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ETHICS IN ENGINEERING

Ethics in Engineering

For our unit on the ethics of engineering, my group, consisting of me and two other students, researched the issues, ethics, and outcomes of the Ford Pinto, an archetype of how a lack of ethics in engineering can go very wrong. Click the slides to advance through them and read our presentation.

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JPL ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

Perfect Execution

For the 2019 JPL engineering challenge, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has asked participants to design a device which is capable of launching a series of ten table-tennis balls into a 64oz Mason Jar from a distance of 5 meters. The project poses a number of design challenges which must abide by certain requirements and constraints. (Requirements can be found under the Resources tab of this site, or by clicking "JPL Requirements.")

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JPL UPDATE #1

9/20/19

So, the JPL madness has begun. In engineering class, we recently assembled groups and started working on our JPL Engineering Challenge projects. About a week ago, to get a break from the chaos of collaboration, we were instructed to research a solution to a simple problem that has had a revolutionary impact on our day-to-day lives, and create a presentation. I chose the Ball Valve (sounds simple, right?) Unbeknownst to me, it wasn't a simple solution whatsoever. In my research, I discovered the tremendous amount of products that use the ball valve to function, but also the amount of engineering and problem solving that went into making the device we use today. I think this is almost an exact reflection of what's happening with our JPL challenge, and probably with most engineering work - the problem always seems like it has a simple solution, but once building and testing has begun, the process becomes exponentially more frustrating and complex.


We're already encountering this pattern in our JPL challenge, and I'm starting to remember what is so difficult about working in groups. As far as the progress we've made in our ping-pong ball challenge, I feel as though we're behind from where we should be, but I trust that my group will be able to catch up. Our current design plan uses a series of springs and strings which propel the ping-pong balls one at a time, and I think the way my group is handling the technicalities of the design may lead to some critical faults. Our main issue is that we have not settled on a method for getting the ball from the air into the mason jar. I can think of a decent solution for at least a few of those issues, and I know that we'll be able to figure it out in the end.


Because of these flaws, I feel like my group may soon see some major design adjustments, and possibly even an entire overhaul. However, during the last couple class periods, through sketching and discussing, I've seen some major problem-solving and solutions coming out, so I am more optimistic than before.

JPL UPDATE #2

10/25/19

Change is inevitable. Our initial design consisted of a complex system of ten springs connected to weighted springs which, when the strings are cut, launch the ping pong ball into the mason jar. I think this idea is far too complicated given the resources that we have, and is simply too much to take on for a group of high school students with just over a month to design, build, and test. I've suggested some alternate ideas that I think would work better, but I'm in a group of strong-minded people, and so it's difficult to get them to change their minds.


With three weeks to spare before we need to be actively testing our design, we're far behind schedule. Knowing my group, though, I think we'll be able to pull something off, but I don't think it'll be as complex as what we had originally planned.

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At this point, we have created three stands which will hold up two angled PVC pipes through which the ball will travel into the mason jar, which I have built. 

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