#fogli006

Our group presented yesterday!! I thought we did really well (especially considering the surprising similarities between our group and the other medical group that went before us). Although our groups’ ideas were strikingly similar, I felt that ours had a slight twist and the details of our chip really set it apart. I felt we each spoke a good amount, and I was really excited about the question answer session because a guy asked the question “how the chip would affect MRI’s and scans”. I was super excited because they specifically stated that in the article that I read!! The chip would be covered with a silicon plastic covering that would not hinder or affect MRI’s or any sort of scan. Anyway, I still strongly believe in our product and I genuinely hope some biomedical engineer student in this class was just as inspired as I was and can pursue this idea in the real world!! That would be awesome!!

I am absolutely so happy that I decided to take this class this semester. Throughout first and second semester, I have taken nothing but math and science classes, which can be draining and repetitive. D@MN allowed me to use parts of my brain that I had never needed before, and it opened the doors on what it means to be creative and to be a designer with empathy. I think my favorite project was definitely the last one because it allowed me to tie in my knowledge of the medical field and science with design and how it can be improved. I know everything I learned in this class, like observing the different problems of the world and looking for ways to improve daily life, I will take with me throughout my engineering career. 

This week was very stressful because all of my classes had one last exam before the final, so I spent many late nights studying at the library until 5 am. I think this time is particularly stressful because this is when you learn what you need to get in each class to get the grade you want. There is no more wiggle room where you can tell yourself “I can do better on the next exam” or “if I get all the problems right on my homework this will help”. Your grade is officially finalized and there is nothing more you can do except studying for the final. I think there is a lot of controversy about staying up late vs. sleeping. This article, http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/21/study-or-sleep-for-better-grades-students-should-go-to-bed-early/, shows that staying up extra late cramming can actually do more harm than good from a biological standpoint. Despite these facts, however, I don’t think I will ever allow myself to go to sleep at a decent hour instead of cramming. I’ve been sacrificing sleep for studying since I was a freshman in high school, and since I do it almost every night for four years, it’s a habit that I don’t think I can break. It’s gotten to the point where I physically cannot start homework during the day because I get distracted and I tell myself that I have all night and that I do not need to be focusing right now. If I had the option to be productive during the day and sleep at night, I would but my brain doesn’t work that way and that is why I am constantly tired. 

I think the relationship between diversity and empathy is pretty complex. For the most part, I believe, that the more diverse a group is, the easier it is to empathize with the target group, as discussed in lecture on Wednesday. By having a bunch of different minds think about how to improve or design a product that suits the general population, it allows more creativity and insight on how to perfect the product. More diverse minds can bring more clarity and empathy by shedding light on minute details or problems of the product that need to be more suited for target group. For example, if I wanted to design a product to better life for people in Africa, my knowledge and empathy towards Africans would not suffice if I wanted to create the perfect product. I would need local Africans to give input on how it would improve their lives personally, and I would need local engineers or carpenters who are very familiar with how things work/how things get built in Africa. The list goes on for the amount of people I would need, which would create diversity within my group and bring more empathy. So, in order for a product to succeed, I believe it needs to have the most diverse group working on it as possible to create the dynamic necessary to make the product the best it can be.

I think overall I learned a lot about prototypes and processes after seeing everyone’s presentations. What I noticed most about everyone’s presentation was that there are a lot of similar ideas, which shows the importance of some prototypes to become products. For example, some groups presented something that has to do with alarm clocks. This emphasizes the need for a complex alarm clock that will more successfully wake students up, which is something that I struggle with as well. Another thing I noticed from the groups is that every prototype needs improvement. I think the questions at the end served a great purpose because it showed the groups all the different ways a prototype can be improved to ensure the best possible product. Overall, I think that every presentation was extremely well organized and prepared, and I hope to potentially see these products on the market sometime :)

^ this will be the end the result of the bug/spider that has been shot dead using our bug zapper. It is convenient for anyone who doesn’t want to put in any effort or go near any bug whatsoever

I think a design that impacts the world is one that is applicable and easily usable to majority of the people. It is something that affects the world in a positive manner and proves to be a step towards improving the world. One design I believe truly impacts the way we live is the invention of solar panels. Solar panels are an incredible alternative in order to conserve energy and help the environment. Solar panels can be implemented worldwide and can greatly reduce the amount of energy/electricity generated on the planet. Another design that greatly impacts the world is the internet. Before the internet, different cultures and cities were isolated from those far away, but now the entire world is interconnected through various websites and social medias. It has proven to be an remarkable way to keep in touch with those living 8000 miles away. It has also reduced the carbon footprint on the Earth because the internet allows many to post homework online instead of printing out pages and pages of paper. These inventions are revolutionary are continually expanding in order to further improve its purpose, which is the exact reason they are making a great impact on this Earth. 

I learned a lot about the design process this week, especially about prototypes and why designers create them. Prototypes are the first tangible product is formed from the idea. They are kind of like a rough draft form of the final creation. I think a major reason designers do it is to get feedback. Improvement is very important in the design industry because it ensures that your product is the best available and most liked. With a prototype, it invites people to comment and give their ideas on ways to improve. Prototypes dont have to be anything special; it doesnt have to be technologically correct. It only has to give a general idea for the product you wish to design. For our product, we are designing something to kill bugs from afar, and to build it we could use a toy laser pointer.