XLIX

Engineering Design Firm

9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223

Transmittal
Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Date:

Section:

1201 023

To:

Dan Latta, PE, PLS

Andrew Buchanan

From:

Payton Leo

Whole Life Concept Project Report

Subject:

We are submitting:

Memorandum

Design Package

Problem Set

Report - Draft

Test Data Sheet

Extra Credit

Report - Final

Other: Enter Other Item

Date

11/6/2015

Select Date

Click here to enter text.

Select Date

Click here to enter text.

Description

Whole Life Concept Project Report

These are transmitted as checked below:

Individual Assignment

Team Assignment -- Team No. ________-_

For grading

For review/comment

Other: Enter
Description

Whole Life Concept

Payton Leo
ENGR 1201 023
4 November, 2015

I have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this assignment, nor witnessed any violation
of the UNC Charlotte Code of Academic Integrity.

Introduction
Finding your passion, when I was put up to this task to research and talk about my findings of my
passion it was overwhelming. I didnt know where to begin. My passion for the rest of life is hard to find
being so young. Also trying to think on having an impact on the world being so young, blows my mind.
Descussing finding my passion and putting words to what Im thinking makes me think twice of what my
passion really is. My education so far and in the future will prove to benefit me in the near future.
Passion
My passion doesnt come from me knowing background on the subject, or coming up with some facts
about a certain thing pertaining to cars, it comes from my past and how I felt when doing what I truly
love. Nothing can change that, nothing can change the feeling I get when I crawl under my Jeep and fix
the problem that I am having. I have traveled all over; Hawaii, Mexico, The Domican Republic, Canada,
The Adirondack Mountain. None of those places gave me the feeling of Yuforia as fixing problems that I
knew or wanted to learn about while working on cars. I could spend endless hours talking about how I
always wanted to be a Fire Fighter or a Police Officer, but I wouldnt be telling the truth. Fixing cars and
getting back on the road is what I always wanted to do, its what I came here to do with my life. Ever
since I used small Tonka Trucks I have been fascinated by vehicles. One of the things I love most about
vehicles is that you can always make them better; faster, more efficient, or more capable. My Jeep is
what truly got me into doing mechanical work. Back using Tonka Trucks, I wasnt trying to make them
faster or more capable, I was into seeing how dirty I could make them before Mom called me in for
dinner. Ever since I had my jeep I always wanted to put that WOW factor into anyones mind that saw
it. I have succeeded some of the times, other times I havent. I learn from the Internet most of the things
I can do to my Jeep. I always consult the forums or well-known websites before making improvements.
The first thing that sparked my influence into doing mechanics work on my Jeep was putting a new
exhaust on. I remember it like it was yesterday. The sparks flying off the metal tubing as I put the
Hacksaw onto the tube to cut out the section I needed to replace. Replacing the muffler with a new
exhaust put a thrill through my body I have never felt before. A rush that can not be replicated by
anything else Ive ever been through. After that point I knew what my passion was and how I could this
feeling to not only benefit me but everyone.
My Mother and I always wanted a Jeep. We both purchased my Jeep early so I could improve on it and
so she could drive it before I got ahold of it. We purchased it before I even had permit, which is
unheard of for living in the North. No one that I know did that. My mom always supported me for
whatever I did to the Jeep, but sometimes she would question why I would do certain modifications to
it. Even my friends would come to me for help with their vehicles, from opinions in tires to putting in lift
kits for their truck. Every experience benefitted me whether it was a failure or a success. Having
experience in anything can only benefit you. There is no downside in having too much experience, and
thats why I took up every opportunity that came my way. I know my limit of my ability, I know when to
stop and hand it to a trained professional.

My friends and I always improved our trucks or Jeeps. They always give me suggestions on how can
improve on it. My one friend, Zac, he got me into putting the new exhaust on my Jeep. He had one on
his and I wanted one on mine. He walked me through the install, step-by-step and it helped. Soon I
became more experienced than him. We just kept going back and forth improving our Jeeps.
I have not met one person that has a passion as strong as mine in this field. I know that school work
comes first, and I need to turn my passion to school for the time being. As I am in college, I know that
my jeep needs to come second on my list of priorities. But I know that no one that goes to school has
replaced a fan clutch in a parking deck, or painted their grill in Hawthorn parking lot. I will never forget
those experiences, and they taught me what I am really capable of in any situation.
Impact
I want to impact the world to the point where I am noticed in the town or as a good standing citizen.
Saying that I want my name to be remembered in history would be a far-fetched standard that is next to
impossible. I set my goal to that because I can always build and set my goals higher. Being from a
relatively big city I consider being recognized to be a big task that only a few people ever get to feel in
my city. Also theres only one car related celebrity that I know of from my hometown. I want to make
such a difference in my hometown that I can become as known as him. My goal for impacting peoples
life in fixing and making cars so much safer that people recognized me for it.
One article that I came across describes how people with my passion are helping making cars safer.
According to the article 32,850 people died from motor-vehicle accidents in The United States alone. But
this number has significantly dropped from 43,510 in 2005. Mechanics and other car-passionate people
give their opinion on how to make cars safer. I want to be part of that group, the group that comes
together to help the greater goal and do it so well that I can become recognized for it.
The crash ratings of vehicles have only gotten better. But these cars can also get better with better
innovation and research. Making cars safer is a goal that I always was interested into. I have been in my
share of car accidents and I saw some flaws that could be improved on. The last article mentioned also
described how engineers were improving the build quality of cars to protect their passengers better.
Also how the engineers are designing the cab of the car to crumble around the passengers so all the
impact force goes around the passengers instead of through the passengers.
Gasoline becoming less and less avilable to us is also taken into consideration while designing new
vehicles. Making cars more fuel efficient is becoming more and more of a priority to auto engineers. One
article I found on this topic describes how cars and trucks have improved the miles per gallon they can
run. Also, how the CO2 emissions have decreased to help with the Global Issue that cars and trucks have
a major part in.
These three topics is what I am interested in improving, helping and fixing people vehicles become the
best they can be.
Knowledge, Application, Skills and Abilities

My passion could be used in many different situations. One being a mechanic or to being an automotive
engineer. The range of jobs are massive when my passion is about cars. But my dream job would be
fabricating cars, testing, and making them the best I could. The skills I would need to do that include
welding, fabrication skills, team work, project management, and knowledge of vehicles. All of these skills
would be used on a daily basis for that job. One example of using all those skills would be, fabricating
and welding for a teammate that is putting that piece on the car that needs to be done in a few days. I
used to be interest in becoming a Mechanical Engineer, so thats the major I was following. I was also
interested in the Motorsports program that UNCC offered. Those were the selling points on picking
this college. But after starting this paper and reading more about my intended major, I relieved that
wouldnt be for me. I changed my major to be a Mechanical Technical major. I thought that being less
theoretical and more practical is more me. Im not much of a theory kind of person. I didnt know much
about the difference in these majors; like What different courses will I have to take? and What kind of
jobs should I except with each one of these degrees? After I went to my acidemic advisor and my RA
and talked with them for a little while, I fully understood the difference and knew that I needed to
change my major.

This major fit what I want to do because I am the kind of person that likes teamwork and having a
hands-on job. This major of the same concept of a mechanical engineer just less theory. I also have
always been into computer and designing things on the computer. I took a computer aided design
course in high school and I loved it. Also I have always been fascinated by Physics and have things
interact with other things. I want to be able to use the Computer Aided Design course and the Physics I
have to take and put them together. Knowing what stress a certain material can take will benefit me in
the field.

Some places that I might get experience in this field, is working in an automotive shop. Working there
will give me some ins and outs of the car world and something that a classroom cant teach you. I will
be working in an auto shop soon. Id like to have a job at a shop by the summer if improve my skills and
understanding by the time I start as a sophomore. Another place I could get understanding applying
theory to practical life is on my Jeep. I could make up a modification I want to do it on my computer
then make it outside in my garage. That experience will give me influence on bringing a part built on
screen to the shop for production.
My passion is working on and making vehicles more safe to the common person. Also, I want tomake
vehicles more efficient and more powerful. The Whole Life Concept model is vital to me at this point in
my academic and professional career because I know it will benefit me in only a positive way. I need to
know my impact on society including how my passion can benefit the community, and the health and
culture of the world. The knowledge of what my career will behold of me is something I need to learn
more of academically. The most important part of this model is ultimately finding your true passion. This
assignment made me think of my true passion and how I could use my true passion to help the greater
good. The assignment made me change majors actually, at the beginning of starting this assignment I
was a Mechanical Engineering major, but now at the end I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering
Technology. I am committed to my new major. I really like what Im reading and hearing of the outcome
of getting this major. I only hear positive things from this major.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a11201/why-cars-are-safer-than-theyve-ever-been17194116/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/03/16/cars-in-the-u-s-are-more-fuelefficient-than-ever-heres-why/
http://et.uncc.edu/undergraduate-programs/mechanical-engineering-technology