This morning, I woke early, like I normally do on a workday. But, today is not the typical workday for me. For today, I was driving from Durham into Raleigh to start the internship portion of the Kenan Fellowship Program! What could I expect? What should I expect? This was a new thing for me and I had no real idea of what was coming. All I knew, is that I am one in a large team of teachers who are working at the ASSIST center on the campus of NC State with wearable devices using nanotechnology. While I read the article that Dr. Jesse Jur shared with the fellows, I had a difficult time following some of the information in it. I knew that we would be working with nanotechnology, power sources, and sensors using the Arduino LilyPad. But how was still a mystery to me.
Once the day started, a lot of my questions were put to rest. We learned about the ASSIST center and their mission of trying to develop health monitoring devices. We learned that our objectives as program fellows are:
- Apply our newly learned understanding of sensing technologies and system design to create a One Health inspired sensing device of our own design
- Develop three lesson plans with a focus on one or more items (one health, energy harvesting, sensing, system design, e-textiles, nanotechnology and/or engineering design/prototyping) but one lesson plan needs to focus on One Health wearable sensor
- Create an infrastructure around the One Health Competition, to allow for staged growth to the program and sustainability
We also had a tour of the new Hunt Library, which is the coolest library I have ever set foot in. We got to see the bookbot in motion as it searched for a title among over one million books. I was amazed to learn that the bins are not organized in any sense, books are simply placed in openings and the barcode is recorded in the computer, letting the bookbot know what bin it is in the next time the book is requested. We then saw all the other features that are available to students. One thing that caught my attention was the fact that they lend more than just books! One can borrow thermal reading guns, laptops, use their 3D printer (for a fee, of course), video and still cameras, to name a few items. One of the most intriguing rooms in the building for me was the creative rooms where one can project their work to a 7′ tall by 70′ wide screen! This made me think of my students wanting to take over such a room for a game of Call of Duty!
In the afternoon, we talked about the kinds of problems that engineers try to solve and how they can basically be broken down into four categories:
- Create a New Product
- Cost Reduction
- Develop or Change a Procedure
- Human Factors
We also discussed the design cycle and how the various processes in the cycle breakdown. Clearly, the first thing you need to do is Define a Problem. To do this, look for something that consumers need. This can be done via survey or observation. You also need to determine what your constraints and criteria are for the need. Next, we discussed what was called State of the Art. This is research. What solutions are already available for the problem? Are there any patents? Examine academic research on the topic. Once this is completed, you need to Brainstorm/Ideate. Brainstorming involves coming up with unedited solutions to your problem and selecting one concept to use/try. Once you have an idea of what you want to do, you need to conduct Material Research. What components are available off the shelf? What will production cost? Do an analysis of what the pros and cons are of the materials you want/need to use. Now, you are ready to make your Prototype. This involves taking that initial leap of creating your solution to the problem which often starts with detailed drawings that include dimensions. You build the prototype and test it. Then analyze the collected data and reiterate until you are happy with the product. Once finished, you need to report your findings, whether it be in an academic report, at a conference or to your company.
Tomorrow, we are getting into the nitty gritty of system design and tearing down a sensor device to examine how it works. Then, we start learning how to program our own Arduino boards! Yes, I guess you could say that I am definitely excited about being a part of this program! And, as the day progressed, my understanding of what we would be doing started to take shape. This is going to be a very exciting and interesting summer!