Independent Component 2

Literal
(a) I, Nick Gonzalez, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) The NHTSA's article "The Long Term Effects of ABS on Passenger Cars and LTVs" helped with research regarding braking systems.
(c) Log located here.
(d) I spent 30 independent hours doing hands on studying with vehicles when given the opportunity at my mentorship or the local junk yard.

Interpretive
I spent my 30 hours doing hands on experimentation with brakes, seat belts, and airbags. It was an important period of time for me to learn more about the things that I was researching. Hands on tinkering helped me learn things that I was not able to learn while going through the motions of mechanic work.

 

 Applied

 The time I spent working on these individual safety features, ranging from a variety of brakes to the internal mechanisms of airbags and seatbelts, was important to help me expand my knowledge of the topic I'm speaking about. While working in the field I often just worked with parts as I was told, but my Independent Component allowed me to to slow down and really look at the things I was working with, as well as learn new things about parts that I hadn't really considered looking at. I'd never really considered what a deploying airbag was like or how everything worked together in the airbag system. This component helped me understand my project answers on a more intimate level.

Senior Project Reflection

1) Positive Statement
My senior project helped me develop my technical skills. It's pretty amazing to look back at how much I've improved due to taking things more seriously with my senior project.

2)
a. NC, I couldn't make the time requirement.
b. CR, I did the bare minimum work throughout and missed many deadlines.

3) My mentorship, it was very important to me, not just as part of my project but on a personal level. The hard work helped me a lot this year.

4) I would have tried to meet deadlines more often, and not given up on things so easily.

5) My senior project has taught me a lot about the field of automotive repair, and a lot about how to handle my work. Hopefully in the future I'll be able to apply my skills with tools and machinery to the real world, like I did in my Mentorship and independent components. I also hope that I won't make the same mistakes I did with my research and science components in the future, which is to put them off to the last minute.

Mentorship

Literal: Log of hours found here.
David Gonzalez (626) 915-5721

Interpretive:
The most important thing I gained from my mentorship was the ability to apply my skills. Throughout my research I've seen many tips and tricks, as well as information about the various parts that I worked with during my mentorship. Because of the connection I have with the Toyopros, the place where my mentorship took place, I was easily able to manipulate and examine anything that interested me. I was also able to apply anything that I thought I had learned in real life.

Applied:
As stated above, my mentorship allowed me to test anything I had seen in my research. I was able to get a better understanding of the things I was reading about. With this I felt much more confident in my answers. My mentorship also connected me to most of my interviews, which also helped solidify my EQ answers.

Blog 22: Final 3 column chart

Here it is.

Exit Interview Questions

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

What is the most important feature of an automobile to keeps its passengers safe? 

My best answer is having an effective and maintained braking system. In this age full of technological advancements in vehicle safety, cars still have two basic functions. All cars are supposed to stop and go. If the vehicle can only complete half of this task, it's unsafe to be in. At the same time, simply being able to stop isn't enough. To stay safe, the car has to be able to stop quickly and effectively. If the car skids, stops too slowly, or loses control the lives of passengers are in danger. Because of this, it's important that the most simple feature of the car also be the most effective.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

Choosing my Essential Question was a difficult process, but I settled on the topic of vehicle safety features because I was intrigued by the technological aspect of everything in the field. From there I had to look over the various parts in cars that make things safe, and how they all functioned together. Despite finding some fascinating information about everything, one feature was constantly receiving attention regarding vehicle safety and safety development. I could ultimately narrow my answer down to the brakes.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

 Deciding how to prioritize my answers was difficult. It became obvious that brakes were important with more research, but the huge amount of information available to me regarding every other feature was also fascinating. Deciding on what answers would be valid and wouldn't be valid was difficult, but with more research I was able to set on three answers that were very effective and had plenty of research on them.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

 My two most important sources were my interview with Danny Fierre and a written source. My third interview really put a lot of the things I learned into perspective, from someone else who was a professional mechanic. I still quote him frequently throughout my senior project because of how influential he was. He also helped me become more confident in my best answer. My second best source, David Burton's "Effectiveness of ABS and Vehicle Safety Control Systems" taught me a lot about what would become my best answer down the line. The source was filled with technical and statistical data regarding ABS.

(5) What is your product and why?

 Before starting my senior project I was only mildly interested in auto repair. It was a way for me to make money, and I didn't care too much about what I was doing other than doing the job. After this year though, I've been taking more pride in the knowledge of the field, and my technical skill has expanded because of this. I've been finding it easier and easier to work independently, and I'm showing growth more rapidly than before. My skills under the hood have grown as I've become more aware of the work that I'm doing.

Interview 5

1) Alicia Garcia, South house.

2) “I’m leaning towards archaeology, because that’s what I want to do and study in college. And I just want to see if right now I can start researching and see if I like it so I don’t have to waste money on college if I don’t.”
3) “At CalPoly they just got a new archaeology professor, so I’m gonna ask her sometime this week or next week if they have something I can do over the summer related to archaeology."
4) “I hope to figure out what I’m supposed to be researching so I know what to expect next year.”
5) She asked about deadlines and how the format of our presentation and components worked, and I told her that we’re consistently doing research and research checks, but components have deadlines within themselves, instead of a regularly schedule deadline every two weeks or something. Then she asked about how the two hours are going to work, and I explained to her the layout of the two hour presentations and that it’s really the last thing she should worry about since the senior team will go over it with them.

Blog 20: Logic Chart

Here it is.