During my STEP project, I worked on implementing a custom FEM solver called JAX-FEM for integration into a forging simulation video game to model the process of deformation-based manufacturing. This forging video game will be used by the HAMMER program at OSU for collecting data on material deformations to train neural networks for modeling deformation-based manufacturing methods such as hot die forging. Moreover, this project was part of the TEK8 program at OSU, and I am currently taking a class in which I will present an engineering design challenge to middle school students for teaching them about my research.
One understanding of myself that changed while completing this research was my confidence in myself and my ability to take on an unfamilar project in a research setting. I worked with PhD students and professors as well as graduate students and fellow undergraduates in developing the forging video game and had to learn many new subjects and push myself beyond what I normally would need to for regular classes. This achievement instilled a new confidence in me regarding my ability to solve difficult engineering problems on my own as well as gave me insight into the benefits of collaborating with others on a team-based engineering project.
Another transformation I had was a shift in my view of how difficult research problems are solved. While I may have previously thought that research is a very individualistic setting in which students and professors work on their own to solve their specific research problems, this experience taught me that engineering and research in general is a widely collaborative area in which students and teachers from various fields must work together to develop multidisciplinary solutions to difficult research problems.
One event that led me to the transformation above is when I had to figure out how to work with a custom FEM solver developed by a PhD student despite never having used FEM software before or learned about FEM. I had to get familiar with new software and study it along with relevent prerequisite materials to be able to understand how it worked so that I could modify it for integration into the forging video game. I also had to develop my own custom library for interfacing with the software to be used as an API for the forging video game server. My ability to take on this task greatly boosted my confidence in myself with regards to tackling difficult research problems.
Additionally, these transformations were influenced by the interactions and relationships I had with the professors and fellow students I worked with. I constantly had to collaborate with other students and professors in developing the video game so that my piece could be integrated along with everyone else’s pieces in creating the final project as a whole. Moreover, I had to collaborate with other students, including those from other schools, in gaining a better understanding of the custom FEM software I worked with so that I could integrate it into the game. Overall, the experience was a very collaborative and multidisciplinary process which greatly transformed my views on engineering research.
Lastly, the experiences and interactions I had with the people around me taught me about the importance of having strong relationships with those you are working with so that you can support each other in your individual efforts to avoid isolation and burnout. The people I worked with had very tight relationships with each other and supported one another in their individual struggles, allowing for greater productivity while avoiding mental fatigue and exhaustion.
This transformation is significant to my life because it has taught me some very important lessons in being successful as a researcher or when working on a team-based project in general. I have learned the importance of collaboration and emotional support as well as instilled new confidence in my abilities which I will carry with me to help me in my future career whether it be continuing with academic research or working in a team in industry to develop new technologies to improve the world around me.
I hope to use this experience to facilitate further achievements in academia and propel me further along in my career. I will use the lessons I have learned to continue to help develop new technologies to improve the world around me, as well as aid others in accomplishing their own goals. While this may only be a small undergraduate experience, I think it will have a deep and overarching impact on my personal growth and future success.
