Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am proud of successfully completing my block presentation as well as everything that I have learned. I do not know of any other schools that have projects and presentations as rigorous as the ones at iPoly, so completing them and getting a good grade is something I feel everyone should be proud of.
(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE-, I used some mini labs in order to better teach my answers to the audience. These mini labs were unique to my own since I had not seen any other presentations have them.  

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

P, I missed a few things but from the things that I did complete, they were AE work and well completed. 

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

The thing that worked for my senior project was the simplicity yet the complexity of my topic and the answers. I could give a brief description of what they were about or as I did, talk about them for 30 minutes which would seem impossible at a "normal" high school.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I would not start the night before because I had to stay up late working on my presentation. This also affected the amount of mini labs I was allowed to have in my presentation because of the such short notice and all the materials that I would need. I believe that even with the minimal time, I was able to achieve in my presentation.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

After completing my senior project I am now able to break down research into a more of a useful aspect. (By looking at my research notebook, this can be observed.) At first my research was very basic with minimal complexity or information but as the year progressed my notes became more detailed and were better in almost every aspect. Also the senior project helped me with networking as well as communication and its importance. My mentor constantly had to meet with other specialists such as civil engineers or structural engineers in order to secure that a building was safe. Several meetings that to be arranged with an entire team of specialists to ensure progress in the plans as well as its security. A lack of communication and networking could lead to a long process for the meeting to occur as well as mixed information on the time and day of the meeting.

Advisory Meeting #2

                   EQ
Answer #2: An important factor to consider when designing a green structure are the materials that will be used for the construction of the structure.

The whole idea of being green does not mean just saving energy when the building is complete, it also means that energy has to be saved when the structure is being built.

1). By using materials that are on site there is no need for gasoline to be wasted on transportation of materials to the site of the construction. For example, a new and great idea is building with the dirt that is found on the site, this will reduce the energy and time lost because all the essential building materials will be at the builder's disposal.

2). Building with materials that are "cut to the job" can help save money and materials that may not be able to be used other places. One example of this is if you have a piece of wood that is 6"x 60" but the only available pieces of wood are 6"x 75". This would mean that out of every piece of wood 15" is being lost and being thrown away because it was not cut specifically for the job.

3). Using green materials can also help with money and savings over time. For example, a "green" type of insulation may be cheaper as well as more efficient at its job than regular insulation.

That is why materials are a significant factor when designing a green structure.

Lesson 2 Reflection

1). I made time which seemed to be a problem for some other students.

2). a. AE-/P+
     b. I met all of the "P considerations", I had two 3D cardboard props, and four published sources that were referenced.

3).What worked for me was the order in which I went because I got to see some examples while i still got to present so I could get it over with.

4). The thing that did not work for me was the projector blinking on an off the entire time that i was presenting which made it hard to focus and explain the content.

5). I think my answer #2 will be something to do with technology and the change that architecture has undergone because of it.