Author: snicgorski

I was able to accomplish the SMART Goals I set at the beginning of the semester. My first SMART goal was to improve my coding skills which was my biggest weakness first semester. I think I improved a little bit which I am v e r y proud of. My second SMART goal was to have a successful Maker Faire project. I think our Maker Faire project could have been better but I enjoyed the process of working on it and had fun which is what’s most important. My third goal was to improve my grades from 1st semester. Unfortunately I did the opposite.

Our Field Trip to the Idea Realization Lab at Depaul University’s Loop Campus was very fun. The Lab itself was very cool and had really cool tools. One thing that I realized while at the IRL was how lucky we are at Glenbrook South. Depaul is a college and our high school Makerspace is similar and for the most part, has the same equipment and tools as a college Maker Space. DePaul had some things that we don’t have but at GBS we have a similar space which is crazy because GBS is a high school and Depaul is a college. The challenge we did in the IRL lab was very fun too. I enjoyed working with the Makey Makey and might consider using one for a future Engineering Project. My group made a small wheel that when turned left made the race car in the video game turn left, and it worked for the right side too. If we had more Materials and time we could have made something very similar to the race car games in arcades. That is crazy to think we can make something like that with simple tools. The Makey Makey is a very cool microcontroller that I look forward to using again sometime in the future. Also, we visited the Harold Washington Library which had a smaller makerspace but a lot of other cool things. I played a VR video game and also saw what a real music studio looks like. It is good to know that there are lots of fun classes and workshops for free at the library that I have access too. I thought overall it was a fun trip and a great experience.

In class, we have done a Pimp your Pumpkin project. Me and my partner, Ryan, used an Arduino and PIR sensor. The PIR Sensor detects heat moving. When a person makes movement they PIR sensor detects them and makes the LED light up. The Pumpkin then looks like it had a candle because of the orange light in it. This is a very cool seasonal project that I am excited to see Trick or Treaters reaction to it.

I though Isometric and Perspective Sketching was really cool. They were both fairly easy to learn and I am excited to apply these skills to things I am actually creating. I think these are both very important skills to learn if you are designing things. They both give the drawing so much more detail and also make everything easier to visualize. These should be very useful skills in the future. Personally, I liked Isometric better because I thought it was very cool how I could make such a detailed drawing with my lack of drawing skills. Here’s a timelapse I recorded while I was working.

The product I find most intriguing is the Bing Bin. It is a waste sorting and compacting trash can. I find this product very cool because it helps the environment and makes life easier on the user of the product. A problem almost everyone faces is that they don’t know what to recycle and what not do, or in many cases, they are too lazy to try and figure out. The Bing Bin is a great system that sorts trash by using a sensor then compacting it so you can the most out of each can. Inside there are 4 sections, one for plastics, cans, packaging, and paper. This is just for recycling products, not just regular trash. Also, it can pour out liquids if you throw away a can with lots of water in it. The main problem it solves is simple. It makes recycling easier and if more people recycle our planet will be in a lot better shape and maybe we can stop global warming.

Today in class we made a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the Scientific Method and the Design Process. We came to the realization that they are very similar but there are also key parts of each that set them apart.

I took the survey and it said my STEM type is a designer. This makes sense because I enjoy he explaining and taking on a challenge. I think I would enjoy that because I am not very handy but love trying to brainstorm. Brainstorming is fun for me and I enjoy the process of thought and the satisfaction of having a light bulb moment. I would think I would be better at designing non-high tech items. I am not very interested in computer software and tech and would rather design items that will be in stores.

On, Wednesday Colonel Jill came to talk to us about her story. She was a military colonel who rose above female stereotypes. The main thing I learned from her is to try you’re best because people will notice even if you think they don’t. She had to try even harder than the men and sometimes got down on herself but even though she didn’t suspect it people noticed how she conducted herself and the effort she gave. This eventually led to her being promoted in the army and proving stereotypes wrong. You never know who’s watching you, it could be your future boss, job interviewer, or coach. So always try and look your best once you step outside.