Assignment for week 3: Research Question

            During this week in class we had a discussion about teamwork, and different ways of working through problems that could arise. We moved on to continue talking about bridges and their design and different ways we should go about designing our bridge. When we split off into groups, Melissa began to work on editing the blog (which it turned out fantastic), while Chelsea and I played around with West Point Bridge design. We found designs that work, but mostly those that don’t work. In the end we have two designs that need minor changes, but that I think will end up working great in the end. Our team has agreed to meet this coming Monday to finalize our three West Point Bridge designs, make sure we have the snapshots and have uploaded them to the blog. During that meeting we also plan to talk about how we want to go about this project, what materials we will use, and so forth.

            Next week in class we will have a guest coming in to talk to us about the Library resources that we have available to us for this project. Mr. Jay Bhatt will help us answer questions about bridges by using the online resources available through the library website. If I were to ask him a few questions, I would start off by asking him what the strongest, yet most cost efficient, material today is to build a bridge. This could be used in my project, by thinking about that material we could find a material with similar qualities, just on a smaller scale. Next, I would ask him about the process used to create bridges over water. After driving to Virginia today for a Tournament, and going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, my friends and I wondered how the process worked. Did they barricade off the sections, and then create the supports from there? Lastly, I would ask about how bridges are able to withstand natural disasters. What makes them stand against hurricanes, tornadoes, and strong storms as well as they do? These are all questions that I think the library could provide useful resources for.

Kelsey McSorley 

blog design credit - oliver tillman

Week 2: Teamwork

        My group mates and I will be participating and competing in the faculty suggested Bridge Design Challenge. In this past week’s lab, the main objectives of the project and deliverables to be expected were discussed. The bridge of topic is the truss bridge, a structure that can be seen throughout the world and history. Primarily, it is a simple formation, yet very complex concept, that consists only of triangles. Our job as a team will be to take what we know and elevate it, practically, as much as we can. We were shown multiple examples of truss bridges that exist today. These can be studied and used as references as we begin to segue into the composition of the bridge. In addition, we were shown a software that will become a major tool when it comes time to test our construction. Lastly, everyone separated into their teams to create the blog that will be used to record our weekly progress.

        Teamwork is a key component in this project. If we cannot be civil to one another when discussing ideas, it will be nearly impossible to get anything done. However, and fortunately for us, we all get along well outside of the classroom and sometimes even collaborate on homework so I feel that I can predict that this will not be too much of a problem. In our case, I believe that making decisions and arranging meeting times will be our biggest obstacles. Between the three of us, there are a lot of ideas flowing. There is the possibility that there will be disagreements when expressing these ideas. This can be solved by addressing one another’s positive aspects as opposed to rejecting the entire thought. We will also have to consider why the idea might not work so that we can be careful not to apply it to our final construction. Arranging meeting times may also be a slight problem. With our busy schedules and extracurriculars, I believe this might become our biggest issue. We must sit down and openly discuss how this can be resolved. Overall, I feel that three of us have a successful work ethic and will work well together during this project. I’m very excited to use this project as a chance to get to know my future roommates better! (:

Chelsea Moss

Week 1: Pre-Lab Discussion: Teamwork

This week in class we discussed the overall objectives of this engineering section. Basically, over the course of 10 weeks we will learn about structure and design a bridge to withstand certain variables. In class we also learned about West Point Bridge Designer. We saw how certain designs could never provide a stable bridge. We also learned about tension and compression within a bridge. at the end of class I met with my teammates and we put together our blog that will chart our weekly progress.

 A major topic of discussion in this class is teamwork. Teamwork is essential to success in any group tasks. Good effective teamwork entails all 3 of the group members including myself working well together. I believe the biggest issues that my team will face that can effect our teamwork skills, are making decisions and arranging meeting times.  Due to our busy schedules and extracurricular activities it may be hard to find times to get together during the week.  This problem can easily be solved by arranging meeting times during the weekend. Another issue that will be faced is making a group decision about the project. Everyone has different ideas and it may be hard to agree on a solution. This problem can be avoided by always speaking calmly when arguing a point.  If someone has an idea everyone must listen and acknowledge the positive aspects of the idea. If a team member does not see eye to eye on an idea they can calmly state the positive aspects about the idea and then state the reasons why the idea may not work. All these strategies will result in good teamwork.

Overall I feel that between the 3 of us we will have a strong team and good teamwork skills. We all get along in normal situations so, I do not see how this would be any different. I am very excited for this project and I cannot wait to get started! 

~C. Melissa Mercado