Reflection
After studying at Penn State for five years, I believe that this thesis project was an excellent representation of my ability to apply my learned knowledge to solve a problem and overcome a challenge. The classes that I took as a structural option here allowed me to progress through the project until it's completion, and I didn't realize their importance until I had to call upon the skills that I learned to design different parts of my system. It was very rewarding being able to properly use them.
Working on my own and setting my own deadlines proved to be both fun and nerve-wracking at the same time. It was nice being able to work at a pace that worked for me. However, there were no defined due dates, except for the ones that I set for myself and the due date for the final report. This forced me to learn how to manage my time in order to complete everything for said date. I experienced some issues, as I had to stay over spring break in order to get ahead, but this turned out to be a great decision in hindsight, as it made life much easier.
This thesis project gave me a great amount of confidence as a student, a structural engineer, and a person. In many instances, the challenges that I faced forced me out of my comfort zone, and made me address issues that I had never had to before. I believe that I created a good final product, and I am excited to take what I've learned and apply it as a design professional.
Thank you to all who helped me get here. I appreciate all that you've done, and I wish you all nothing but the best.
Best Regards,
Joshua Zucker