Beginning Construction

Blog Post #4

The first official day of building, although it was only one block, was preceded by many big steps in the project. Our design plans were finalized after being altered. Instead of tree we had planned to build, three individual flowers are going to be constructed. Then a list of materials was made from these designs. Although I was still unsure of the specific materials to be used I reminded the group that we were going to paint the flowers. Spray paint of assorted colors was added to the list.

These individual flowers also made it easier to split up into smaller groups. We were each assigned to an instrument. I could choose from the drums, maracas, or xylophone and I chose the drum flower. From here I helped my other teammates make the design for the drums.

After the designs for each instrument were complete the group was split into three groups, each with their own goal. One group was sent to clean up the design plans and work on our project website. Another group was sent to buy materials from Home Depot, one media and marketing person, and two engineers.

The last group, which I was in, attended a Keysight presentation/ Q&A session. The two leaders of the group as well as an engineer (me) were given the opportunity to ask about leading a group, working together, and communication. I was given the sketches of my other group members to discuss our design process.

When the other group members came back from Home Depot, we went to go help them carry the supplies back to the classroom to begin construction. On this first day, I helped trace the outlines for the smaller flower petals. It was when we started cutting out the petals from the metal that we realized how sharp the edges were. We considered using gloves, but decided it would be too much of a hassle to get them for every member. Significant progress was made, most notably beginning construction, so taking the time to handle the metal with care was no problem.