New

As we roll into 2008, I've made a few resolutions, some engineering related and others not.

• Watch less TV - too often in fall I would crash on the couch and watch reruns of reality junk. TV time in 2008 will be limited to The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Housewives of Orange County, and Project Runway
• Exercise every day - yoga on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, then biking or dancing the other days
• Eat out twice a week maximum - this is to save money and and also to help me stay healthy.
• Keep in touch - emails and instant messages don't cut it - I need to seek more "face time" with my friends in Orlando and elsewhere
• Stay in my faith - not only does this mean Mass every week, but also prayer, and not just when I'm down in the dumps or ecstatically happy
• Work smart - keep distractions to a minimum, schedule study time, and know when to put down the books and get my butt out of the house

I think that's a good assortment. It's also realistic, which is the most important part of a New Year plan. I still need to catch up on my fuel cell readings, but that'll happen soon enough.

To that end, I'm done with half my reading of the fuel cell handbook from the Department of Energy - the first part was on efficiency and performance. As it turns out, it was a lot like the reactive mixture things I learned in Thermodynamics 2 this past semester as well as some of the concepts from my Principles of Electrical Engineering course a year ago. The efficiency of the cell depends on the resistance from the electrical end as well as the efficiency from the reactive mixture standpoint. This shows me that I'm on the right track, because reactive mixtures was my favorite part of thermo 2.

I'm feeling optimistic and enthusiastic about this year. I know that it's going to be a good one because of the plans I've made over this break.

Rework

After showing off the new blog to a few friends, I've decided instead to document my experiences in engineering rather than explain concepts only. I imagine the concepts will follow as I talk about my work.

To that end, I'm planning an Honors in the Major thesis to round out my undergraduate career. This will involve a semester of research, a semester of honors seminar, then a thesis at the conclusion of my time at university. My interest has always been in higher level energy systems, so I found a professor who is researching fuel cells and the like. I contacted him and will work with him over the next year and a half - it was great to find someone with similar interests, but also someone who has good connections and grants!

As of right now I'm reading about the efficiency and mathematical models involved in fuel cells, as well as specifics on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (Hydrogen + Oxygen = Water), which I'll be focusing on. It's such interesting work to be getting into, and very timely considering the energy crunch our nation's facing.

Since I am currently on winter holiday, I haven't done much beyond that besides enjoy time with family and friends. My other main project has been stripping paint from an antique sewing cabinet, then refinishing the wood underneath. It's been a bit of a pain, but not as bad as sitting through a numerical methods lecture!

Welcome

Welcome to my corner of Blogger!

I am a mechanical engineering student specializing in energy engineering, currently halfway through my junior year of studies. Currently I am a full time student and part time researcher; my interests are fuel cells and advanced energy systems. I plan to write an undergraduate honors thesis based on researching these concepts and continue on to graduate school in Thermo-fluids based mechanical engineering. My goal with all my studies of engineering is to find ways to improve the quality of life for all people, regardless of their location or financial status.

After discussing engineers' relations with other fields with a couple colleagues of mine, I decided to begin this blog with the intention of explaining different engineering and scientific concepts without difficult math or science concepts. It is intended to be a conversation more so than a course, so questions, comments, and corrections will be welcomed.

My favorite engineering concepts are those of thermodynamics and fluids - the study of heat and work and the study of fluid movement (water, oil, salt water, even toothpaste - we'll cover that in a later blog). I'll try to also cover concepts of moving parts as needed to round out discussions and ideas.

I have not posted many interests as they are myriad, but my main loves outside of engineering are swing dancing, yoga, knitting, fiber arts, fashion design, my faith (Catholicism), and being with my friends and family.