Personal Reflection

Mechanical Engineering 250 has taught me more than any other class.  Not only did I learn a lot of practical knowledge in lecture, but I also learned valuable lessons on how to put my knowledge to the test, how to work within a team and also gained a lot of hands on experience in the shops.  Most classes you follow a book, chapter by chapter, learning material that you would only need to know for a test, whereas ME 250’s material is applicable in all real world situations. 

Over the summer I worked briefly at a manufacturing facility and while I was never a part of the engineering, I was able to see first hand a lot of the day to day operations.  While taking this class, I saw how the things I was learning directly correlated to the real work place.  From the manufacturing drawings to the design process, what I was learning was something that I knew I could take into my career and apply.

I think the most important thing I learned was machining the parts.  Anyone could have a great strategy or concept, but if it is close to impossible to machine, then its not a viable product.  Being able to take a concept and make it fit into the cheapest and most efficient manufacturing processes is a difficult task and from working in the machine shop I realize how important this is.  Making this connection and looking at designing something from the machinist perspective is something that I can always apply to help become a better engineer.

Another important lesson from this class is working with a team.  Usually most classes the only teamwork you have is on a homework assignment and never really puts the concept of teamwork to the test.  In this class we had to learn how to work in a team or else we would never make any progress.  Everyone has their different ideas and schedules and I had to learn to not look at the variations, but see how I can take what we have and direct it together to create something even better.  During the last week or two of the building process I also had to understand how to deal with the stress of the project and not lose my cool to the team, which would only push us in the opposite direction, and try and stay as cooperative as possible.

While I did learn a great deal in this class, there were areas of the class that irritated both me and other students.  First of all, the assignments and grading were very unorganized and vague.  If there were a little more clarity in everything we were supposed to do, then it would reduce the stress of all of the students (which is definitely needed towards the end of the semester).  Also, everyone is very inexperienced in the machine shop and by only have 3 weeks to machine our entire project it makes it very difficult.  If we had either more time to work on our projects, or have a smaller project for a week before the final project to gain experience, it would make the quality of machining increase greatly and give the students a little more confidence in what we are doing.

Still, this class is one that I feel like I can take what I learned and apply it in a multitude of areas, which I can’t say for most of the classes I take.  It prepares us for the real world, in both the work place and for other conflicts in life and makes me look forward to the next project in Mechanical Engineering.


-Christian Groesbeck