Reflections

Creativity and Entrepreneurial Competencies This course involved a lot of creative thinking. Firstly, we needed to develop creative themes and ideas for our project. For example, we needed to develop a happy meal toy that kids would enjoy. Our team produced a Genie in a Bottle Toy from the Disney movie Aladdin. Furthermore, the class involved creative design thinking. The team needed to design clever systems that would fit the requirements of each project. Our final project, depicted in the video above, is a great example of creative design thinking. Each bot had to have a sensor and a reaction, as well as a system to get the ball from one bot to the next. This took a lot of creative thinking and building techniques in order to encompass all these attributes into one bot. This course involved a lot of creative thinking. Firstly, we needed to develop creative themes and ideas for our project. For example, we needed to develop a happy meal toy that kids would enjoy. Our team produced a Genie in a Bottle Toy from the Disney movie Aladdin. Furthermore, the class involved creative design thinking. The team needed to design clever systems that would fit the requirements of each project. Our final project, depicted in the video above, is a great example of creative design thinking. Each bot had to have a sensor and a reaction, as well as a system to get the ball from one bot to the next. This took a lot of creative thinking and building techniques in order to encompass all these attributes into one bot.

Technical Competencies Building Circuits Building Circuits Using solidworks and a 3D printer Using solidworks and a 3D printer Specific Techniques learned: Specific Techniques learned: Design thinking Design thinking Designing a happy meal toy Designing a happy meal toy Reverse engineering a flashlight Reverse engineering a flashlight Creating a sport bot ( see video above) Creating a sport bot ( see video above)

Courage and Resilience This class was extremely challenging because we were required to learn many new softwares and design techniques while completing each project. Each assignment had very few instructions, so it was up to the team to figure everything out for themselves. At first, this was extremely difficult, because we had no experience with these techniques. Often, the team would fail many times before ultimately building a successful project. One particularly hard skill to learn was circuit building. Having not taken the classes needed to understand the theoretical concepts of circuits, it was extremely challenging to figure out what to do when we didn’t understand why we were doing it. After a lot of research and a lot of hours of extra help, we were able to build 6 successful circuits, which was extremely rewarding. The final circuits can be seen in the above video. This class was extremely challenging because we were required to learn many new softwares and design techniques while completing each project. Each assignment had very few instructions, so it was up to the team to figure everything out for themselves. At first, this was extremely difficult, because we had no experience with these techniques. Often, the team would fail many times before ultimately building a successful project. One particularly hard skill to learn was circuit building. Having not taken the classes needed to understand the theoretical concepts of circuits, it was extremely challenging to figure out what to do when we didn’t understand why we were doing it. After a lot of research and a lot of hours of extra help, we were able to build 6 successful circuits, which was extremely rewarding. The final circuits can be seen in the above video.

Collaboration Both written papers, presentations, and videos were used to communicate our ideas. Both written papers, presentations, and videos were used to communicate our ideas. Each project involved working with a team. Teams varied from 3 to 9 people depending on the complexity of the project. Communication was extremely important to the team’s success. It was extremely beneficial to have teammates to bounce ideas off of and consult about potential design ideas. The teams that communicated the most were always the most successful. Each project involved working with a team. Teams varied from 3 to 9 people depending on the complexity of the project. Communication was extremely important to the team’s success. It was extremely beneficial to have teammates to bounce ideas off of and consult about potential design ideas. The teams that communicated the most were always the most successful.

Overall Reflection This course was the most useful course I have taken at Duke thus far. We learned many practical skills that will most definitely be used in other courses and potentially in my professional career, including solidworks, how to use the tools in the lab, and circuit building. These skills are extremely important in mechanical engineering. Furthermore, we learned how to manage large scale projects in short periods of time. I really loved the design aspect of this course. It was extremely rewarding to be able to take an idea and make it into a reality. I hope to be able to incorporate design into my professional career.