Qi Ren
I choose this project because I find it by far the most interesting and it is the only one which sparked my interest. Originally, I wanted to go join another group however, I found that there were no more free space for it therefore I decided to join group 5 as it was the most interesting and most fun topic. I also wanted to test out my knowledge about Earthquake since I had just learnt about Earthquakes. I researched more about it and found out about some methods which would help to withstand Earthquake to some extend.
There was no fixed role in our group. Everyone of us volunteers to do the work when we know we can do the job better. We do a bit of everything and if we see our team mates have difficulties, we would help each other. Its like we "overcome" our friend's short coming with our merits.
We had many problems like not able to think of any idea for the design of our structure. We also had some problem like in sufficient of time and there is a lack of focus for the project at some point of time. The glue which is super strong was very annoying. We started to brainstorm for ideas. As an idea was provided by the professor and students, we started to work on from their idea and come up with a new idea. As there was a lack of focus, we started to get tired after a while since our attention span was not long therefore when we got tired, we rest for a while before we start to work again at a new and better speed. For the glue, we decided that 1 person would do the glueing after all, this would cause only 1 person to get glued and that the person was especially good at glueing for this kind of glue and that person happens to be me… … …
Through this project, I discovered that triangles are the best for building structures since they are wide and occupy a rather large surface area. I also learnt the importance of teamwork when we are doing such a project since this project is rather hard as an individual task. Glueing, completing the powerpoint and also researching alone, the task is almost impossible to complete therefore, teamwork is very important.
My aspirations is to be someone great who would be able to help other people like doctors however, I'm somewhat scared of blood and bones. Along with its huge responsibility, and TV I had seen when doctors go crazy because they didn't managed to save someone. For now, i want to be a psychologist someone who would be able to cure the inner heart as I believe that there is an angel in everyone of us.
Isaac
1. I chose this project because I have an interest in constructing objects and determining their properties through a series of tests.
2. My role in the group, like my fellow teammates, was to come in and help out where other members were unable to, such as phrasing reports, handling presentations and facilitating group discussionsl
3. Challenges encountered during this project included a minor lack of focus. As we were working with a glue that supposedly caused burning sensations after coming into contact with skin, we were easily distracted by coming into contact with the glue and wasted a lot of time washing our hands to rid ourselves of the glue, resulting in us having less time to complete other assignments.
4. Through this project, we have discovered that some of us are better with building structures while others are better at documenting the process via photos or composing reports. By working together, not only have we completed the task, we have also learnt how to work with each other without getting on the other's nerve.
5. As an individual, i have benefited from this program by learning not only about civil and environmental engineering but also about my teammates. I have learnt about the various aspects and duties involved in different types of engineering. I have also gained valuable knowledge about structural design, construction and fortification. My experience with a new bunch of teammates has possibly improved my attitude when facing challenges.
6. My aspiration is to grow into a habit of accepting change and new ideas, a problem that i have been struggling to deal with when present in a team. This camp has given me numerous opportunities to do just that and i hope that i have matured throughout the course of this camp in the field of accepting my teammates
Jeremy
1. I chose this project because I am interested in how structures could withstand earthquakes, and attempting to build a prototype which could do so too. However, the project was changed at the last minute, so I could not really try what I wanted to do.
2. My role in the group was the leader. I helped organize the group to make them more on task, and also helped think of ideas and build the structure.
3. Some challenges we encountered when working on this project was that we were not on task all the time, and were distracted at times. We also kept getting the strong wood glue on our hands, so we wasted quite some time washing our hands to get it off. However, we did our work quickly and worked together to get the structure done on time.
4.Through this project, we discovered many new ways of building strong structures which are able to withstand large amounts of weight with limited materials. We also discovered that we should take risks as we may be able to get better things through doing so, if we do not, we would not be able to improve our structure.
5. As an individual, I have benefited from this project through many ways. I have learned more about civil engineering, and that planning is very important. I have also learned that taking risks may benefit us in the end, and allow us to improve. I also learned that we should test new ideas, as they may work better than the regular ideas used by many.
6. My aspiration is to learn to build better structures and maybe become an engineer in the future, building such structures. I believe that building proper structures would be very important, as it would ensure safety and make things easier for people.
Yi Fan
1. I chose this project because I like to build stuff, and I have a huge collection of lego at home which I play if I am bored. I also like to work with the teachers-in-charge and hone my construction skills.
2. I am the computer guy, so most of the technical stuff is my job, like the designing of the structure using google sketch-up and the posting of stuff.
3. We were out of ideas when we were building the structure and some of the ideas, due to complication, was cancelled. We also nearly ran out of wood and the measurements were not that accurate as there were a lot of decimal points.
4. Though this project, I discover that a engineer must not just look a the design of a structure, but there are a lot of engineering complications that must be resolved, like the pressure applied to the building, cost, time and material. Also, he/she has to guarantee the safety of the people living inside and the durability of the building.
5. I managed to learn some mathematics solutions which will benefit me in building structures in the future. I also found out more about my group members.
6. I want to be a designer as it seems fun to be calculating and making buildings virtually.
I also wish to rebuild the structure and make it more stable.
