Independent Component 1 Update!

~Spar of an aircraft wing. One thing we looked at was the different types of aircraft structures and their various components. There are several factors that determine them, including the nature of use, the availability of materials, and the method manufacturing.

Today for mentorship, I started working on my independent component. We started the day off by brainstorming ideas for my independent component. In order to help me find a clear direction to with for my senior project, my mentor and I created a document and planned out my entire independent component 1. We created a central thesis or essential question in order to help me find the necessary research for the component, some background information I should research, and experimentation ideas that will help me find qualitative and quantitative data to be used as supportive evidence for my answer. We also had to change some aspects of my I.C. 1, like expanding on the design and research phase, while scaling down the building phase. When I had initially planned out my independent component, I was expecting the building phase to be this big and challenging phase; however, when my mentor and I decided to base my I.C. thesis around additive manufacturing, we had to change the entirety of the building phase. I decided that this change would be beneficial because it would also allow me to expand on the design, research, and testing phase. In other words, with the changes in the building phase, I would be able to come up with better designs, and test multiple components.

Gameplan

Blog 11 – Lesson 1 Reflection

~Aerodynamics is one of the things I talked about in my senior lesson. It is one of the four design processes in Aeronautics.

1. What are you most proud of in your lesson, and why?
1. I think that there are a lot of good things that went well with the lesson. First, I was able to manage my time properly and plan out/practice my presentation multiple times before the actual lesson. Next, I believe that I was successful in keeping the whole class engaged in my lesson. Although I was not able to use good props, I was still able to use what I had effectively to enhance the overall quality of my presentation. Last and most important, the information I talked about in my lesson was both interesting and significant. I was actually very happy that I was able to talk about my topic the way I did today, because it gave the class a sort of short preview of my senior topic.
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson? Explain why you earned that grade using evidence from the component contract.
1. On my lesson, I believe that I deserve a P(8.5/10) because I was able to meet all of the requirements and did well in them. I do not believe that I deserve anything higher because it was still far from a perfect presentation. Unfortunately, I was unable to find good props to use for my presentation. Moreover, I also forgot to bring some of the props that I was planning on using. Fortunately, I was still able to make-do with the simple props I had.
3. If you could go back, what would you change about your lesson?  How can you use that knowledge to give a better Lesson 2?
1. If I would go back, I would definitely try to use better props throughout my presentation to help keep the audience more interested. Moreover, I think I would have tried to think of ways to go above and beyond in my lesson. The reason I did not really try to think of these is because I was unsure of how the first lesson would go. I actually wanted to use the first lesson to test myself and see how I can go about with my senior topic. For the lesson 2, I think I just need to be more organized and be more creative.

Blog 10 – Interview 2 Reflection

~The James Webb Space Telescope, also widely known as the Next Generation Space Telescope, is the successor instrument to the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope is one example that my mentor, Eric Fodran, talked about during my interview and mentorship on October 30th. 

1. Please explain how you are spending your mentorship time (Is it at a workplace or somewhere else?  Are you shadowing?  Are you able to do tasks that are meaningfully related to the topic?  If so, what?  Are there other people who are experts in the location?  Etc...)
• Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to spend a lot of mentorship time with Dr. Fodran. Yesterday, October 30th, 2015, was the first time I met him. We spent the entire time going through the historical gallery of the visitors center at Northrop Grumman, discussed about the Aerospace field and talked about ways I fulfill my mentorship hours with him.
2. How did you find your mentor?  How did you convince this person to help you?
• I found my mentor through my first interviewee, Kristina Lopez. After my first interview, Kristina Lopez and I exchanged contact informations and she was able to hand my contact information over to Eric Fodran. Both Dr. Fodran and Ms. Lopez work at northrop Grumman Corporation. Ms. Lopez was the one who had asked Dr. Fodran if he could help me with my senior project; however, it was only after my interview with Dr. Fodran that I was able to fully explain to him what the senior project is and how he can help me.
3. How would you rate your comfort level with your mentor at this point in your relationship?  How does this relate to the time you've spent so far at mentorship/with this person
• Even though I only met Dr. Fodran yesterday, I would probably rate my comfort level at around 6/7 out of 10. Initially, I was intimidated knowing that he has a PhD in engineering. I was actually afraid of saying or doing something stupid in front of him; however, meeting him in person really helped me because now I at least know what he looks like, how he acts, etc. I think that Dr. Fodran is someone who I can definitely spend time with for my senior project. He seemed to be very laid-back but at the same time, was also very knowledgeable on my field of interest.
• Obviously safety is very important, I had to take in the fact that his workplace is about an hour away from school. Knowing that he does work at Northrop Grumman--which is an American aerospace and defense company--also relieved me of some stress that he is dangerous/someone I cannot trust.
4. What went well in this interview?  Why do you think so?  What do you still need to improve?  How do you know?  How will you go about it?
• I believe that I was able to obtain some very valuable information pertaining to my senior topic. It also allowed me to talk to my mentor about how he can help me with the senior project throughout the year. I think it’s because of how the conversation flowed. Even after I stopped recording the audio(for the interview), there weren’t really any awkward moments in the conversation. He seemed to be very curious about the senior project and tried to think of ways to help me. He tried to think of possible discussion questions I can use for my senior topic, and also tried to think of ways I can do my mentorship hours with him. I believe that for my next interview, I should probably word my interview questions better. While my questions did lead to meaningful discussions, he often had to ask for clarifications on what I was asking. I will be able to do this by using my prep time more effectively(e.g. spending more time thinking about questions I might ask).

Interview 2 Audio

Interview 2 Text

Blog 9 – Advisory Prep 3

~McDonnell Douglas DC-10 assembly line.

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).
• My mentor is Eric Fodran. I am hoping to  do my interview on Saturday,October 24, 2015, in person. This will be my first time meeting him because he has just gotten back from a business trip.
2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   
• I am really interested in aircraft manufacturing and aircraft designing. I find aircraft manufacturing to be really promising because of the amount of research I can do. There are just so many factors that go into aircraft manufacturing, like manufacturing strategies that can improve the cost effectiveness of aircraft. Moreover, the actual quality of any product depends on the manufacturing process. While I do believe that there is really nothing wrong with current manufacturing techniques, I think that there are ways to improve them. The other area I am interested in is the designing phase. When I picked my senior topic, aerospace engineering, I always thought of the design phase. I wanted to learn more about how an aircraft is designed and tested; however, as I did research throughout the year, I learned that being able to find mentorship on this is very hard and is almost impossible. First, finding a mentorship who will allow you to talk about the projects they are working on is impossible; finding a mentor by itself is hard. Next, even if I did find a suitable mentor for this topic, it would be difficult for me to learn what they are doing. Designing an aircraft involves a lot of math; mostly math that I have not done yet.
3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?
• I think that I can gain more research depth by finding scholarly articles and research journals. In fact, I am already trying to do this using the Cal Poly Pomona databases. In addition to this, I can also use textbooks and articles from the Cal Poly Pomona library.
4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.
• How can one reach maximum cost efficiency with today’s feasible technology?
• I really like this question because it can be answered in many ways. For example, I talked about how the manufacturing process determines the quality of the aircraft. According to one of the research articles I’ve read, “Design for Manufacturing of Composite Structures for Commercial Aircraft – the Development of a DFM Strategy at SAAB Aerostructures,” the manufacturing process is actually what determines the aircraft’s price.  Another way I can answer this is by using the other sub-topic of Aerospace–the design process. For example, fuel efficiency of aircraft is something that engineers always try to improve on. This can be achieved in multiple ways, with the two biggest being the wing design and the engine design. These are only two ways I can answer this essential question. I believe that with more research I can find more specific answers to this.

Blog 8 – Independent Component 1 Proposal

~While the Wright Brothers' first successful powered flight is the most well known events in aviation history, there have been countless other attempts in flying before that. In fact, gliders(specialized aircraft that does not use engines) were already being used by those who wanted to create the first successful powered aircraft.  

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
• For my independent component, I want to build a small aircraft from scratch. I plan on using cheap recyclable materials like plastic, wood, etc. to build this. The aircraft will most likely be a glider because the addition of engines might overcomplicate the entire project. I am, however, open to any changes that might be needed. If I happen to get the necessary knowledge/skills, then there is a possibility that I will include engines, flaps, and other moving parts that will give me control over the aircraft. The entirety of the project is divided into 4 stages(phases), and, if time allows, will have an additional film stage. The 4 main stages are comprised of research, design, building, and testing. All four stages will most likely overlap at one point, but I will still record each phase individually. The additional stage(filming) will be to record the building and testing phases.
2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
• To meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence, I plan to divide this into 4 stages(phases): research, design, building and testing.
1. The first stage, research, will most likely take 4-8 hours. I think that this will be done in one or two mentorship days. I understand that research check is separate from independent component and I intend to do these two separately; there is, however, a possibility that some of the sources I use on research check and independent component will overlap. During this stage, I also want to spend time looking for the best materials I can use for the project.
2. The second stage, design, will probably take a considerable amount of time. During the design phase, I intend to use the information I obtained from the research phase to make a practical design for the aircraft. The main difference between the first and second stage is that in the first stage, my goal is to compile as much information as I can on simple aircraft designs, while the latter is to narrow down and combine these designs into one that I can use. In the design stage, I also intend to build small “prototypes” using cardboard to see which design works and which doesn’t. The entirety of the design phase will probably take 8-12 hours.
3. The third stage, building, will most likely be the longest. I think that during the building stage, I will spend about 15-20 hours of work. There will most likely be about 2 or more aircraft build in total. The reason being is that I am almost sure that the first design will have many flaws. It is important to know that some aspects of the design phase will most likely overlap with the building phase.
4. The last stage is the testing phase. In this stage, I will be testing the final aircraft and see how it performs. The duration of the testing phase will depend on how the final aircraft performs; however, I think that this phase will most likely take at least 3 hours. I believe that the testing phase will occur sometime during and after the building phase.
• Note: In addition to blog posts, I also intend to record the entire building and testing stages using a short video. Editing this will probably take about 3-5 hours.
• By adding up the minimum estimates of the 4 stages, I will have 30 hours. If I include the recording process (video filming, setting up, editing, etc.) I will have over 30 hours. This means that even if I fall short on one of the stages (in terms of how long it will take), I can use the additional “filming stage” to make sure I reach the minimum 30 hours.
3. Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
• As you might already know, my senior topic is aerospace engineering. Through the research I have done so far, I have been looking at how an aircraft works. I’ve looked into the different parts of an airplane, the forces that act upon an aircraft and how these forces are utilized to make airplanes(and other aircraft in general) more effective. It’s one thing to read about how airplanes work, but it’s also another to actually understand how they work firsthand.By building an aircraft that actually flies, I can have a better understanding of what the early pioneers of aviation had to go through. In other words, I want to have a firsthand experience of being able to make something of my own. Moreover, this project will also show me why certain designs are ineffective.
4. Update your Senior Project Hours log.
• Unfortunately, there is nothing for me to update on my senior project hours log. I haven’t done my mentorship yet (besides summer mentorship) because I was only able to get a mentor after my first interview. To add on to that, my mentor, Dr. Eric Fodran, had to leave on a business trip and is unsure whether or not he can return in time for my interview. I am currently looking for another mentor so that I can catch up on my hours. I am still interested in mentoring for Dr. Fodran, but because I don’t know when he will return, I would rather look for someone else so that I can use my time effectively.
• Senior Project Hours Link

Blog 7 – Second Interview Preparation

~A photograph of an RQ-4 Global Hawk, an unmanned surveillance aircraft(UAV), manufactured by Northrop Grumman, an American global aerospace and defense company that provides innovative products, systems, and solutions to government and commercial customers worldwide. 

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?
• My mentor is  Dr. Eric Fodran. He works in Prod Ops Manufacturing Technology Development at Northrop Grumman in El Segundo, California. To be honest, I don’t really know much about him or his work because I haven’t met him yet. We’ve only been able to communicate through email because he has been very busy.
2. What five questions will you ask them about their background?
• Where did you go for your college education?
• What did you hope to become? Is this the career you wanted growing up?
• When did you start working in this field?
• Can you tell me about the experiences you’ve had in this field(memorable moments, hardships, etc.)?
• Are there any noticeable patterns with the people who work in this field? What are some of the skills and characteristics required for your work?

Blog 6 – Advisory Prep

~"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  
• So far I have had a few things working well for me concerning the senior project. The most important being the amount of research articles and sources I can use. Like my interviewee said, the aerospace industry is bigger than most people think. It is so big that I never really had any difficulties finding research sources. Another thing that has worked well for me is probably the help I am receiving from others regarding my senior topic. Without their help, I probably wouldn't have been able to accomplish much other than research. Meeting people who actually work in the field has made this a positive experience for me. I even enjoy doing research on my own because of the things I learn from it; however, the other sources I use for my senior topic, like my summer mentorship or my interview, has made this whole experience so much better.
2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?
• The only thing I am finding difficult concerning senior project is probably time and work management. I know this shouldn’t be a problem but I find it hard to keep myself on top of my work. I always do my work and finish on time, but I usually wait until 1 or 2 days before the due date before taking things seriously. I can improve on this by keeping a schedule and actually convincing myself to do my work early. The reason I really want to improve is because I don’t want to make this a habit. Procrastinating only causes stress(for the most part) and lowers the quality of work. I don’t really know how the senior team can help other than making sure we do our work.

Blog 5 – Interview 1 Reflection

~Government procurement, also known as public procurement or public tendering, is the act of obtaining goods or services for a public agency. This form of federal government contracting is the same as private contracting, with the latter being more heavily regulated.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?
• Prior to this interview, I always thought that finding a mentorship/internship opportunity was impossible for a high school student; however, Kristina Lopez actually told me about how Aerospace companies are always looking for high school and college students who are interested in learning about the Aerospace field. For my other interviews, I would definitely try to be more prepared with more questions. Although I do like how my interview went, I still wish that I was able to ask her more questions.
2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?
• Kristina Lopez, my interviewee, was able to help me find a potential mentor for my senior topic. Although not part of the sound file provided, Kristina also talked about trying to help me find people and places I can approach that will help me with my senior project. Getting additional contacts is probably the most useful because it will greatly help me in finding the necessary resources for my senior project.
3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?
• Kristina Lopez works at Northrop Grumman to buy aircraft parts for the government. I wasn’t able to ask about her college education or her previous experiences in the aerospace industry because I didn’t know how to ask it in a way that wouldn’t be awkward. I think that she is qualified to help me because she can give me an insight into the military aspect of the aerospace field.

Interview 1 Audio

Interview 1 Text

Blog 4 – House Advisory Prep

~I hope that by the end of the senior project, I will know more about this "magic" that lets airplanes fly.

I see the senior project as an important step in developing the necessary skills that will help me succeed in my life during and after college. I chose aerospace engineering as my senior project topic because I have always wanted to pursue a career in aviation. Through my senior project topic, I am hoping to gain knowledge that will give me a better understanding of the aerospace industry as a whole. I also hope that through the senior topic, I can improve upon the necessary life skills like time management, prioritization, note taking, communication, and organization.

Blog 3 – First Interview Preparation

~Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine used to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is Boeings most fuel efficient commercial airliner; one of the two different engine models used by the B787 is the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine. Although not related to the interview, I chose to include this picture in my blog post because of the important role it plays in the Aerospace industry. According to the Rolls Royce website, the Trent 1000 Engines are "shorter, stiffer, lighter and more FOD (Foreign Object Damage) resistant than its equivalent 2 shaft engine." This not only makes the engines for efficient, but also lessens the rate of deterioration the engines face over time.

1. Who do you plan to interview?  Why?
• I plan to interview Kristina Lopez. She works for Northrop Grumman and is in charge of purchasing and doing inventory of airplane parts. Even though Kristina Lopez is not an aerospace engineer, I chose her for my first interview because I want to delve deeper into different sectors of the aerospace industry.
2. Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions.  What are open-ended questions? Click here!
• What are some of the most interesting/exciting experiences you’ve had while working here?
• What is the best part of your job?
• What are your thoughts about the growing use of different/more advanced composite materials in commercial aircraft?
• What kind of things should one interested in aviation be looking forward to? (E.g. what kind of classes should a high school student try to take?)
• In what ways do you see improvement in this sector of the aerospace industry?

Blog 2 – Summer Mentorship

Senior Project Hours

~A photo I took of Space Shuttle Independence outside the Space Center Houston. During the summer, I was also able to go to the Space Center Houston, part of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I figured it would actually be a good idea since it directly relates to my senior topic.

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.
• Name: Eduardo Quevedo
• Phone number: (626) 290-9384
• Organization: Boeing
2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?
• He is an aircraft mechanic who graduated with an associates degree in aviation maintenance from Mt. Sac in 2010. Although he does not hold a high position, I found Eduardo to be an expert in my topic choice because of his experience as an aircraft mechanic.
3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.
• How will the growing competition between aircraft manufacturers and commercial airlines affect the quality of aircraft?
• What are some of the biggest milestones in Aerospace and how have they changed the industry?
• Should aircraft manufacturers be more reliant on new technology? Why or why not?
4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
• The most important thing I gained from this experience was knowledge about typical complications aircraft mechanics face while working with aircraft. I found this to be the most important thing from the experience because learning about the problems of the aerospace industry would give me a better understanding my topic.
5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.
• My senior project is going to be about the aerospace industry. While I still do not know if it will be about aerospace engineering or aircraft maintenance, having my mentorship in the latter topic helped me hone down to those two. During my mentorship I learned about some of the problems old aircraft go through which is important because seeing how something behaves in the real world is sometimes a lot different than how it should be on paper. While I did enjoy this topic it was very difficult to get the initial approval from administration because of all the security protocols. Now that I have the approval and some experience though, I believe finding mentorship in aerospace engineering or continuing with aircraft maintenance should be much easier.

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

~Time lapse photo of airplane takeoffs at Hannover Airport, Germany.

1. What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why? 
• Aerospace Engineering, Power Engineering, and Aircraft Museums were most helpful for me to see. Aerospace and Power Engineering showed me what a good lesson should be like, while Aircraft museums gave good examples of what I should avoid doing when presenting. For example, I really liked Power Engineering because the speaker was very clear and knowledgeable about his subject. Even during the Q&A portion of his presentation, he was able to answer all questions clearly, and proved to the audience that he was really prepared for his lesson. Aerospace Engineering was helpful for me to see because the speaker gave me a clear insight of what topics I can consider, and how and where I can approach someone for mentorship opportunities. While the Aircraft Museum lesson was not a bad lesson overall, I did not like it as much; however, it was still very helpful for me to see because it showed me big mistakes to avoid. By watching all three of these lessons, I found that it is very important to avoid certain gestures and movements, in order to prevent the audience from being distracted. I also found ways in which I can keep the audience interested in the lesson. 
2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start? 
• During the senior project interviews, I learned how I can approach someone to ask for a mentorship opportunity. The first step I should do is to email, or contact as many people I can. Once I get some responses, I was advised not to rely on one mentor, since it doesn't hurt to have more than one mentor. 
3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why? 
• I am considering topics that fall under the Aerospace field; however, I would prefer the topic of Aerospace Engineering. I picked Aerospace because it is something I have always been passionate about. Ever since I was younger, I've always been interested in Airplanes. 
4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest). 
• An idea that I find interesting to consider is something that goes into how the design affects the cost-efficiency of an aircraft. An EQ I can ask can be like "How can an airplane's wing or design best generate lift, while minimizing the amount of drag it produces?" 
5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship? 
• I already have a potential mentor that is willing to help me with my summer mentorship; however, he is not an Aerospace engineer, and works in aircraft maintenance. I am willing to do something like aircraft maintenance as my topic, but I am hoping to find more mentorship opportunities that goes with Aerospace engineering. An idea I have about finding summer mentorship is by asking friends and relatives for professionals they might know in the Aerospace industry.