This semester I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Oscar
Barton, the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. My project was to develop
a computer program that assists in modeling physical systems, as both a
research and educational tool. Each week I worked on one of two parts of the
project. First, I devoted the greater majority of my time to developing and
refining the program, generally consisting of either fixing errors in the code
or adding additional features. Over the course of the semester, the program has
accumulated a significant number of new features and improved dramatically in
reliability. Second, I spent the remainder of the time preparing a paper for
submission to several conferences in the coming year. Writing the paper has
involved effectively summarizing my own activities as well as performing a
literature review to provide context for my own activities. Together, these two
areas of effort have challenged and motivated me to improve as an engineer this
semester.
My time spent working on this project has provided excellent
training for my long term goals. After graduation I intend to apply to graduate
school, and developing the ability to work in a research environment provides
useful preparation. My experience working on this project has proven a
particularly satisfying experience in light of this relevance for the future. Furthermore,
I have enjoyed working on this project immensely and I look forward to continuing
my work in the coming semester.
