Hello friends! It’s
been a crazy summer so far, and honestly blogging has not been a top priority
with all the things I’ve been doing – my mistake. So here’s a quick update: I’m
taking an online class that is a grad school prerequisite, I’m studying for the
GRE, I’m preparing for a conference in Ohio in August, and meanwhile trying to
make friends and work out a lot. So it’s crazy, but super fun.
To start off the
return to the blogosphere, I’d like to discuss the several days I spent at Purdue
before the summer in Atlanta began. In West Lafeyette, Indiana, we met all the
other REU students (apparently we are just called REUs for short), ate a whole
lot of amazing food, and learned about the program and what fluid power is. I
actually did not know what fluid power was before coming to the camp, but I was
quite glad to find out that was not the only one. We first learned about the
program itself: how the CCEFP is an Engineering Research Center of the NSF, and
we have all been selected from many different universities to be sent off and
work on various test beds and projects.
Everyone was
incredibly nice and helpful. We had several lab experiences which taught us how
to apply what we’d learned about hydraulic notation, pumps, and motors. The
professors and graduate students came along with us to meals, so as we got to
know them, the learning became more interesting and interactive. I truly
enjoyed getting to know everyone, no matter how brief the several days at
Purdue were, and it’s great to know that everyone is working towards a similar
goal: the advancement of fluid power technology in America. I feel proud to
know that I’m a part of a program which is seeking to get this country back in
competitive standing with academic research in an area which was lacking for
decades.
Overall, I had an
excellent time at the Fluid Power Boot Camp. I flew with Mark and Jesus (the
other two Georgia Tech REU students), neither of whom is from Georgia to the
great city of Atlanta. We got settled into our apartments, and stayed in touch
with several of the other REU students at all the other universities. It would
be nice to see all these students again somehow.
Jesus and I got our hands dirty setting up hydraulic circuits.
Highlight of the "Boot Camp" week: vanilla bean cheesecake :)
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