BEHIND THE SCENES
“The real engineer in you comes out and you see a glimpse of your future” – Dr. Haile Rajamani
Big posters, sharp attire, friendly smiles, and firm handshakes. The time to finally showcase your project is here. Backs straight and shoulders relaxed, try not to stutter and remember all the rehearsing you’ve done for your pitch, making sure you’ve got the judge’s vote in the bag. Don’t worry. The air conditioning in the room is sure to hide the bullets you might be sweating as your mind continuously chants ‘Please keep working, please keep working’. Just remember to hide any burn marks on your fingers from all the soldering.
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you’ve only recently freed yourself from the shackles of ECTE250, then the last 5 months must have passed like a blur. Your first thoughts might have been something along the lines of ‘God please place me in a competent team’ or ‘What if I don’t know how to design anything’, but now, they probably go something like ‘Give me patience to get through this fair and disband from these people. Never again!’ Lady Luck rarely shines on individuals during group projects, so if you actually found yourself having fun and trusting of your team mates, then hopefully you cherished every waking moment you had because this might not happen again.
Group projects can be tough and people easily clash. For the fights that have occurred (and they definitely did, no shame about it), you might have found yourself playing a different role each time: mediator at one time, instigator another. Hopefully no damage beyond pride, which always needs a good beating, has been done.
Had you just finished with ECTE350, on the other hand, team dynamics were probably not as big of an issue compared to your second year. Either you learned from your previous experience and grew, or you became numb to all the fighting and decided for your peace of mind to distance yourself from the insanity (always a valid choice).
IMPLEMENTATION
“This is not the end of all things” – Dr. Haile Rajamani
Ah the project room. From the ominous sounds of the multimeter beeping to the smell of fried components wafting through the room. Looking to your right you can see someone hunched in defeat as they go through every debugging procedure known to mankind and fail to find the reason for malfunction, and huddled across the room is the team who finally had the Eureka moment they’ve been waiting on for 3 days. The best ones however? The team who decided to take their needed break and head to the food court because they knew working like zombies wasn’t doing them any good.
After finalizing your design through diagrams and simulations, here begins the best part: actually building your project. Implementation can be frustrating, but it is also, without a doubt, the most exciting phase of design. You might have once felt like the most ignorant student to walk the halls of the school, however, by the time the first demonstration comes around, no doubt you’ve obtained some useful skills in your arsenal.
Scanning multiple data sheets at a time? Easy. Soldering? Requires only half the time needed two weeks ago. You somehow manage to grow attached to the code you’ve written and wrestle your team member into letting you debug the entire system. Break time involves joking around with your team members as you all take turns building up your product, bonding over the exhaustion and forgotten homework from other courses. The system might fail at times, but it is important to keep a cool head about it and try not to lower your sugar level and give yourself anxiety spikes. Look back a few months in the past and try not to be amazed at how much you learn from a course that forces you think practically.
PARADING YOUR GIZMO
Brace yourself, for here come the presentations and demos! Have your team prepare their ace, their knight in shining armour, for the confidence radiating from this fellow becomes the trump card against the prodding questions that await you, especially when the inevitable happens and your system which passed all tests a night ago somehow decided to abandon fort when your professor is but 3 feet away from you. Don’t cower, and have heart, for you’ve only just begun this battle.
Contrary to what your mind might have you believe as you quiver, this strange occurrence can be found everywhere. You may view this by simply turning around and observing the horror reflecting in the eyes of the other teams. As your professor draws near, stand your ground, take deep breaths, and as long as you remain confident, you won’t disappoint. Teachers might be judging your design, but they are also aware of suddenly breaking systems and they want to see whether you’ll pull yourself out of this hole or dig yourself in deeper. Let your champion lead the way as you all explain the fine details of your project and sell it.
FROM YOUR MENTORS
Take a look at what the people in charge of ECTE250 and ECTE350 have to say about the experience.
Dr Haile-Selassie Rajamani, Associate Professor
Q: Mentor’s experience with ECTE350?
Students were definitely interested in the projects they were building. There was enthusiasm present within the students. Dr Haile had a very pleasant experience and he is looking forward to mentor for yet another year.
Q: Common mistakes made by students?
Of course, time management had to top the list. A common mistake made by students universally. He also thinks there’s a lack of confidence when it comes to designing the idea of a group’s project. The golden rule, according to Dr Haile, is build self-confidence by learning to do things yourself. He insists on group members to keep technical records, only if, one wants to remain sane.
Q: What factors should be kept in mind to maintain a good team relationship?
Having seventeen years of experience in teaching, which includes several projects he has worked on; Dr Haile believes respect is integral for a proper functioning of a team. Try to enforce regular meeting times, abandon any superiority complexes, and be patient.
Dr Stefano Fasciani, Associate Professor
Q: A lot of the time the project does not work during demonstration. Opinion on this?
He calls this the Demo Effect and says that it’s really common. Students must go through a well- designed, structured testing activity. He says it’s impossible to implement a perfect design but that well-structured testing is significant is equally important as design.
Q: What are some of the worst mistakes students make?
He recognized lack of organization and students approaching the project with an attitude of ‘I’ll try’ to be the main ones.
He said, “An engineer doesn’t try, an engineer does something because he/she knows it will work”. An engineer must choose a particular method of executing and be confident it is the best. There’s a lot at stake in a real working environment if engineers fail to find the best possible outcome. “Determining the best outcome is most often a trade-off between many different factors.”
Q: What are some of the most interesting (or most boring) projects you have seen so far?
His basis of assessment is less to do with its usefulness as he does not expect the high level of expertise required for such a project but that with original contribution in terms of design.
Q: What advice would he give students to win at the trade show?
Dr Stefano believes it’s a crucial skill to be able to sell oneself. It is also important to keep in mind that not all the visitors are from an engineering background. Marketing is vital. It is important to convince people that your product is innovative and the best in the lot.
Mr Majid Munawar, Lab Engineer
Q: How to you feel when approached about components and replacements?
Dr Majid replied that he feels a sense of satisfaction and happiness in being able to help out students with their work, but added that it does get annoying when students do so by interrupting a meeting.
Q: What is the worse state you’ve found a student in during the course of the projects? What about the worst meltdown experienced in the lab?
He recounts the incident of a student lying on the floor and had a clearly dislocated knee but to Mr Majid’s surprise found the student smiling. The student did receive the help that was needed and is well.
The one incident he can recall close to a meltdown is a student would jump up and down and bang the ground crying because the student received low marks on an assignment.
Q: Most impressive project?
More than an impressive project, it was a student’s attitude towards the project that remains memorable to him till this day.
Q: Any changes in labs?
Some of the changes are already underway. But others include: penalty for students who fail to clean up after themselves, more equipment and work station to be added, more room for student to work, more safety measures to be implemented, and upgrading the computer systems.
FINAL ADVICE
Taking ECTE250 or ECTE350 soon? Hopefully you’ve not been discouraged by what you read here. Consider all what was written to be a preparatory session and remember that experiences differ. These courses might be the most interesting you’ll take in this university.
Current students have been questioned about what they would advise future batches.
“Don’t try too hard.” – Jude Oniya
“Don’t give up.” – Manohar Vohra
“Working as a team is one of the biggest challenges a person will face, so when it comes to submissions and deadlines, my advice is to make sure you are with people you can depend on to manage their time.” - Rand Yasin
“Remember to take break. Your mental health is more important than the work at hand.” – Aisha Bukar “The culprit is more than likely the resistor.” – Hanin Izzeldin
Authors:
Hanin Izzeldin, Electrical Engineer Representative
Bertina Motti, Treasurer at EA UOWD Student Society
Mehreen Musharafa, Volunteer
Interviews conducted by:
Rubayith Tasbhia, President at EA UOWD Student Society – Interview Dr Haile Rajamani
Salama Al Qemzi, Event Manager – Interviewed Dr Stefano Fasciani
Manohar Vohra, Computer Engineer Representative – Interviewed Mr Majid Munawar