Week 2: Amanda Ngov

April 10, 2012

Amanda Ngov

The goal of the course, Engineering of Design Lab III of Bridge Design, is to create the best bridge out of the K-Nex kit. In the previous week, becoming aware of basic designs of bridges was the first step. For example, truss bridges are commonly and frequently used in the structural features of bridges. The awareness of the ratio of cost to weight of a bridge should be the lowest possible to create the most efficient and cost effective bridge. In this upcoming week, the goals set are made to further propel the knowledge and capabilities of building the most efficient bridge. For example, the trial and error process of creating a basic design for bridges will show which methods are most appropriate and the most inefficient. In addition, the week should result in a basic idea of a design for a truss bridge to further propel and stimulate the most efficient design. An issue or constraint that will result in difficulties will be the type of leadership that will result in the process. Each person appears to prefer being told the tasks to accomplish the weekly goals, but a leadership needs to be established to complete the intended deliverables. Similarly to the previous comment, the most difficult part within a team project will be the determining factor of the leader. Realizing to work uniformly in a team, establishing meeting times and record keeping was already recognized and agreed upon. In addition, the individual tasks set have been based on the skills of the individuals. For example, members will construct the physical aspect of the bridge because the skill of being precise. On the other hand, a task could be find the best design method as a result of previous experience or keep a record of the current progress because of organizational skills. The work of each member must be constantly communicated and discussed to allow for improvement of the individuals and the group. The upcoming week will help educate the process of designing a trust bridge.