Author: thf4kxvirginiaedu
Looking Back
Looking back on this January Term class, it was a great experience. I definitely learned to approach the design process from a different perspective; now I definitely feel much better equipped to approach problems through the lens of human-centered design. Honestly, I was surprised that every group in the class was able to identify and make progress toward solving a real, significant problem that our patients faced. This experience certainly gives me confidence for when I go out and have a job where I will have to solve real problems in the real world. Looking forward to what could be done in the future with our project, I realize that there are many, many steps between wiring together a microcontroller and some sensors that will rudimentarily solve your problem to having a small, compact, durable product that works flawlessly. I believe that entrepreneurs/inexperienced students such as ourselves are well equipped to frame problems, identify solutions that work, and prototype, but large, experienced corporations certainly have an advantage when it comes to producing a polished, final product.
The most difficult aspect of this class was time – since we were limited to 10 days, it was difficult to finish all of the work in such a short amount of time. While my group certainly did finish, it came at the expense of some sleep.
-Thomas Fafara
Fresh Fruit
Things definitely took a turn for the better this Monday when we arrived to find a plethora of fresh fruit waiting for us. There was a great selection of perfectly ripe bananas, crunchy red apples, and super juicy oranges. Naturally, I chose an apple since they offer a better alertness boost than that offered by bananas or oranges. Since one of the big focuses of this class is health, particularly personal health, our professors found it appropriate to offer us fresh fruit – something we might not otherwise go out of our ways to eat. In addition, since many students are working to improving their diets for Personal Health Projects, it offered an easy opportunity to eat breakfast – an oft skipped meal. As one of those students, I have appreciated being able to start the day with something in my stomach.
-Thomas F
Reverse Engineering Project
One of our major projects during JTerm is a reverse engineering project. For this project, each student needs to choose a common medical device – I have chosen a syringe – and reverse engineer it. I am responsible for producing sketches and writing about materials and regulations. In addition, I must produce fully detailed models in SolidWorks. The purpose of this assignment is for us to improve our CAD sills and to gain greater insight into medical device design and manufacture. So far, I have found the CAD aspect of the assignment challenging but rewarding. It has been taking a lot of time, but becoming proficient with software does not come without a significant time investment. Certainly, in the future I will never look at a syringe in the same way.
-Thomas F
Personal Health Project
During January Term, the class was divided into groups of two to work on personal health problems. Each person chose a health aspect of his/her life he/she wanted to improve, and the goal of the assignment is to work with your partner to achieve this goal. My goal is to improve my diet and eat better, consuming less calories and more efficient calories. My partner wants to work on his/her sleeping schedule. One of the biggest purposes of this project is to learn how to engage deeply with a problem, ask the right questions, develop a needs statement, and help find a solution to a problem. Another purpose is to make a positive difference in your life by improving a health habit. So far, my eating has not changed and my partner is just analyzing my calorie intake, as I report everything I eat to my partner. I am looking forward to soon getting some feedback and suggestions; in addition, I look forward to providing some tips to my partner about sleeping!
-Thomas F
One Day In
Today was the first day of J-Term class. In less than 24 hours, I transitioned from eating and sleeping all day to putting in about a 9 or 10 hour day reading, planning, learning, and brainstorming. Today in class we were introduced to three patients; my group will be working with a visually impaired patient. We had an opportunity to hear about how the patient goes about life without being able to see and to learn about problems the patient encounters that are unique to the visually impaired. Right now, our group is in the inspiration phase of the human-centered design process, so this week we plan to spend as much time as possible getting to know the patient, building empathy for the patient, and learning what it is like to go through life without being able to see, something we will never be truly able to experience. My favorite activity we did in class today was a sketching activity, in which each class member sketched his/her hand on a piece of paper. I enjoyed seeing the different takes certain students had taken on the open-ended assignment. In addition to re-accustoming me to drawing, this assignment gave me confidence with regard to my sketching skills, for although I am a poor artist and had to my hand, I learned that most of the class had done exactly the same. Looking at the different sketches produced, I became aware that there are different ways to approach even the simplest problem.
-Thomas F
BME Design 