Final Reflection Questions

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The following should also be expounded upon in
complete sentences
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1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?
While writing the research paper I learned how it is essential to do each step of the writing
process thoroughly because it will later help you in doing other parts of the process. I also
learned how to properly cite sources in my paper because before that I struggled in citing sources
correctly. Researching my topic was different than how I would usually go about doing this
because using Ncwiseowl was difficult at first but very useful when I learned how to navigate it
properly. I learned how to write without to be verbs but I did struggle to make the paper make
sense while reading through it which I did not do correctly looking back at it now. The research
process is very extensive and this was the first time I fully completed the entire process for a
paper this long so hopefully on the next research paper I complete it will be easier to write and I
will improve from this paper.

2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?

I researched engineering and a few different fields of engineering like civil, mechanical, and
computer engineers. My mentor has experience as a civil engineer and graduated from NC state
with degree in civil engineering. My mentor has moved away from the engineering field but
works with engineers daily. He showed me what the company creates and what the civil
engineers for the company do on a daily basis. In my research paper I wrote about civil engineers
and the job demographics and the day to day a little but I did not know much about the day to
day job and what all a civil engineer does but I learned about it with my mentor.

3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.

My mentor and i met and discussed how he became interested and pursued his career in civil
engineering. We then looked at the products his company creates. Seaman Corporation is a
nationwide company with its headquarters in Ohio. This company creates a material that is used
to keep hazardous chemicals out of the groundwater. The product they create is used in the lining
of ponds, fuel tanks, and can be used on the roofing of some buildings to keep water out. This
product is geomembrane which does not allow water to pass through which is why it is used to
hold hazardous chemicals so it does not damage the ecosystem. We then did a test on the product
they create to see how strong it is. This tests the strength of the product showing it will hold up
when extreme amounts of force is placed on a certain part of the product. We went down to the
airport and got to see the XR-5 product which is used as a second line of defense in case the jet
fuel spills out of the tanks. This jet fuel is held in big tanks on the side of the airport and the tank
and area around the tank is completely covered with the XR-5 material. This was a very
interesting way to see the product in use and gave me the ability to see how large scale these
projects are even though the jet fuel tanks are much smaller than most of the jobs done by the
Seaman Corporation.
4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic area and /or
the professional world?
Meeting with my mentor helped me to understand what he did as an engineer on the day to day
basis. It helped me understand what to expect as a civil engineer and the path he took to get to
the position he is in now. I learned about the path he took in college which is very similar to the
path i have chosen to take which is to do and Enginering- undecided major to get a general
knowledge of each of the fields of engineering and finding the one that fits me best. He told me
about the classes he took and how it is important to go out and get in field experience not just in
the classroom.
a. If you mentor was not directly related to your topic, what did you learn about the
profession that can be translated to any future professional setting?
I learned what he did in the past as he worked as a civil engineer and how he works with them
today even in the job he has now as more of a marketer. He also cared more about the quality of
the product than the cost of it which will always be useful because while the product his
company creates is more expensive than the competitors the product holds up much longer and is
better for the environment. I think that is a big issue with most companies nowadays not caring
about the impact of their product on the environment but just care about how much money they
make.
b. If your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were they involved?
N/A
5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
Creating the product gave me an idea of what challenges I would be faced with in the future if I
end up pursuing a career in engineering and gave me a taste of what projects could be like in the
future. This project gave me the opportunity to stretch myself and try to do something i have not
done before and creating the project from scratch.
6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?
Academically I think I am prepared for this presentation because of the amount of time we have
had and how it is given to us with the deadline and it was up to us on how to use our time that
best fits us. Emotionally I think that i am some what prepared I am not sure how I will do
presenting yet in front of judges. I have never done a presentation for anywhere near 12-15
minutes but as I practice I will be better prepared.
a. If not, why? What challenges do you still face to feel prepared?

7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?
I haven't done a project like this before creating something from scratch on the autocad program.
This project will help me learn how to start something and finish it without having the option to
back out and going through with it. Presenting will be a stretch for me as my longest presentation
I have presented before was closer to the 5 minute rather than the 12-15 minutes that this project
will be. I will also stretch by not being nervous in front of the judges and try to keep good eye
contact.

8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how you
overcame it.
I had issues trying to get the design the way I wanted it and I struggled to put what was in my
mind with no dimensions onto a computer software without any guidelines. This makes it
difficult to get a design I like and make sure all the pieces work together and will go together on
the tool. I also had struggles creating each individual piece of the tool making them all fit onto
the base or casing for the tool.
9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
Time management by planning things out better in the future which will help in in many aspects
of life whether it be scheduling a day or planning to get a project done in time. Time
management will be a very helpful trait to have in life and I will need to continue practicing this
to get it down. I also learned how to start something from scratch which is difficult to do because
starting from nothing is difficult but once I started it was much easier to keep going.
10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do differently?
If I were to go back and redo parts of the project I would have started my product earlier.
Starting my product earlier would give me the ability to be less stressed towards the end of the
project so I could practice my speech a few more times rather than working on the product. I also
think I should have planned out senior year better by starting everything earlier and setting
deadlines for myself. Junior year was planned out for us but senior year was just a deadline of
when it was due so I needed to plan my time out more wisely.
11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a
career or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why? Please be specific.Please format
these questions as follows:
I plan on entering the field of engineering in college and seeing how I like it. I am unsure of what
I really want to do but engineering is something that interests me and it would be better to start
somewhere that interests me. I am unsure of the specific field of engineering I would like to look
towards so I applied to college as an undecided engineering major where I will take a class that
will introduce the different types of engineering and give me the opportunity to see what I like
and possibly pursue in the future. Engineering interests me because you mostly do different
things on a day to day basis and you do most things hands on which I enjoy because it is not a
desk job for the most part you can go out in the field.