Evaluating Sources (Extra Credit)

In this blog post I was told to find a critical source that would make an argument about my field of chemical engineering. I found a source about balancing work with family. The critic talks about how nontechnical or traditional jobs have such a different stance than their counter part of more technical jobs like chemical engineering. I found this quite fascinating to see the difference between them. The critic argued that nontechnical or traditional jobs were not as willing to let their workers have more flexible jobs hours.

After reading the whole source and getting a sense of where the critic was coming from I was able to see the big picture. The critic's argument showed how traditional jobs in the work force were very stern about their policies on giving their workers a more flexible job to go and take care of their child. They felt that give more flexible jobs were given to their workers it would harm the company in the long run due to costs and production. On the other hand technical jobs have already taken a step forward and thought ahead of their counterparts and allowed their workers to have more flexible job hours. This made it possible for a family member to go and take care of a child while still working, just at a different location. In a survey workers preferred companies that were willing to give flex-time to their workers. By the looks of it, many work places are changing their old habits and going in a different direction to allow people to have more flexibility and time with family if needed. The critic is right about how traditional jobs look at their work force as a company that needs as many people to work at a time, but it is sometimes necessary to be open and allow for a little bit of freedom to roam.

Citation: "Balancing Work & Family." Chemical Engineering 99.4 (1992): 147-. ProQuest. Web. 17 Apr. 2013.
N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 17 Apr 2013. <http://www.arma-nova.org/programs.htm>.

Reflecting and Researching

For my last and final blog post of the year I was told to reflect on my journey throughout the whole semester about my field and what I have learned by exploring my field. From the bigger picture that I can see right away, I feel like I have gone leaps and bounds just by learning more about what chemical engineering really is about. Also, by having this blog post many hours have been spent on finding researching different ways renewable energy is being utilized today. It is quite interesting to see how far I have gone from the beginning of the semester to where I am right now. As I reflect back on this blog and its whole process here are my top three things I have learned about my field and about myself as a researcher.

The top three things that I have learned about my field of chemical engineering are as of right now the most efficient way to obtain renewable energy is through wind power, there is actually many more ways of finding renewable energy other than the obvious ones like sun, water, and wind,  and lastly chemical engineers play a big part in the foods we eat. It is quite fascinating to see how far I have been able to dig in the world of chemical engineering. I never knew that there can be so many different parts in this field and each field has its own affect on human kind.

Throughout the whole semester I have learned a lot of who I am as a researcher. The top three things that I have learned as a researcher is that to have good evidence for my research paper I need to have multiple sources to backup my claims, working in advance on my research helps me be able to pick out the most appropriate sources that bolster would my essay, and finally analyzing the research that  I have found with the knowledge I have gained from all the research. All three of these keys have helped me understand how to write a good college research paper. The more evidence I have to back up my claims the better it will be for the audience to see where I am coming from.

After all this research and really finding out what chemical engineering really is there are still a couple of questions that loom in my head that I have yet to be able to figure out right now. Here are some of the questions that I would like to find out in the future. What is the most optimal way to convert solar rays into renewable energy? Why is it so tough to only rely on renewable energy? How long will it take for more of the world to switch over to renewable energy and rely less of fossil fuels and gasoline? Hopefully in my future education at MSU will help me explore and understand these questions that I still have. Reflecting on my journey so far, I feel that I have really been able to explore in depth about chemical engineering and it makes me feel good about the path I have chosen so far. There is a lot that the future holds indeed!

Converting Heat into Electricity

In this video Dr. Morelli talks about how heat from the sun is transfered into electricity through his research. It is really fascinating to see how just the sun's rays can be turned into energy and then be used by people instead of gasoline or coal. The video really goes in depth about how the process works and the reasons why he is doing this research. I think the more research that we can do about finding different ways to contribute to renewable energy, it will be a giant leap for the whole world. The less fuel and harmful gases that are used on this planet the more it can slow down the global warming as a whole. Dr. Morelli's research is really interesting to see what types of tools he has built to capture as much energy from the sun as possible and then be able to convert the optimal amount of heat into energy. The research that Dr. Morelli is conducting can be a break through in renewable energy for the future. The really neat thing about it is, the research is done on our very own campus at Michigan State University.

Citation: N.d. Photograph. YoutubeWeb. 14 Apr 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o7ayPf8qeP4

Practicing Your Knowledge

For this weeks blog post I was to identify and attempt a hands-on experience. The past couple of weeks I have had the privilege to work on a engineering project with our group to build a device that would explain, to a visually impaired person, why a ladder will not slide when force is put upon it. Our group brain stormed ideas to see what would work best to explain the idea behind it. Our group chose to create a small replica of a wall, flat surface, and a ladder. The flat surface would have two different types of friction on it, one side with sand paper and the other with nothing at all. The building process took up to a week or so to finally come up with a compact friendly design that the visually impaired person can carry around with themselves. This project really opened up my eyes as a engineer and to see what I am really capable to doing in the futre. A simple thing like building a device to showcase friction, is mind blowing to me because of how powerful the mind is when thinking about different possible ideas.

This whole hands on project gave me a new perspective. There is quite the difference between a hands-on learning and learning from written/ spoken sources. Hands-on learning allowed me to be able to freely think about how I can approach the project. The big thing was the ability for me to use trial and error. This allowed our group to learn about what would be best for the customer. Learning from written sources on the other hand makes the reader have to interpret another persons ideas to see what is best fit for the certain situation. Written sources also gives you the ability to look at a different perspective from another person. There are always pros and cons of hands-on learning and from written/ spoken sources. It really just depends on how the person approaches the project to see what best fits for them at that certain time.

After attempting a hands-on experience that allowed me to learn more about my field, I felt that it is more beneficial for me to physically see what is going on in action. As a hands-on type student if I am able to see what I need to do on a project I can better asess the situation. For this experience it was much better to be hands on than trying to learn from written/spoken sources. There will be times that it is more beneficial to learn from written/spoken sources, but for this engineering project it was best to physically be hands-on with the building process. This allowed me to learn more about the project as a whole and understand the problem that I needed to solve. 

Are Electric Cars Really Eco-Friendly?

Many car companies now are trying to go green for the future. Companies are trying to create electric cars for the consumer who is really into eco friendly technology. The question is still, are electric cars really eco-friendly? One would think that electric cars are the best types of cars to drive because it runs on electricity, but on the contrary the energy that is given to the car is from power plants. When a electric car is being charged up at home or at a station, the energy comes from power plants that run on coal. Not many people really know where the energy comes from, just because the car maybe running on electricity the energy has to come from somewhere. The article I read about really talks about how green an electric car is. It is quite fascinating to see that even though one maybe driving an electric car and thinking they are saving the planet. There is still a problem deep down that engineers and companies are trying to fix by producing more eco-friendly renewable energy that does not create carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Site:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/automobiles/how-green-are-electric-cars-depends-on-where-you-plug-in.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&hp

Citation: Electric Deal: Certain Nissan Leaf Dealers Offering Nearly $10,000 in Lease Cash Incentives . N.d. Photograph. Motor Trend Web. 10 Apr 2013. <http://wot.motortrend.com/electric-deal-certain-nissan-leaf-dealers-offering-nearly-10000-in-lease-cash-incentives-308223.html

Chemical Engineering in Food

Chemical engineers are a integral part of everyday. Over the years chemist have discovered and modified different fertilizers and pesticides to help better the growth of the food we eat. In the past a chemist named Fritz Harber engineered a process that would create ammonia between hydrogen and nitrogen. The process would help with a big amounts of ammonia that was used and still are in use as fertilizer. The process that Harber discovered would change the world forever by creating a direct impact on sustainable food production all over the world.

Chemical engineers have also made a major impact on the production of food. They have found effective ways to discard and help fight against the growth of weeds, insects, and other pests. By creating such great chemical compounds for commercial use, many companies have been able to grow food by the masses which give all of us food to eat. Chemical engineers have had their hand in many integral parts whether you know it or not. Before reading this article I never knew chemical engineers played such a big part in food. It is great to see how chemical engineers are making such a impact on the world of food.

Citation:
"Growing Food." n. page. Print. <http://www.chemicalengineering.org/food/growing.html>.

Remixing Knowledge

This week for my blog post I was told to find a source that was created by a professional in my field of chemical engineering this is essentially a remix. I found a site called American Institute of Chemical Engineers. This site is made up of all chemical engineers from all over the world. The site is considered a membership only site for chemical engineers, so you would need to login to be able to fully access all the information it has to offer. This site is great because it allows chemical engineers from all over the world to interact with each other and provide research to all the members. This creates a community of chemical engineers who are willing to help each other out to better the world for the future. The site has many tid bits about what this organization is doing to help better expand the chemical engineering field.

I will now break down this website through the use of RAIDS. Revision of this website would be what does it mean to be a chemical engineering professional? Also another revision about this website would be what are some benefits this organization can give to a chemical engineering professional. Arrangement of the website is broken down into different parts of the organization into two columns. It highlights the main points of why a chemical engineer professional should join the organization. The invention for this website is chemical engineers have their own big named organization and chemical engineers are willing to put all their research and ideas onto a website for other chemical engineers to look at. The delivery of the website is very clear, crisp, and right to the point. The website breaks down the most importan aspects to entice a chemical engineer to join their website. The website provides little descriptions about each category to really make sure that when a chemical engineer reads their material, they will get a understanding of what the institution is try to accomplish. The style of this website is straight forward. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers tell you exactly what they are doing and how it can help the chemical engineer who is in need of connections or a way to talk with different employers.

The audience that this website is targeting is mainly chemical engineering professionals. The purpose of the website is to entice as many chemical engineering professionals to join their organization because they have so much to offer to each and every engineer. The comprehensive site allows chemical engineer professionals to interact with one another and with other employers. This organization makes it much easier for chemical engineers to network with not just people in the close community, but with a larger community of chemical engineers all around the world. The overall success of its rhetoric is phenomenal, this website touches upon everything that a chemical engineer professional may be looking into. The access that a chemical engineer is able to have through this website is beyond what a professional can imagine. This organizations website did a very good job with how they are trying to get more chemical engineers to join their site. 

Citation:
"About." American Institute of Chemical Engineers . n. page. Print. <http://www.aiche.org/about>.
About. N.d. American Institute of Chemical Engineers Web. 31 Mar 2013. <http://www.aiche.org/sites/default/files/styles/aiche_content/public/images/overview_page/about_image_chemical-engineers-in-plant-iStk_0.jpg>.