studies in mechatronics engineering.  I am also a gamer and lately I’ve been indulging in a little bit of StarCraft II (and Modern Warfare 3 as soon as I get my hands on it).  I don’t really know what else to say here.

Anyway, here is a nice video of scientists investigating the nature of why cats land on their feet…in zero gravity…

Due to hugely popular demand, I’m going to try and feature other Mech students and see what they have to say about their student experience. First up is Keir Maguire:

I’m a 5th year student working on finishing 3rd year Mechanical Engineering in the Mechatronics Option. I did a year of Science before I switched into Engineering, because I wanted to gain more applicable and practical knowledge. The Mechanical Engineering Department, although not flawless, is a great environment to pursue your interests both in class, tutorials, and labs, and through extra-curricular pursuits. Many professors and TA’s are very interested in their student’s success and growth. The mechatronics option is especially interesting for the cross-discipline focus and the smaller classes.

I am also involved in Formula UBC, which is one of the best engineering teams, recognized across campus and industry, both locally and internationally. I have taken part in MEMS research, both as a research assistant and through additional projects, and the exposure to the people and research throughout Applied Science gave me confidence that I was pursuing a worthwhile degree. As well, being a Mechanical Engineering student has allowed me to do an internship in Germany for a summer and I hope to return there and to other countries to further my professional development while exploring the world.

Hey everyone, hope you had a great summer as it looks like we’re diving head-first into the Mech 3.5 Thermofluids term! This fall looks like we’ll be grinding out another design project with Mech 325/328. Like Mech 223, team-based learning takes over for the next four months.

On top of these, I’ll also be taking a Mech 327 Thermal System Design, Mech 386 Industrial Fluid Mechanics, and an arts elective Psychology 102. I’m really looking forward to the first two courses as they’ll probably be very applicable to the sorts of HVAC and efficient energy systems design I’m interested in. PSYC 102 will be interesting as well since it will be the first non-engineering course I’ve taken since POLI 101 in first-year!

On a side note, check out this awesome webcomic by a previous UBC Mech student called Wasted Talent.