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Showing posts from January, 2019

How do you plan to manage your time?

My plan to plot out the usage of time for this project is to go by a weekly basis. Each week I plan to accomplish a step. This week I spent my time reaching out to my mentor and draft out ideas to up the complexity of my design. Right now I have some newer ideas in mind to add to the base design, but I will need to go and acquire the materials first, which I plan to do next week once I'm no longer busy. By march break I should have the first physical prototype completed. Perhaps the most difficult part about managing time for extracurricular projects like this one is meshing it with already scheduled schoolwork and practices. Capstone projects do not have a specific time/block of the day or week for me to work on it, and I will need to plan ahead to ensure I have time to do it.

Who is your mentor?

  For this project, I choose Mr. Jesse Ofgang, my previous music teacher and neighbor for 6 years. In 2012, my mother received a job offer from the Marvelwood School, and took up on it as a way to bring me back to America. The very same year my mother came, Mr. Ofgang was hired by Marvelwood as well. We were neighbors downstairs in Sterling. J-dog as I amicably refer to him as posed as a big brother figure for me rather than a father-like figure because saying so would insult his youth. We played chess and sometimes Mario Kart during our off-time, and when I became a Freshmen at Marvelwood he was my music teacher.   I have asked him to be my mentor on this project because he's evidently good at music, and understands my passion and skill in music. I think he will be able to help me turn this piece into a real musical device rather than just a DiY sort of tool. 

What are your goals for the project?

I chose my pipe-tuner idea because it was clearly the most realistic. I have had this concept in my mind since forever, and have thought about different mediums but which did not turn out to be quite doable. What I hope to accomplish with this project is get a feel for physical creation of something useful from 'book knowledge' and to also learn in the process of making it. Of course, the end product would also be very applicable since I could use it to tune my own instrument. This week, I have gathered many of the resources I need before beginning material purchasing and construction. Most likely will have to head out to buy the requisites soon.

What are your initial three ideas for the Capstone Project?

  Before beginning on my Capstone Project, I had already brainstormed many ideas for what I could do. I was dead-set on incorporating physics and music into my creation, as they were my 'main strengths'. The first idea consists of resonating metal bars, similar to those in a wind chime, tuned to match the frequency of instrumental strings. My second idea was something intended for a similar purpose, but done using tubular pipes, which create the desired sound by definition of its length and cross-sectional radius. My Third idea, quite frankly still a concept which has not been conceptualized yet, is a window screen extension mounted through a cut out section. A small box representing a hallway for felines or other indoor pets to enjoy the sun and outside air without requiring the attention of a human. Granted many cats do already run in and out of the house unaccompanied, but it would make an interesting experience for those who are more interior inclined.   The first idea wa