Item 1

The first item which I am introducing is a large project undertaken for the 2^nd year course: Mechanics of Solids. Using this item, I will demonstrate the development of my analytical and leadership skills.

This project had us, a team of 12, designing a gear and pinion set for a large marine vessel. I had two major roles throughout this project. One of my roles, one which was assigned to me, was the development of gear geometry using provided loading data. Another role, one which I assumed, was to act as team manager and professor liaison.

Analytical skills are extremely important for a design engineer. Once a conceptual design is proposed, an engineer must be able to determine whether or not this idea is feasible. For this project, I needed to determine the gear geometry to suit functional requirements such as: loading conditions, service life and manufacturability. Since this was my first experience with gearing geometry, I decided to visit the library and develop a set of analytical equations to solve my problem.

Using my analytical skills, I was able to combine a series of equations where, once I inputted my functional requirements (like max applied torque), I was able to calculate the overall pitch diameter.  Later on in the project, my colleagues verified my choice of geometric requirements using computer data. This exemplifies my ability to immerse myself in unknown parameters and develop meaningful answers. This is a skill which all design engineers require.

Further, this project allowed me to hone my managerial skills. Even though there was no assigned manager, I quickly felt the need for one. Almost immediately, I noticed that the lack of a manager to keep track of things and to keep people on track was needed. Therefore, I assumed responsibility. I took it upon myself to organize team meetings and set deadlines. I also took it upon myself to make sure that intra-group deliverables were met. I believe I demonstrated strong leadership and was thanked by the group in the end because of it.