An Introduction...
Engineering for people has been a constant piece in my academics, research, and extracurricular activities at Olin. While this does not address one Grand Challenge in particular, it is a mindset encapsulated within the “Joy of Living” Grand Challenge theme that embodies the way engineering will need to move in the future to address the biggest challenges we will uncover. Engineers will eventually be able to solve the Grand Challenges of today since technology will ever be advancing. My hope is that by taking a holistic approach to addressing the Grand Challenges by focusing on a theme instead of on a particular challenge, I can have a larger impact by showcasing (and proving the worth of and need for) human-centered engineering to the rest of the world.
The stereotypical engineer focuses on problem-solving using the latest and greatest technological advances. He or she confronts problems and weighs the technical feasibility of the solution to decide which direction to move in. I (and increasingly more engineers) approach engineering from a different perspective – that of first working with the people experiencing the problem, then redefining the problem in terms of their needs, and finally addressing the problem from the perspectives of those who are dealing with it. I find that this approach ensures that the problem being addressed is the right one and that the user is more satisfied with the product. For example, in my first semester at Olin, I built a koala toy for fourth graders. Throughout the project I never spoke to fourth graders nor asked their opinions about what makes a good toy. When it got to demo day, the fourth graders were unimpressed with my toy since I hadn't focused on what it looked like, which was a major value of theirs. In contrast, during my second semester I worked with an older adult to design two products that directly addressed problems in her life. The products were designed with her after studying what she actually needed, and they bettered her life significantly because of it.
I have chosen to focus my reflection around the Joy of Living theme but have also worked in the theme spaces of Health and Sustainability. This portfolio will illustrate some of my projects at Olin that have had the greatest impact on my growth and development as an engineer. In order to demonstrate the interdisciplinarity of my Olin experience, I have chosen to provide a brief reflection on how I have incorporated each of the Grand Challenge pieces into my self-defined major in Human-Centered Design Engineering, and then to give more context on ten projects afterward in a portfolio-style document.
The stereotypical engineer focuses on problem-solving using the latest and greatest technological advances. He or she confronts problems and weighs the technical feasibility of the solution to decide which direction to move in. I (and increasingly more engineers) approach engineering from a different perspective – that of first working with the people experiencing the problem, then redefining the problem in terms of their needs, and finally addressing the problem from the perspectives of those who are dealing with it. I find that this approach ensures that the problem being addressed is the right one and that the user is more satisfied with the product. For example, in my first semester at Olin, I built a koala toy for fourth graders. Throughout the project I never spoke to fourth graders nor asked their opinions about what makes a good toy. When it got to demo day, the fourth graders were unimpressed with my toy since I hadn't focused on what it looked like, which was a major value of theirs. In contrast, during my second semester I worked with an older adult to design two products that directly addressed problems in her life. The products were designed with her after studying what she actually needed, and they bettered her life significantly because of it.
I have chosen to focus my reflection around the Joy of Living theme but have also worked in the theme spaces of Health and Sustainability. This portfolio will illustrate some of my projects at Olin that have had the greatest impact on my growth and development as an engineer. In order to demonstrate the interdisciplinarity of my Olin experience, I have chosen to provide a brief reflection on how I have incorporated each of the Grand Challenge pieces into my self-defined major in Human-Centered Design Engineering, and then to give more context on ten projects afterward in a portfolio-style document.