THESIS REFLECTION

Upon completion of the Senior Thesis Project, I took the time to reflect on the entire year long process which began in the summer of 2009 when I visited the site in New York City and finished with a presentation to faculty members in April of 2010. Although the expectations and magnintude of work appeared overwhelming initially, it wasnt long before I realized I was more than prepared for the task. With 5 years of rigorous coursework in a premier program with great professors, my problem solving skills, engineering judgement, and ability to interperet and apply the various structural codes were more than adequate.

Perhaps the most intimidating aspect of Thesis was the lack of instruction. My peers and I were given a great amount of freedom. Thesis was a great simulation of the actual design process. Aside from internships, my experience of the professional engineering world has been through textbooks and through the eyes of our professors. Therefore, this opportunity to perform independently and under pressure was very valuable to me.

Most importantly, when reflecting I realized how much I enjoy structural engineering. There is no other career I would rather pursue. Finally, upon completion of my Thesis report, I developed my own quote that represents my philosophy of design:

"Design is only restricted by the necessity to produce a safe design, for there is no single solution to any design problem. In fact, an infinite number of solutions exist, all of which have disadvantages and advantages. With this said, what is really important is proper collaboration between all individuals involved in order to yield a final product that satisfies the client, and most importantly, functions safely."

 

CPEP REFLECTION

The requirements to organize and display all our thesis work and progressions on a public website was a great aspect of the thesis course. This provided us with the opportunity to help communicate what work we did to possible future employers as well as our professors, friends, and family. Organization of the site provided us with a opportunity to use creativity to convey our thesis work. Although few of us had much experience on making websites, we all now have a legitimate amount of skill in making websites.

 

 

ABET ASSESSMENT