Shigley Hauler Part III

So remember team Draco's lovely Shigley Hauler Parts I and II? Well, here are the results:

• 1 book at 20 degrees: 7.5 seconds
• 2 books at 30 degrees: 22.3 seconds
• 4 books at 40 degrees: 52.5 seconds
• 5 books at 60 degrees: 155.5 seconds

Can you believe that we hauled 5 books (22.5 pounds) up a 60 degree ramp with a motor (see below) that runs on two AA's?! Yeah...me neither...but we did!

Good Job, Team Draco! 

-Serena

The Happiness Project

I feel like engineering is one of the best "philosophy" majors.  You constantly think about who we are as a society, where we are going as a society (think Soviet Nuclear crisis or the current energy situation), and where I am in the midst of it.  You can't deny your relevance to the current politico-economic situation...I've especially learned this from being in Washington DC.

Sure, it's fun to reflect on the meaning of life.  I'm in the process of reading "The Happiness Project". And nothing in this book is profounding (to be honest).  Basically, it's one person journey to happiness and fulfilling life's goal. From what I've gotten, the meaning of life is the journey to happiness.

This past week, I've been really struggling with where I want to go/what I want to do. What I've learned is the following: Don't deny what makes you happy. 


On the same note, watch the following video.

-Serena

Dealing with Test Anxiety

Hello. I haven't blogged in quite some time but I'm back now! I'm on spring break and enjoying every extra minute I'm in bed and not outside in the rain :)

Did you know that around 20% of students suffer from Test Anxiety? Crazy, right?

If you're one of this twenty percent you know how difficult it is to deal with. I thought I'd put together my list of tips for getting past the anxiety in order to be help you focus on your exams.

Note: These are in no particular order.

-Visualize: I know this sounds cheesy but it helps, imagine going into the exam and visualize every possibility. Imagine the best possible outcome, you come in, flip to the first page, look over all the problems, and mentally high five yourself because you know all the topics covered. Now what if you don't know the first question, go on and realize you know the next, etc. Do this every night until the exam. By the time the test comes around it's not as terrifying anymore because you've mentally taken it a good fifteen times already.

-BREATHE: One of the problems I deal with during tests is I freak myself out more than necessary and my heart beat goes way up. Focus on your breathing, youtube breathing exercises, and practice. Panicking is not going to help, focus on calming yourself and dealing with the task at hand.

-Sleep: Get enough sleep, eight hours is usually just wishful thinking the night before an exam but try to shoot for at least six. You need to focus on the completing the exam to the best of your abilities, not on trying not to drool on your exam. While an all-nighter may seem like a good idea at the time, it'll be no help the next morning when you can't recall the information from lack of sleep or fall asleep during an exam.

-Study thoroughly: Studying for college is not like studying for high school. It's not just rereading your notes and acing an exam. It's even harder with test anxiety in the way. Prepare for your exam WELL and in every way. If you feel you have done everything you possibly can to prepare for an exam then there won't be much doubt in your mind. Being prepared--> confidence.

-Music: I have two playlists for this. 1: My chill mix: music I can close my eyes and relax to. For me this is Ronald Jenkees, RJD2, The Album Leaf, Glorie, etc. All lyric-less instrumentals. This is for pre-test or when you just need to tune the world out. 2: a Happy Mix: This is your mood boosting mix for study breaks to convince yourself to keep going; upbeat music you can dance around to or songs that just make you smile.

-Good Memories: One of the things I like to do before an exam is get to class a little early and just wander campus. I usually end up visiting the building where I had my best exam experiences and best scores. It helps me feel like regardless of how freaked I am I can do well. I have felt this way before and still survived the exam and did well. Give it a shot, it’s surprisingly helpful.

-Avoid negative people: You know who I’m talking about; the worriers. Talking to someone panicking about an exam will just increase your anxiety and make you doubt how much you know. Just plug in headphones and try to tune everything out.

-After the exam: It’s over, there’s nothing else to be done at this time, don’t stress yourself out worrying about it. Go home, sleep, or go out to lunch or something. Treat this as a kind of reward for making it through the exam.

I hope these tips help. If you have any questions feel free to comment below. I’ll do a post later about great study music.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Photo from Microsoft Office Online: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=test&ctt=1#ai:MP900439390|mt:2|

Minor Possibilities

When I was an Orientation Leader a few years back, I was asked the following question:

Which minor is most common among engineering majors?


Well, this is a difficult question because it shows the reality of life....engineering majors don't typically obtain minors (unless they are willing to spend more than four years on their degree). 


For all of you contemplating engineering, this can be a total turn-off to the major.  I remember these moments when I was a freshman when many things happened...AP units didn't count toward actual classes, I wasn't going to be able to take a foreign language (if you want to finish in 4 years), all of the restrictions on General Education requirements (nothing seemed interesting and too liberal for me)...the disappointments go on and on.


However, the freshman experience is interesting.  You are involved with many people who are in the same boat as you.  And once you start talking to Seniors and Juniors in engineering, you're intrigued why they are so happy with their major! They can tell you all about the great experiences they've had and the honest homework loads. 


So my advice to the younger, but-not-so-young, students. Step back and listen to those before you. Life gets better, even though it may not seem ideal right now. Go join a club (while you have the time!). Have fun with your dorm-mates. Do something different...potentially not engineering-related. You'll thank us later :-)


-Serena

SmartSite and MySpace

For all you UCD'ers, there is ONE tool that many people don't know about: Myspace.


No, no, this isn't the pre-Facebook social medium tool that we all came to love and hate. This is your when-your-flashdrive-doesn't-work-or-get's-lost flashdrive.  The university has a server that you can use to store your files and webpage links which...I think...can hold 2 GB.

So, how do you get to Myspace? Great question! 

• Sign into SmartSite
• "My Workspace"
•  "Resources" (like you would for a class)
• "Myspace Files"
• From this interface, you can upload/download files, create folders (to keep yourself organized), and "Add Weblinks" for those moments when you need to save a webpage, but you're not at home.

There are also ways to directly upload via "My Computer." Directions for that can be found here.  Some prefer this way, especially if you are uploading many files simultaneously.

I know a lot of people (including engineers) don't know that this service exists.  Take advantage of it! Don't lose your files!

-Serena

*It's also cool to note that you can make your own "Smartsite" through the "Site Setup" link.  I've used it for clubs and other design projects to keep track of things.

Shigley Hauler Part II

Remember the wonderful Shigley Hauler post? This is video of it (and Leann) in action!!!! So exciting! (It's good to remember that this is running on 3 volts!) More posts to come soon with the final design and pictures :-D

Go Team, Draco!!

-Serena

Fictional Characters

Last week, I got asked one of the most interesting questions:

If you could be any character from a TV show or movie, who would it be? 


This was a very hard question, because I went back to my fanciful childhood for just a second.  With finals approaching, imagination time just does not happen.

My answer was Jennifer Gardner's character from Alias.  But then I thought about Apollo 13, and how exciting (and nerve-wracking) that situation would be..."A vacuum cleaner can't run on 13 volts!"

Do our character wishes have any effect on who we are or aspire to be? What is your answer? Does it make you reconsider or re-emphasize your plans for the future?