Welcome to Matthew Carr's AE Senior Thesis e-Portfolio
Reflection
Reflection
The first time I heard of the Architectural Engineering Senior Thesis happened before I even got accepted into Penn State. I knew it to be a lot of work and very challenging as described by people that I had known that went through it and it definitely turned out to be that and more. Just the thought of analyzing and redesigning a building by my self with little guidance seemed like a frightening task. I had a good idea of what exactly goes on since I knew a couple of fifth years and had watched them go through it. In the end, I took it as it came and the presentation was not nearly as bad as first expected.
The AE program had prepared me for the year long senior thesis project and it seems that thesis is the thing that we are being prepared for all along. In turn, the first semester prepared us for the redesign, which is the culmination of thesis, by helping me understand my building through the technical reports. The technical reports were invaluable for helping me figure out my systems and see what would work out best as a redesign.
In the end, the senior thesis experience, I feel, was a success. I learned a lot more by redesigning the system by myself as you have to manage time wisely and deal with problems on your own. The overall experience taught me a lot about myself and a lot about mechanical design and will always be a memorable experience.CPEP and Discussion Board
The CPEP website creation was something I was not looking forward to. However, being provided with a template was a huge help and turned out to be not so bad. The organization and format was helpful for both the faculty and I. The website is a good place for archiving my work and will be looked at for years to come. The websites will also be helpful for future thesis students.
The discussion board is a good idea and a good way of communicating questions to people in the real design industry professionals.