Yuki’s Learning Experience
- Throughout this 25-week project, I often felt discouraged and unsure of our direction, to the point where I wanted to give up for good. However, my friends kept encouraging me to trust the process and keep showing up, even when I felt lost. Their support taught me the value of perseverance and trust in teamwork.
- In terms of hard skills, I acquired a LOT: Arduino programming, stepper motor operation, 3D printer fundamentals, and G-code. Learning best through hands-on experience, I found that MnT was all about exactly that. Most importantly, I learned the limits of hardware design. At first, I believed I could build almost anything in MnT, but many of my initial ideas were borderline defying law(s) of physics. Now, my intuition is sharper, and I feel much more capable of designing practical, feasible machinery.
KK’s Learning Experience
- I would say that when I first started on the MnT project, I was quite excited at the prospect of designing our own product and learning new skills. I knew that the process of idea → testing → failure would be a tenacious and frustrating cycle…and I was right! That being said, I feel like the project has helped to build my patience and perseverance. It’s been quite a journey and I have definitely grown from it
- With regards to the skills I learnt, as the group’s 3D-modeller, designing 3D models on Autodesk Fusion is definitely something that I have become more proficient at. Looking back on my old designs now, I feel like I could make them again in a much shorter time than I did back then. The “design → test → evaluate → repeat” process of 3D-modelled designs also helped me realise that just small differences in a design can have significant impact on its effectiveness. Truly, precision is key in 3D-modelling. Besides that, I have also picked up skills in Arduino programming for stepper motors. Much of the learning in MnT was in the form of “learn while doing” concept which I am personally a fan of so that was nice!
Mridhula’s Learning Experience
- When I first started MnT, I was very scared and dreadful of the project as I heard about the “horror” stories from my seniors.. Despite my fears, I decided to go into this project with an open mind and I am extremely glad that I did as I actually ended up having fun. That doesn’t mean that MnT didnt have more than its fair share of struggles but I learnt to not give up and just keep trying again and again until we succeeded. Going to MnT every single day of summer break also didn’t seem like a chore when I got to do it with my friends and had the lab staff around to always help us and just chill with us.
- In terms of skill, I mainly learnt about the hardware aspects of the design and the key of precision especially in regards to our project. I learnt how to 3D and the different parameters that we can vary such that we get a successful print but use the least possible 3D printing material at the same time. I also learnt how to screw different structures together, the different nuts and bolts variation as i also learnt how to build a shutter during our project (an idea that was unfortunately discarded along the way).In terms of software, I learnt about the basics of arduino programming and how to use the arduino board. I also learnt how to write the basics of the G-code used to operate our 3D printer
Anthia’s Learning Experience
- Through Making and Tinkering, I had the chance to immerse myself in the iterative design process, where much of our project involved repeatedly testing and refining our ideas. This process was incredibly challenging, as we sometimes faced continuous setbacks with no clear solution in sight. However, these experiences taught me the value of patience and the importance of perseverance through obstacles. I also learned how vital it is to maintain a positive outlook and to share that optimism with my teammates when they felt discouraged, even when I felt the same way.
- Taking on a project outside of my field of biology was a fascinating experience, giving me the chance to work with software and hardware I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. For example, I learned about stepper motors — what they are, when to use them, and how to operate them using Arduino code. I also gained experience with G-code to control 3D printer movement and even learned how to assemble a 3D printer. Collaborating with teammates from different majors, such as computer science and engineering, broadened my perspective and taught me to approach problems with an engineer’s mindset. This interdisciplinary learning experience is something I’ll truly value.
Nathan’s Learning Experience
- When I first started MnT, I was unsure of how I could contribute my skills to the team and at times due to clashes with schedules I definitely felt that my time management was substandard as I wasn’t able to help the team much. Communication, perseverance, and optimism were the key things I had to learn the hard way through MnT. Regardless, I had much fun during the whole process as it taught me how sometimes you need to see things fail in order to understand what went wrong and from there fix the issues. Another thing I learnt is that when you face 1000 problems, focus on solving 1 issue at a time rather than trying to find the perfect solution.
- I had much opportunities to further develop my skills in playing around with Fusion360 (mainly because I have to as an engineer) and learning new tools to fit the design required. My significant takeaway was how the printing material makes a huge difference given its inherent properties. It was also fun to re-learn one of my old hobbies which was Arduino and expand my knowledge more. But I would say my best memory of MnT was being able to play around physically with tools and ensuring that the assembly of materials was all in order.