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Risin' up, back on the street;
Did my time, took my chances.
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet-
Just a man and his will to survive.
Thursday was the culmination of a Quarter's worth of anticipation, inspiration, and perspiration. That's right boys a girls: Thursday was the FEH (Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors) Robot Final Competition.
For those just tuning in, some background: this Spring Quarter I've been taking a class called Engineering H193. The focus of this class is to design, build, test, modify, and (hopefully) perfect an autonomous robot that can perform several tasks on an obstacle course. This year's course simulated a mine, with our robot having to drop off dynamite, hit a detonator, traverse a debris ramp, collect a GEM, deposit it, and lift a retaining wall before finally returning to start. Recall that all this must be done autonomously.
This class represents the intersection of professional writing, designing, drafting, building, wiring, programming, and a number of other engineering skills. Basically, it's a beast.
After countless hours building this thing, it all came together for the Final Competition. How'd it go?
It actually went pretty terrible.
In the Prelims of the day, our robot was super inconsistent. We were fixing problems all day, only to have some bad luck cause a new error to erupt in the Final Competition. Not so good.
But I'm still happy.
I've learned so much this Quarter. There are so many mechanical, hands-on techniques like soldering sensors and working with PVC and assembling drive trains with DC motors. There are also a million programming things to deal with, like creating functions, commenting code, debugging, and much more. Finally, there's documentation involved like creating professional reports, budgets, timetables, inventory, assembly drawings, and on and on.
Sure, DARIA didn't do so well on the big day. But she's taught me so much, it's hard to be mad for too long. And to be fair, she did have a perfect run in practice, so we know she had it in her somewhere.
We made some mistakes, but we also had some incredible breakthroughs. It was heart-breaking, terrible, time-consuming, frustrating, and exhausting. It was educational, fun, exciting, challenging, terrific, and helped us accomplish more than any of us thought possible.
Not bad, DARIA. Not bad at all.
Take care,
Rob
One of the competition courses. Check out the live camera and computer display on the big screens to keep the audience updates of robots' progress!
A peek behind the screens... This is the pit area for programming, diagnostics, charging, fixing, etc.
My team takes a moment to appreciate our baby
My girl. DARIA.
Finally I figured out,
But it took a long long time.
Now there's a turnabout,
Maybe cause I'm tryin'...
I've written a lot of lists. Here are two more...
Great Ways to Jeopardize Your Calculus Grade
1. Don't go to lectures (You've got a robot to build anyway!)
2. Don't read the book (textbooks are much less exciting that Orson Scott Card, usually)
3. Wait until the lest second to do homework (stop procrastinating... later)
4. Work alone (if you're gonna get stuck, get REALLY stuck)
5. Don't look at past quiz solutions (you didn't do well anyway; why look at the answers?)
...This is bad news, it turns out. Sure, in the short term I got to do more cool things and sleep a bit more. But in the long term, my grades weren't exactly what I wanted.
What's a college kid to do?
Have no fear! Unless you fear lists...
Great Ways to SAVE Your Calculus Grade
1. Do go to lectures. All of them. Heck, when you've got a great instructor go to office hours too!
2. Do read the book. It's got more details and great example problems.
3. Do your homework early. When you hit a jam, you've got time to figure it out.
4. Work in groups. You'll find that when you get stuck, it's great to have a fresh pair of eyes look at problems.
5. Do look at past solutions. College is all about learning, especially learning from your own foolish mistakes.
End result? Well, it's actually a work in progress, as I type this. But things are looking up and I'm feeling better about this next midterm coming up. It's important to remember that the whole reason I'm at college is to take the classes; it is therefore important to put them first.
No worries though, I'll still try to fit in lots of fun. And hey, only a couple weeks before the END of my freshmen year!
Take care,
Rob
There are secrets
that we still have left to find.
There have been mysteries
from the beginning of time.
So Ohio State is really into research.
One of the biggest Undergraduate Research event at OSU is the annual Denman Undergraduate Research Forum.
"But wait," you cry. "You're only a freshman! You can't possibly be allowed to present research at one of the largest and most prestigious undergraduate research forums in the nation!" That myth, along with many others, is dispelled on this page.
I had the fine honor of presenting the findings from my Spring Break trip to Honduras. (For more information on that, just scope my blog's March entries.) Long story short, we checked out the electrical energy consumption of a rural Honduran orphanage. For the Denman, we presented our findings and extrapolated them to the bigger picture of rising energy consumption in third world countries. It was a lot of work to convert our service project data into a real research presentation, but it was also a great learning experience.
Plus, between you and I, I totally plan on returning to the Denman in the next couple years. :-)
I really love that OSU has all these ridiculous opportunities. Honduras, [cursed] robot project, and even undergraduate research opportunities. It's all here, and it. is. awesome.
Lisa, Steve, and I present our poster at the Denman. Jess [not pictured] was our other group member.
Take care,
Rob
Can't say I was never wrong,
But some blame rests on you.
Work and play,
They're never okay,
To mix the way we do.
This is the corollary to yesterday's entry.
For those who read my blog often, you know I lead a pretty active OSU life. I'm very involved with cool clubs and the like. I also take part in a number of random adventures. And generally, my blog is pretty happy and fun.
But to make it seem like college is one big party for me- well that's just not true. I am supposed to blog about ALL aspects of life at OSU, and I've been leaving out a rather crucial part of my OSU life this Spring...
ACADEMICS.
Engineering H193- The Robot Project
Some kids, when they get done with class at 12:30 every day, go home and relax. Or maybe they go to the Oval and sunbathe. Me? I go to the Engineering building (Hitchcock Hall) and work on the robot. All day. And don't leave until it's dark.
This robot is beastly. She's a pain in the butt one day and then completely awesome the next. One minute she works like a charm, the next everything falls apart and the programming is all glitchy.
But wait, there's more! This puppy has gotta be fully documented, including Progress Reports, Lab Reports, Budget Analysis, Drive Train Analysis, Final Report, Final Presentation, Technical Inspections, Wiring Diagrams, Technical Sketches and Drawings, Meeting Notes, Testing Logs... The list goes on.
It's a crazy amount of fun, and I'm learning a lot. But it's also an insane amount of work.
Calculus 263A and Physics 133I
Quizzes about hypervolumes (objects with four dimensions, rather than three)!
Lectures about quantum mechanics!
Labs on light wave interference!
Midterms about gradient vectors!
Homework about probability density functions and double (or triple, or quadruple) integrals!
Basically, these are not easy classes. If I told you I wasn't always freaking out (at least in the back of my head) about a test, quiz, midterm, homework, lecture, etc. I would be lying.
These are classes that simply cannot be taken lightly. There are so many equations and robot drawings and integrals running through my head I might explode!
As always, life at a University as diverse and dynamic as Ohio State is all about balance.
Work hard, boys and girls.
Take care,
Rob
Can't say I was never wrong,
But some blame rests on you.
Work and play,
They're never okay,
To mix the way we do.
As usual, I have been one busy beaver this past week.
Swing Dance Club is fantastic as ever! We recently had officer elections and... I have been entrusted with the 2009-2010 OSU Swing Dance Club Presidency! Wow! I'm very excited to get some cool stuff started for next year, so all you future Buckeyes out there be sure to give Swing Dance Club a look.
One of the awesome things Swing Dance Club does is have dances throughout the year; this was Emily's first time out, and she was a quick study under Alex's (Vice Pres) Charleston tutelage.
_________________________
More random fun was had later this week thanks to a nifty event called Best Day of Your Life. It's put on by Ohio Stater's Inc., a student organization here at OSU. The whole premise is making a day so full of random awesome that everyone can't help but be a little happier. In the bigger scope of things, it's an awareness event for suicide and suicide prevention, which is a really big deal. Koodos to you Ohio Staters, Inc- happiness is a commodity always worth investing in.
What could be happier than a Giant Duck on the Oval? Random but awesome! Sadly, I got there late, just as it was time to deflate the big guy.
Oh no! The giant duck eats Emily!
The Best Day ended with a small-but-nifty pyrotechnic display on the South Oval. When the fluorescent block O kept burning after the show, me, Erin, and Kyle couldn't resist
__________________________
Lots of other good stuff going on in the world: friends coming to visit from semester school already out, Romophos sophomore class honorary, and random good times with friends.
Spring Quarter at OSU = awesome.
Play hard, boys and girls.
Take care,
Rob
Pictures of you,
Pictures of me,
Remind us all of what we used to be.
The busy life strikes again!
There's simply too much awesome going on! I've been fortunate enough to experience lots of really cool things lately, but not fortunate enough to have the time to properly blog about it all. it would take [literally] thousands and thousands of words to tell you about everything.
What's a Buckeye Blogger to do?
Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? So I'll let the pictures do the bulk of the talking for me; I'll just add a bit of commentary.
THEME PARK ENGINEERING GROUP
The Theme Park Engineering Group recently visited Kings Island amusement park to check out their brand new roller coaster, Diamondback. It's a pretty epic coaster, to say the least. We got to ride it on a day the park was closed, which was completely cool. After riding it, we got to take a peek at some of the mechanics of the ride; again, very awesome.
For more info on this trip and TPEG, check out the TPEG Blog! It's got even more pictures, more description, and even a couple videos. Nifty stuff!
THE ROBOT
Right. So this thing owns my life. You know this, I know this, the robot knows this. We finally named her though...
Dar.
I call her Daria, Kristen calls the robot Darwin, some have come to call her Darcy. But what's important is that we all call her Dar.
Dar. D. A. R. Dumb-a** robot.
I love her, really I do. She just drives me crazy sometimes. Such is love though, isn't it? Makes you jump with joy one moment, makes you absolutely nuts the next. The performance tests each week are getting tougher and tougher, but Dar usually impresses us with her ability to get even complicated tasks accomplished.
SPRINGTIME
When I can get away from the robot project for a bit, I enjoy the Spring weather of Columbus. There are a number of rainy days, but when the sun is shining it sure is nice. People are chillaxing on the Oval, walking around Mirror Lake, and just enjoying any excuse to catch some rays. Plus, there are a couple really cool once-a-year fun things to see...
CHRIS BOTTI
So one of my favorite trumpet players ever is Chris Botti. As it happened, ExploreColumbus had tickets to see Chris Botti with the Columbus Smyphony.
I went! It was fantastic! And Emily was a great date too. (Hi Mrs. C!) :-)
I got to meet and greet with Chris Botti for a bit and get an autograph, which was absolutely awesome.
And that, in a nutshell, is how I'm spending my Spring Quarter. Of course, that doesn't even cover Calc and Physics class, Denman Undergraduate Research Forum, Romophos Sophomore Class Honorary, swing dancing (I have some BIG news about OSU Swing Dance club soon!), etc. etc.
Take care,
Rob
So if the world attacks,
And you slide off track,
Remember one fact-
I got your back.
Family is the perfect remedy to all the killer stress of my Spring Quarter.
For those who may not know, Ohio State University hosts a Sibs Weekend every year. It's basically an opportunity for your brothers and/or sisters (usually younger, but my whole family made it out) to come hang out at OSU for the weekend. The above link shows all the nifty activities once can do.
A small sampling of some things me and my family did:
-Luau at Lincoln House (my dorm)
-Renaissance Festival on the South Oval
-Laugh Olympics (water balloon toss, free doughnuts, and endless whipped-cream pie-in-face)
-Columbus Zoo visits Taylor Tower (there was a cheetah! Awesome!)
-Copious amounts of eating out
-General tomfoolery and Apples to Apples and getting caught up on life
It was great to see the sisters, brother-in-law, and parents, though mom and dad could only stay for a bit before zooming back to Dayton. And I must confess, I did have to abandon the family at times for prior commitments going on (my life is pretty hectic, even on the weekends). Still, I was glad that they could come, and methinks they had a pretty good time too.
It didn't seem like too many of my friends took advantage of Sibs Weekend 2009, but I definitely encourage it. It's oodles of fun, there are lots of cool once-in-a-blue-moon activities (when's the next time a cheetah will be walking around Taylor?!), and above all else family time is the perfect happy break from all the killer studying and activity-ing that normally dominates Spring Quarter.
Me and the sisters
Take care,
Rob
Boy, boy, crazy boy,
Get cool, boy!
Got a rocket in your pocket,
Keep coolly cool, boy!
Honestly people, calm down.
I picked up today's copy of The Lantern and was stunned by the front page. The Lantern, for those unfamiliar, is the predominant on-campus student newspaper at OSU. I usually find reading them from time-to-time rather informative, and they're all over campus every school day.
The front page today looked like this:
Sensationalist much?
Let's start with the Swine Flu. First of all, that picture. It's a picture of a baby being screened for Swine Flu in South Korea. Is this related to the single probable case of Swine Flu discovered at the OSU Med Center? Nope. Does it look sensational? You betcha.
The Ohio State University has been handling the Swine Flu extremely well, in my humble opinion. Before each and every press release has gone out, OSU sent out e-mails to every student at OSU, explaining in great detail the situation, what was being told to the press, and what the plans were to counter any threat of spreading disease. Students have received a number of updates on behalf of the Office of Student Life, OSU's Emergency website, Provost Joe Alutto, and VP of Student Life Javaune Adams-Gaston. They cover everything from FAQs to simple tips to prevent spread of disease to simple updates on whats being done.
www.emergency.osu.edu is a great resource for all OSU students, faculty, and staff. It's probably also good for parents out there to be reassured.
---------------------------------
The second headline deals with an "Explosion." As it happens, guess where I was yesterday morning at that time! You're right! MacQuigg. One moment I'm in Calc lecture, the next moment the scene looks a little more like this:
Students evac the building and all buildings connected
Firetruck! This is not a fire drill like we all thought
Now, these images may seem alarming, but let me point out a few things:
1. Students evacuated without incident. Now, we all thought it was a drill or malfunction at first, so we weren't too speedy initially. That changed however once we heard the sirens. Which brings me to point two...
2. The fire department was darned quick in sending a firetruck plus support vehicles and an ambulance. It took them only a couple minutes to navigate OSU traffic and get to MacQuigg.
3. "Explosion" really only meant small rupture of a tank in one room. There was a brief fire due to that rupture, but it was contained immediately, with the pulling of the fire alarm as a precaution. Firemen checked out the building, not a single person (not even the graduates working in that very room) was injured, and as far as I know MacQuigg went back to normal operations (minus that room) that day.
Things happen. Swine flu's come out of nowhere and valves on tanks rupture. But these things happen once in a blue moon. And on the off chance that they happen (or even happen in the same day), OSU and Columbus have got trained, professional personnel to deal with things.
They're organized, they have plans for every situation, and they keep the students informed.
Sounds like we're in pretty good hands. :-)
Take care,
Rob
Who says you can't go back?
Been all around the world and as a matter of fact,
There's only one place left I want to go,
Who says you can't go home?
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright.
Edit note: For some reason targetx, the host of the blogs, didn't post my last two entries until now; make sure you scroll down and check 'em out!
Recently, I have had two really really cool opportunities to be reminded how much remembering your home away from college can really rock.
The Greene County Alumni Club is, like, the coolest OSU Alumni organization ever. Last Spring/Summer when I had just decided to become a Buckeye, these guys took me under their wing and held all kinds of cool events for OSU students, past and present, to celebrate some Buckeye Pride. That would have been cool by itself.
Imagine my shock and amazement when I got a call from the Lincoln front desk that I had a package. It was from the Greene County Alumni Club! They made me a care package full of college essentials (Ramen noodles, post-it notes, candy... Absolutely marvelous!). It even had a nice note from them wishing me well and letting me know that they've got my back.
For all you soon-to-be OSU students out there, I hope you keep an eye out for your local Alumni club. We've got 'em all over the world, and they usually do A LOT (care packages, scholarship contests, send-offs, etc.) to look after the current generation of Buckeyes.
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The second cool thing that happened recently was my mom's birthday. I knew it was coming, and I hadn't called home in a little bit. I think my mom assumed I would just place a phone call or some such. Nope, not for my mom. She's way too awesome a mom to just get a phone call.
Instead, I called up my sister a few days in advance and arranged for her to come get me (Dayton, my hometown, is only about an hour from Columbus). She came, got me, I bought some flowers and a balloon, and achieved TOTAL surprise at my home church. My mom turned around and was absolutely shocked (in the good way, I'm pretty sure :-)) to see me. It went beautifully, and I got to grab a quick lunch with most of the family. Good times.
The moral of this story is that when you go off to college, don't forget about your family back home! They raised you and made you the successful college kid that you are; it's cool to do something nice for them every once in awhile. You owe it to them after all they had to put up with before you went out the door to college anyway. :-)
Take care,
Rob
Everybody's working for the weekend,
Everybody wants a little romance.
Everybody's going off the deep end,
Everybody needs a second chance.
I consider myself to be fairly hardworking.
Whether it be Swing Dance Club, Theme Park Engineering Group, Fundamentals of Engineering for Honors (cursed robot!), Accelerated Calculus, Big Brothers Big Sisters, or any other number of things I do every week, I keep myself pretty busy. There's always work to be done!
But Saturday I took the day off. And it was glorious.
The first order of business was an event called Spring Fling. It's for current high school juniors to get a good first look at Ohio State. There are info sessions and the Spring Game (football game that previews the football team for the upcoming Fall season) and in the morning, a little reception time with breakfast. I went to this as part of Honors Ambassadors (Honors volunteer organization that helps with recruitment). Basically, I got to spend the evening talking to prospective students about why OSU is so awesome: the outstanding and ever-improving academic reputation of the University, the diversity of student life here, the city of Columbus, the opportunity for Study Abroad, and a million other little things. Muchos fun times.
Next up was a chillax afternoon of watching the Spring Game on TV from the comfort of my suite in Lincoln. Lincoln dorms have a living room to share among 10ish people, which I really enjoy. The Spring Game itself was pretty nifty, though I will confess to napping through much of it (hey! I had a long week, give me a break!).
The Saturday ended with a lovely trip to a Columbus Crew game with my roommate Frank and my favorite Emily in the whole wide world. The Crew, Major League Soccer champions, could only manage a tie against the evil Chicago Fire. Still, it was a great game, and thanks to the Student Union and ExploreColumbus I got tickets for only 10 bucks, including a $5 concession voucher. Sweet!
The day was fun, but now it's time to hit the books again. Alas!
Take care,
Rob
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