Adv Engineering

Domes - Project Blog Post Summary:  This project was when we had to create a dome prototype to replace the Metrodome roof after it collapsed. Ours was made out of paper mache and withstood over 80 pounds (when the passing grade was roughly 1/3 of a pound). Backward-Looking: How much did you know about the subject before we started? I knew virtually nothing about domes aside from the fact that they were used as for an aesthetic appeal in the Roman era, and that the only thing domes really did "OK" at was providing a roof over one's head and of course, looking pretty. I didn't know the proper term of a geodesic dome (domes that have geometric shapes that make up a rough dome form and distribute stress throughout the entire shape) and I didn't know anything about the Metrodome or the roof collapsing. Inward-Looking: How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like/dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piec...

Should We Expand the Use of Nuclear Energy? Radioactive waste. We’ve all heard about it. And we all know where it comes from — nuclear power plants. A nuclear power plant is an energy-creating facility where worker burn fuels such as uranium and plutonium to help generate electricity. Say no to nuclear power plants! Nuclear power plants are terribly expensive to run and release fumes into the atmosphere that are not healthy for the economy nor for the environment. And when the facility blows up, it creates a giant health hazard. I haven’t even mentioned how much waste is stored when these plants produce energy! Nuclear power plants are expensive, not to mention dangerous. To run a power plant costs at least nine billion dollars,  per unit . In the article titled, The Cost of Nuclear Power , from the Union of Concerned Scientists, the author states, “ The industry has failed to prove that things will be different this time around: soaring, uncertain...

Board Game - Project Blog Post Summary:  This project was when we had to create a board game in the hopes of being able to think like an engineer. We had to come up with a design for our board game and make sure it was fun for everybody.  Backward-Looking: How much did you know about the subject before we started? I knew what made a board game fun, but I'd never really thought about the key components to making a board game in the first place.  Inward-Looking: How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like/dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece/work?  I was very proud about this piece of work-- I felt like it truly expressed how I am as a creator of such board games and as a designer. The parts that I liked about the board game were all the designs in general-- I liked the structure of the board and the design of the cards (though I felt the design of the box itself was a bit too basic). I can't say I ...