For Boris: What Would I Do?

Boris asked: If you had to choose your line of work again, would it still be the same, i.e. awesome rocketry with NASA (personal bias showing through)? What would be your second choice?

Good question, Boris. It should be one I can answer in a few short sentences. But I can't.

It's an excellent question because I'm not sure how much I "chose" this one. See, I am a rare beastie, an accidental engineer. I'd never had the slightest interest or inclination to do anything math related. Oh, science and math were fun and I enjoyed it, but only about as much as I enjoyed history and literature. I always intended to be a writer/novelist. The only thing in question was what would I do for a day job while I waited to get my book(s) written and sold. Stephanie likes eating.

I could do math, of course, in fact, it was so easy for me it was boring to me, which is likely one reason I never intended to pursue it. I think I'd always assumed I'd do foreign languages (which I enjoy great deal) or journalism or genetic engineering. I know, weird choices. Except, journalism, in high school, bored me silly. Writing the "truth" didn't hold any interest for me compared to fiction and I wasn't sure how to make money with foreign languages short of teaching. And genetic engineering wasn't offered at any of my immediate college choices.

But I wasn't set or picky. After all, I was going to write. So, since I was bright (and had excellent SAT and ACT scores - types of proficiency exams), I started applying for scholarships, a lot of them, anything. I figured wherever I had scholarships, I'd pursue.

Which is how I ended up with Engineering Physics - because I could get a scholarship from the Engineering department and a scholarship from the physics department. And, once I started in what I soon discovered was the "hardest" major on campus, I was too stubborn to get out. I wasn't going to let it beat me. I found my job with the same sort of muddling. I wanted to live somewhere "warm", didn't particularly want to do defense or quality assurance and definitely not petroleum. That left NASA.

Why did I tell you all that? Because, knowing what I know now and having an opportunity to get any major I wanted and work wherever I wanted, I think I'd do the same thing. I was exposed to all the science and every major type of engineering, and I like what I ended up with better than anything else. It's more real and practical that straight physics, more predictable than biology, smells better than chemistry, yet it's also far more versatile than any straight engineering field. But it also incorporates bits and pieces of all of it.

I used to think I would have been better off working for NASA directly (which I missed because I'd already accepted an offer with a contractor). Now, I'm glad that my background is more diverse (bioengineering, human factors, environmental science, robotics, calibration, safety, EVA, etc. etc.). And I love where I work now, more freedom, more variety.

So, honestly, if I could do it all over again, I probably wouldn't have changed anything. I wonder sometimes about genetic engineering. But I'm not unhappy, even with some of the frustrations I've run into along the way. I believe in what I do and believe I've made a difference.

So, call that I'd choose the same, with genetic engineering as a second choice.

However, I do have some regrets. I wish I'd pursued some singing training. I wish I'd pursued languages more so I was actually fluent. And I wish I'd pursued the writing itself more assiduously.

But, all in all, I'm good.

Read more...

For Aron: So, How Was College?

Aron Sora asked: Do you have any funny/interesting stories from your college days?

I do. Remembering them, of course, is easier said than done and, in my experience, what I remember fondly or as an amusing anecdote rarely translates well when I try to tell them.

There are some stories about my limited number of men/boy relationships, but I can't imagine they would be of the least interest to anyone. I have a few conversations I had regarding religion, gay rights, a few other philosophical things, but they would sound more pointed than I'd like if I related them, more like a lecture. And then there were just some weird ones.

But I guess the ones that would matter most to someone going to college would be the ones having to with grades and my lessons learned.

Like the time I missed a final in one of my early Electrical Engineering classes. My freshman year wasn't particularly challenging and, as a result, I developed some pretty bad habits, like skipping a lot of classes, particularly if I had a "buddy" in it. I did the homework (ALWAYS do the homework) and took the tests, but it was an early class and I'm not an early person. I rarely went. Which is how I missed the probable repeated reminders that the final exam was not at the time scheduled for it's class time but as a unified exam (all segments taking it at the same time) - just like it said in the syllabus. This can still work out, of course, if the unified exam takes place at a later date than the scheduled time, but, in this case, it came four days before. So, there I am, studying for a test, calling up my buddy to ask about a review question. Why do you want to know, he asks me. For the final, I tell him. Didn't you already take it? It never occurred to him to make sure I knew the right time. After all, it was in the syllabus.

Word to the wise, physics (and likely other sciences) can be pretty reasonable if you miss a final or a test or, well, most anything. In my experience, they can be pretty laid back and cool. I've seen people who slept through the final one semester, show up, in bathrobes and bunny slippers, the next semester to take the test and turn the I into a real grade. But, in the Engineering College, at least at my university, it didn't work that way. Oh, they sympathized, they really did. But I got a big fat zero on my final test. My first C in a class, in my entire life, and I loved it with all my heart because it wasn't the F I expected.

Here's the weird part. This professor, who I clearly didn't see often ('cause I skipped his class a LOT), whose final I missed and then bitched about (to no avail), he sees me walking to class. More than that, he hailed me like I was a favorite student and asked me what I was taking that semester. Then, when I told him, he told me I'd had no problem with any of those classes; they were easy for someone like me. Weird.

Then there was my FORTRAN class, which was painfully easy. Computers and I understand each other. We're both quite adept at straight line logic and speak algebra, so it was just a matter of knowing the right terminology to go with the compiler. The class was 2.5 hours Tuesdays and Thursdays and the work was simple. The teacher would put the assignment on the board and then spend 2.5 hours explaining all the tools we'd need to do the work. 'Cept they were readily available in the book, too. I'd write down the assignment, write the program (usually a dozen or so lines - quite simple), debug it. All in all, it would take me maybe 20 minutes. I didn't see any point in sticking around a class to learn what I'd already done, so I'd get up and leave, go down to the (surprise!) empty computer room (personal computers were not ubiquitous then) and input my program, run it, print it and leave. I never got less than a 96 on my homework. I got the second highest grade on the midterm and I know I aced the final (though I never saw the score). I got a B in the course. Clearly, he graded on attendance and that seemed desperately unfair. Clearly, I got it. Oh well. Flit would have likely been torqued at me too if she'd been teaching it.

Ah, and then there was my other class on Electrical Engineering. Tough class, tough subject and the teacher was notorious. I knew several students that deliberately took it as an underclassman because they expected to fail it a couple of times. Although nominally an exceptional test taker, there was something about that class, that subject that switched my brain off at test time. I did all the homework, answered well in class. Studied the subject until I knew my diagrams and review problems like the back of my hand. But, then, I'd walk into the test and, apparently, leave my brain at the door. Here's the test, with problems just like on the review questions, except they switched the direction of one diode and I'd realize I had no idea how to do it. Oh, I knew it after I left, because I'd pick up my brain on the way out and it would tell me all the things I got wrong and why. I never worked harder for a C in my life, though I managed it. I'm lucky. I know there are people who have this happen to them on every test. At least, for me, it was only one class.

I hate electrical engineering to this day.

One last word of advice. Never take classical physics and quantum physics in the same semester, since you have to unlearn one to learn the other. Just sayin'.

Read more...

For Flit: What Was Your Answer?

Flit asked: What sort of system did YOU design ...and did he recognize your brilliance and give you a decent mark for it?
OK, I was hoping someone would ask me. :)

So, we come in with our projects. Now, this was an upper level class and had a prerequisite (which no one told me about) so it was my first design project. It was not the first one for the other students.

The project which I described yesterday was a "personal fire escape device" for high rise buildings (~10 floors), with a 300 pound limit, a minimum and maximum speed, cost per unit, etc. It was pretty clear, although not said out loud, that the teacher was looking for a braking system for a cable/harness system. Ostensibly this was in response to tragedies like the MGM Grand Hotel fire and to reduce insurance liability. In case of fire, the hotel guest would strap on diaper attached to a cable in a black box and leap from the window, confident that the device would save him.

I went into the reasons why the proposal as written didn't work for me on yesterday's post. Feel free to check it out. So, if I didn't like the proposal, what did I do instead?

Well, I completely scrapped the "personal" fire escape device. I couldn't see a way for it to be flexible enough to work for families, be inaccessible for nonemergencies but reliably available for emergencies and be maintainable. So, if I, the scaredy cat, wouldn't want to jump out the window tied to a harness, I thought, what would work for me?

So, I came up with a notion of a rotating net on each side of the building, which one could reach out,grab, and ride right down. Hooks could be provided to help you stay on. You could move out of the way if there was fire directly beneath you. It was not inherently limited to weight. It was easily maintained (four winches on the roof with a backup generator in case power was discontinued), and the net, nominally rolled around it's rotor was only released in case of emergency. It addressed most of the issues I had with the original premise. As an added bonus, a fireman could actually ride the net up and over (or the net could be reversed if necessary) to help rescue people who are trapped or too afraid to come down. See my quick sketch from memory.

The winches were sized appropriately. The net was made of Kevlar (fire resistant) with a wire core to help it hold it's shape if it were exposed to direct flame.

The response to my idea was not what I expected. "That isn't what we asked for." The teacher was confused. The other students were confused. No one had any idea why I chose something different.

"I know," I said, "the other idea wouldn't work and here's why." (I had sketches demonstrating the problems). When I questioned those that provided solutions where they hadn't accounted for the issues, I got a lot of perplexed looks. No one had thought of them. No one understood why I was asking those questions (although those questions - gasp! - get asked in the real world).

Now, I mentioned that say 36/40 students did the cable/braking design, but there were a few that did something a little different. I remember three of them.

One involved jumping into "some sort of panty-hose" like material that would slow one down. The person who proposed it had no understanding that the forces required to slow a person don't just disappear - it's friction and that creates heat. Falling ten stories, it creates a lot of heat. Also, how do you size it? If you get a fat person, you can plug the whole thing up (he had them on every corner of the building as opposed to each room so multiple people would use them). Someone too skinny could slam into the ground (or someone below them). Nor could I think of any pantyhose-like material that could withstand fire or heat. The designer couldn't either.

Another involved a winch in every room that would allow escapees to walk backwards down the side of a building at 4 mph (because Boy Scouts can walk 4 mph), a building covered with windows. Asking if that wasn't a bit challenging got me a blank look and the designer had given no thought to the maintenance (or cost) of a winch in every room.

But I have to give top laurels to the parachute material design though. One individual (who deserves credit for originality) proposed tubes made of parachute material pleated into a tube kept in the ceiling that would shoot out the window at 45 degrees so that people could slide down. There would be a trickle of water to help with friction, but we were missing a method for entering said tube. But more than that, again the physics weren't fully thought out. What happens if the tube gets water (or a person) but the end isn't weighed down? So much for the 45 degree angle. A little water and the tube will end up flat against the building unless you weight the ends. Why not weight the ends? Imagine if you will, tubes shooting out of the building in every direction, heavily weighted.

So, now you know. I got a C, but I think I surprised everyone. Also, I was apparently missing pieces of the project I didn't know about. If it makes you feel better, I ended up with an A in the class and the respect of the professor. And I learned a valuable lesson that I have seen played out a hundred times.

Now I play to my strong suit and professionally ask the hard questions so that our designs end up better than they might have otherwise. So, it's all good.

Read more...

For Aron: Double Major

Aron said: I'm thinking about double majoring. Some form of engineering (Still deciding which type, but I'm leaning towards mechanical) and sociology. Am I insane for even considering that? I love looking at how technology effects society, but I need a technical background to go into space habitation.

You're not insane, but what you're proposing is very challenging, especially if reading is still a struggle for you.

On the one hand, I absolutely love the idea of stretching the boundaries of a single engineering degree. In my opinion, engineers too often have tunnel vision, are clueless about the implications of their designs, of the big picture.

Let me tell you a story. My first engineering design class in college was for mechanical engineering. Our first design project in this class was a "personal fire escape device" for high rise buildings (~10 floors), with a 300 pound limit, a minimum and maximum speed, cost per unit, etc. It was pretty clear, although not said out loud, that the teacher was looking for a braking system for a cable/harness system. Ostensibly this was in response to tragedies like the MGM Grand Hotel fire and to reduce insurance liability. In case of fire, the hotel guest would strap on diaper attached to a cable in a black box and leap from the window, confident that the device would save him.

Immediately, my mind balked. I'm afraid of heights (a not unusual fear) and I know for a fact I could not leap from a window strapped to diaper no matter how much I wanted to. But that wasn't all I found wrong inherently with the concept:

• 300 pound limit. I'm the oldest of seven children and I was used to sharing a hotel room with the rest of my family when we were children. My parents alone break the limit. Who decides who stays behind and who goes? How does a harness address multiple individuals (as couples also frequently stay in hotel rooms together). I don't see how you can assure everyone is svelte.
• Maintainability. Imagine how hard it would be to maintain these items with a harness and cable in every hotel room. People would shove pencil tips in it or step on it or mess with the cables. Why? Who knows but I've seen professionals unable to control themselves - regular people do crap like that. What's more, inadvertent contamination: (drinks, fluids, dirt, dust debris) can have drastic impacts to the characteristics of the braking system. And, without opening the item up,the damage would be almost undetectable. The maintenance cost (and/or unreliability) would be huge.
• People are at the mercy of the device. Even if it works perfectly as designed it can fail. The weight limit (0-300) is too broad to preclude the possibility of someone slender left stranded on the side of a burning building or someone heavy slamming into the ground at too high a speed. You jump away from the building, but the braking system just means you'll be slammed back against the building. If there's a huge fire beneath you, you have no options but going into it. If someone jumps out below you at the same time, you may slam into them - feet are better designed for unexpected impacts than heads, let me tell you. Any potential failure will be taken by the media as a clarion call - even if the vast majority make it out safety using the device - because the failures will sell newspapers/get viewers. That also spells lawsuit and isn't going to help with insurance premiums.
  
• Non-emergency usage. By having it accessible in every room, you make it possible that some bored teenager or other thrill seeker won't be able to keep himself from trying out this emergency device in a non-emergency situation. There is no happy answer on this. Even if it works perfectly and the moron ends up unharmed, an angry parent is likely to want to sue (sadly, it's the USA) for putting their child at risk. And, if it fails, leaving a scrawny kid stranded on the side of the building or letting someone fall spectacularly to injury or death, again, the media will be all over it. So much for it being a good thing and who will trust it if a real emergency comes along?

Well, you get the picture. Within five minutes, I decided the proposal was fundamentally flawed so I set to work on what might accomplish the same thing, bring people to the ground at the same rate, for the same cost, but be readily maintainable, not accessible except in emergency, and be usable to by families, heavy/skinny people, and be something even a scaredy cat like me might use. I'd tell you about my solution, but this post is going to be long enough as it is.

What astonished me when we presented our results was that 36 out of, say, 40 students presented a harness/cable/braking in room system exactly as proposed. I'm sure most took pains to use the right materials and do the right math, but none of them had thought about how usable and useful it was. Even when I brought up my objections to the concept, my teacher defended it by saying someone had designed such a thing for emergency use on a roller coaster. Aside from the fact my issues were largely not applicable to the roller coaster scenario, he explained that it failed because they used aluminum instead of steel for the braking mechanism. That was my first experience in having a concept defended by catastrophic failure (someone was injured or died on the roller coaster device, apparently). It was, sadly, not my last.

So, what I'm saying long-windedly is that I think looking outside the engineering box is a wonderful thing for an engineer to do. I think it's wonderful you want to do so.

Is it insane? I don't know. Only you can decide. Even for the best and brightest, I think that's a pretty hefty challenge, but I can't say it's beyond you. Try. Even the interest in expanding your horizons make you a better engineer.

My only caveat is to not let it overwhelm you. Remember, what you need is the information, the knowledge, the perspective. If taking extra courses or writing extra papers looks like it's going to overwhelm you, don't be afraid of backing off of the double major and trying to learn that stuff on your own, either through auditing courses, reading required reading on your own or making nice with students in that field to open your own horizons. Burnout won't accomplish either goal. Understand your limitations and try to aim for things that push but don't break them.

I think it would be incredible if you could do this - and I don't know any reason you couldn't - but don't be discouraged if it's overwhelming. Learn all you can and you'll still be a better engineer for trying.

Read more...