My Honors and Scholars ePortfolio is designed to contain a wealth of information about me and my involvement in H&S. It covers what I have done, but more importantly, what I took away from it and what I plan to do in the future. It is divided into five sections: About Me, Artifacts, Career, G.O.A.L.S., and Year in Review. The About Me section is, simply put, about myself. It is an overview of who I am and why I love being involved in the STEM EE Scholars program. The Artifacts section contains evidence of what I have done and learned. Inside is documentation of selected trinkets which allow me to connect to my past experiences in a meaningful way so that I am reminded how far I have come and what I have learned. The Career section is a record of my actions and knowledge that will be useful to current or future professional endeavors in the field of engineering. It in itself is not a resume, but the items within it are valuable accolades that I have earned the right to put on my resume. The G.O.A.L.S section is testament to how I have fulfilled the core principles (Global Awareness, Open Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement) of the H&S programs. It is proof that by tanking part in H&S, I learned more than just academic knowledge. Finally, the Year in Review is a summary of how the past year has grown me as a person. It is an overview of what I have taken away from the year that I can apply later in life.
Year in Review
I believe that personal growth is a slow and complicated process. The ability to grow and the way in which one grows depends on many factors, including where one came from. I was never adverse to the STEM fields. I grew up loving technology, and liking learning the sciences. But I didn’t know exactly what to expect coming to OSU. Sure, I had taken some AP classes and done some pre-engineering classes through PLTW, but I knew things would be different even then. But I didn’t know quite how. I chose to study engineering here because I knew I would get a very good education while doing it. That isn’t the only thing I have received in my first year, however.
I have come to understand and appreciate the value of hard work. I was in the top of my class in high school, but the important thing is that I didn’t have to work for it, to an appreciable amount. I simply went in without studying or worrying, and I succeeded. I have since learned that this was not to last into university as well. While certainly the classes are not designed to fail students, they are designed to challenge with the depth of content covered. These classes are indeed designed to teach students the ways of the world, where the world is a complicated place. And it is from this that I have begun to appreciate the necessity and the reward of hard work. Never before in my life had I been challenged and asked to perform to such a degree. I must say that it feels innately satisfying to have to work towards the grades. This of course also means that I have a better understanding of the material, as I must learn it better and spend more time on it.
I have also learned the satisfaction and value of community service and helping the educational development of children. I took part in the Experiment Development service opportunities, which was creating and presenting small science experiments to children in the community. While I was initially not entirely sold on the idea, I have come to appreciate to importance of service education of the next generation. I personally was never exposed to these types of events. It was only by my own moving interests that I came upon engineering. I saw that engineers were behind the plethora of new technologies that I was seeing, and I knew that it was what I wanted to do. But I agree that if I had been exposed at an earlier age, it might have changed my mind earlier. But it is children who are our future, and will continue the advancement of the sciences. I believe that the future will require even more jobs and knowledge of the STEM fields as technology increases even further. The best time to begin their education and interest is now, when they are young. The longer these children have exposure and have desire to learn from these fields, the better prepared and skilled they will be, which will help everyone.
G.O.A.L.S.
When someone is called a leader, it usually means that they are a charismatic or assertive personality who leads from the front. They take command and attempt to drive and control the situation. This type of leader is the popular definition, and the most common one. Throughout the world and societies these leaders can be found; they are the politicians, the businessmen and women. They are the figures that represent authority. Decisions and results for the groups led by these leaders are attributed to each authority. They are responsible for everything underneath them. As President Truman believed, “the buck stops here.” But this is not the only style of leadership; leaders need not take it upon themselves to lead from a higher position. Peer leadership can prove to be equally if not more effective than traditional roles. A peer leader is one who is in the same, or quite nearly the same, roles as the other members but still takes a leadership role to facilitate achieving the goal. This peer leader still maintains the responsibilities of a typical member, but sees to it that the members work together toward achieving the goal. This leader leads from alongside the other members of the group. The primary principle behind this is that the leader shows the other members that he or she is not a superior, but rather is just like them. This creates a sense that work is more evenly shared, and that everyone equally contributes and is concerned with the success of the group. This peer leader also understands the needs and specific duties of the members, which can allow these to be better met. This contrasts with the traditional leader, who typically is only concerned with the high-level workings, and is not interested in the low-level mechanics of the group functioning. Thus, the peer leader can better shape the dynamics of the group, in order to achieve a better result and more satisfied group members. Through my experiences in the Boy Scouts of America and working with groups, I have indeed found the peer leadership role to be effective. The idea and implementation of a traditional leader role has never appealed to me. I have found that I always question exactly what the traditional leader is trying to accomplish, and how he or she will individually benefit from the work. I believe in transparency of leadership, so that everyone knows exactly what is going on in the process. I also believe that people are more responsive and better suited to follow peer leaders.
Throughout my life I have tried to implement this concept of peer leadership. I do not have the personality of the traditional leader, so I try to avoid it. But I do have the personality of a quiet peer leader, so I try to lead by example. I believe that we need more peer leaders in society, more people that want to improve society from within rather than from a position of power. I believe that I can help be a catalyst for the betterment of the world we live in. Whether it is in the workplace or in the classroom or elsewhere, a good standard can be set, and people can benefit from leadership.
When I had originally applied to the STEM EE scholars, I had a narrower definition of what community service is. All my previous experiences had been the traditional and stereotypical services, mostly through the Boy Scouts of America. My premiere experience had been my Eagle Scout service project, which was quite difficult yet rewarding. But the first year has changed that to include community education as well. I participated in the Experiment Development groups, which came up with small science activities for kids and then presented them in the community. The end goal of this was to foster interest in STEM fields at a young age. Active service to the community via interaction with children has proven to be meaningful to me. Instilling a desire to learn in children is as noble a pursuit as feeding the homeless or many other service activities. These children will go on to be the next generation, but we can leave them today with an interest in the career fields that will drive our tomorrow.
These service experiences have shown me the value of working to inspire the professionals of tomorrow. I have seen their amazement toward the sciences. I have witnessed their beginnings of their studies of the sciences. And I myself was once one of these children who was shown the STEM fields, and I have since found myself studying engineering. This is the reason that I would like to continue performing this service in the future to continue facilitating this development of youth, during my time at OSU. Even in life later as an actual engineer, I intend to pursue opportunities that allow me to give back to the community. I enjoy taking part in helping the community, and will continue to do so.
Career
Ethan_Bryan_Resume – Click here for my resume!
My first year at The Ohio State University has cultivated my development of two essential skills:
The first of these skills is the understanding that life brings challenges that one is not always prepared for. College is a place where people go to get an education and a degree, but also to learn about themselves and aspects of how the world works. For me thus-far, it has shown that expectations will be set higher that I am readily comfortable with. But this is a good thing. It motivates me to succeed after showing me that I don’t always have the tools to do things right away. It has shown me that I need to practice to obtain proficiency and to really be able to apply myself.
The second is the desire to understand and improve technology. I am studying to become an electrical engineer, which is a role crucial to the development of technology. Virtually all new technology in modern times is dependent in some way on electronics and electricity. As a whole, the world is now hooked on electricity. It is so vital to many functions that it has become a staple of the modern world. This means that engineers who are skilled in working with technology and electronics/electricity are needed to fuel this dependence and to keep the world going. I would like to cultivate as much knowledge and understanding in this subject as I can so that I can better understand what is going on around me, and so that I can attempt to improve the situation of others.
Additionally, my experience in the first year of the engineering program has shown me some of the fundamental elements of what the profession is about. Engineers do more than sit at a desk and draft. They are problem solvers. They will research and adapt current principles and designs to fit dynamic problems. They might even attempt to find new solutions. The problems aren’t always straightforward, either. Sometimes a vague goal is all that is defined, and every step along the way must be carefully considered and developed. The use of teamwork has also furthered my appreciation of the benefits of collaboration in the field, and even in general. Engineers usually work in teams to ensure better deliverables, and because they understand that multiple sets of understandings and ideas always end up better than those of a single person.
Furthermore, my involvement in the STEM EE Scholars has given me an appreciation and desire to help facilitate education and participation in the STEM fields. Community engagement with youth is a major vector to facilitate this. Showing youth the “wonders” of STEM encourages them to develop an interest in STEM. It is these fields that drive technological growth in society and the world, and this is why we need youth to become interested in these fields. The earlier youth gain interest, the more that they can learn and the more that they can accomplish. We, as a society, need the interest of youth in STEM. We need a future workforce in these fields to begin their involvement today so that they can be better prepared tomorrow. I enjoy seeing the future adults learn to enjoy what I enjoy in STEM.
Artifacts
Artifact 1
The first year engineering program provided insight on some of the very-most basic ideas of what it means to be an engineer. The first semester was a broad swath of different topics and labs from many disciplines of engineering, culminated by a project of programming a model train to behave in a certain way. The second semester was an entire semester devoted to working on a single project: the AEV (Advance Energy Vehicle) project. This one single project was focused on building a pre-programmed drone that would traverse a track to pick up cargo and then return, without touching a delayed-opening gate in between. While it sounds simple enough, there were many aspects to the final product. We were provided with an initial kit of recommended parts and a list of requirements to be met, and then told to get to work. The groups then had to go from brainstorming all the way to finished product with a complete and robust set of code.
My role in the group was mainly to accomplish the Solidworks related tasks (the initial design renderings, prototype finalization, and final design animations). While these videos were not required for the project, drawing files and screenshots were. I personally accepted the challenge to learn how to use motion studies and animations to surpass the minumim required. From this project as a whole, I came to appreciate just how valuable the integration of computer design can be to physical design. The computer design can quickly create a model of the idea, and given proper constraining, can bu used to perform animations or even physics simulations. While this may seem far fetched, it is certainly a valuable engineering prototyping tool. Instead of having to build a physical model, some of the legwork can be skipped and instead evaluated digitally! Furthermore, and more importantly, this project was a more accurate representation of what the engineering process actually is. It isn’t an hour and a half long lab on a random topic that I’ve never had experience with before. It is a long process from start to finish, where the entire team contributes their own pieces along the way. It is going from a problem statement to a finished product that will meet the needs. This project was exactly that, in that we had a semester to go from start to finish. This was the most realistic portrayal of actual engineering that I have seen thusfar.
These are three videos of the final design rendered in Solidworks, and Auto-CAD program.
Here are some additional captures of a design that never got implemented: The body shown below was to be laser cut from plastic, and was to be the basis to attach the motors, battery, wheels, and arduino board. The top picture is the sketch view from which the bottom picture was extruded. Many measurements and constraints had to be applied to create a form that was this detailed, because all of the pre-made parts from the kit had to still fit in and interact with the new piece. It was eventually found that the design was flawed and not meeting expectations upon testing, and was left behind.
And here is a link to the project portfolio that our team put together along the way, which is almost all the documentation of the project.
About Me
Hello there! My name is Ethan Bryan, and I’m a freshman on main campus at OSU, in the STEM EE Scholars program. Other than that, who am I really? That’s not exactly so easy to answer. I believe that people can’t be easily defined as a list of traits and facts, or even accomplishments for that matter. People are an amalgamation of many things. The major things are what they were born with, what they did, what they learned, what/who they want(ed) to be, and what they took away from it all. It’s really hard to list all of those things for yourself, isn’t it? And all of those things can change from day to day, so it’s quite nearly impossible, if not entirely so, to define a person if you ask me. Enough about that, however. Allow me to be a bit more defined about myself, as best as I can…
My major at The Ohio State University is engineering, but I haven’t yet chosen which discipline yet. Why engineering? For a great many years, I’ve had a mind that was suited to technical/detail-oriented thinking and tasks. The astounding growth and proliferation of technology in this country and all across the world means that more and more people are needed to work with technology. Whether designing, making, or fixing it, someone has to do it. I discovered that I have great proficiency (though I will admit I do have my moments of, well, lesser proficiency) in the field of mathematics, which of course is essential in the engineering discipline. What really sold me into engineering was when I took PLTW pre-engineering classes in high school. I realized that I had found my calling for a career.
And also, why STEM EE Scholars? All throughout my life, I have been less inclined to be particularly outgoing and social. This has caused some issues at times, and given me some frustrations about myself. When I applied to OSU, I decided it was time to start over, and I would would work hard to get involved with people who shared interests similar to my own. I felt that the STEM EE Scholars would provide the best avenue to do this, as it is a living-learning community. I would be around people who share common interests and would likely be undergoing the same difficulties on campus. I felt that the objective of the program would benefit me, and that I could bring my knowledge and passion to learn and work to help others in the program. In addition, the program is designed to instill core values (the G.O.A.L.S) into participants so that they can leave college both educated and better prepared for the world around them.
As a person, I believe I have a very solid work ethic. I do not have any preferred way to learn or work, but rather adapt to the circumstances I find myself in. In life, environments often change, and I believe that those people who have only one way that they can properly function are surely bound to fail. I can successfully work individually or as a team, and when in a team, I can take the role of the leader or as a group member. I concede when I know that others are more proficient than I, and I step up to lead when others need help. Flexibility in this regard is vital to be able to meet and surpass the need of the fluctuating demands of the real world in and outside of the classroom.
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The Gallup StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment evaluates participants’ personalities and tendencies, and reports back their areas where they perform best in their lives. My strengths are Deliberative, Restorative, Adaptability, Harmony, and Intellection.
Deliberative describes people who take care in making decisions. In my opinion, good decision making is entirely essential to being successful. Everything we do involves a decision, whether it is to participate in an action or how to go about doing the action, a decision is needed. And if these decisions are made well, the outcomes usually benefit. In my current life in college, good decision making is vital. College offers great freedoms, but not without risks. I must balance having fun, staying safe, and performing well in academics all at the same time. Some bad decisions can ruin all of these in one fell swoop, and must be avoided. As a future engineer, good decision making is still vital. While the numbers and calculations may be accurate on a design, the design is fundamentally flawed from the start if bad decisions lead up to it. Decisions must be made to maintain ethical integrity and maximize both functionality and profitability.
Restorative describes people that are problem solvers. Whether they stumble upon a problem or actively seek it out, they do what they can to resolve it. Problems have always been around through time, and will always be around. It takes people to solve these problems, as they usually don’t resolve themselves. My current life poses problems that are new to me. I have greater freedoms and responsibilities, and I am expected to solve my own problems now with significantly less external guidance. I hope to be able to utilize my strength here to quickly and effectively deal with problems when and where they arise, so that I may stay safe and get as good an education as I can. In the future as an engineer, problem solving is the fundamental purpose of engineering. Engineers define problems and make solutions to them to better the world for everyone in it. Problem solving is only needed to address the issues that need fixed, but also the issues that arise while fixing them. Problems can lead to more problems, and engineers are needed to solve them.
Adaptability describes someone who “goes with the flow.” This does not necessarily mean that the person is solely only able to be reactionary, but prefers to live centered in the present. I am able to effectively plan ahead, but I prefer to focus on the present because that is where I live. I feel that planning every detail ahead of time puts life on a schedule of our own creation, and eliminates spontaneity that makes things interesting. Also, being adaptable means that I am more effective at dealing with unexpected events, which cannot be avoided. Adaptability in my current life is useful because I can never know what to expect. I have entered a world in which I am unfamiliar with it, and can’t predict everything in it. I simply don’t have the experience to do so, and must be adaptable to meet the demands on me. As an engineer, adaptability is key to many projects. While engineers would like that everything goes precisely according to plan, things simply don’t always adhere to what is expected. Engineers must revise designs to meet new demands that have just arisen, so that problems can be better solved with their changing needs.
Harmony describes a person who seeks to create common ground and agreement. In the world, people need to agree to get things done. Individuals, without the support of others, can accomplish very little. Modern society is only possible thanks to the collaboration of many people in the past to make the present possible. My current life also demands a high degree of consensus. College students who do not agree with eachother tend to not get along. A sense of peaceful community is necessary to facilitate all its members achieving an excellent education. If its members are more focused on their internal conflicts, they lose out on many other things. As a future engineer, I will almost exclusively be working as a part of a team of engineers. Teams of engineers need to work together to be successful. Good teams are efficient, and can effectively accomplish tasks to which they are assigned. A team that is fighting itself accomplished rather little.
Intellection describes a person who is capable of and enjoys intellectual stimulation and challenge. If everyone in history had been of an equal and moderate intelligence, we would not be where we are today. The great minds of history have made advancements that spurred us into technological and other scientific and mathematical advancements that shaped our world today. But not just the greatest made advancements; those who challenged themselves to do something with their mind helped as well. When people challenge their mental capabilities, they set themselves up to achieve. Currently in my life, mental challenge is abundant. College asks students to take concepts a step farther, or in some cases many strides farther. Students are meant to be pushed farther than they are comfortable, so that they can see what they are truly capable of. Engineers constantly face problems which challenge them. Whether no solution exists, or a previous solution must be adapted, a great deal of mental effort goes into engineering. Some projects require great feats of engineering to accomplish what was previously though impossible to accomplish, and it takes the willingness to challenge oneself to do this.
Speaking for myself, I do not believe that knowing these strengths will change how I act. I already knew what I did well, and this just reinforces it. Perhaps a more defined set of strengths associated with my name may give me more confidence to pursue them, if I am hesitant when approaching a new task. Having a more defined system to acknowledge these strengths will proves useful, however, in communicating my strengths to others. Having a measured system’s results to list off proves far more effective than making general statements about what I am good at, in terms of clarity and professionalism.