My name is Mia Saurette, and I am a senior in the honors program from Westlake, OH. I am pursuing a civil engineering degree with a focus in transportation. I would like to work on projects and conduct research involving the operations of public transit systems in large urban areas, specifically bus and rail. I am interested in pursuing a master’s degree in transportation engineering and becoming a licensed engineer.
This is the robot my group and I designed, constructed, and operated for our honors fundamentals of engineering program in spring of 2020 at Ohio State University. The objective of the course was to use our robot to complete various “tasks” on a themed course in contest with other peer groups. Our group used CAD to design the robot and shop tools to construct it in Bolz Hall. The robot was tested and our progress documented in Hitchcock Hall. Due to COVID-19, the robot competition was canceled.
I chose this artifact because it is a representation of my first engineering team-based project. As someone who did not participate in robotics in high school or have any CAD experience, I had to locate the strengths I could offer to the team and make an extra effort to be able to work with my more experienced teammates. Throughout this course, I developed a better understanding of my learning and communication styles. I also gained important skills, including writing project documentation, implementing testing processes, and understanding CAD drawings. I learned the importance of asking questions and receiving clarification. I became more comfortable with sharing my ideas and voicing my opinions. I learned the dynamics of teamwork and the challenge that working with others can present.