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.