The Way My Curiosity Defines Myself and My Desires

Introduction

Curiosity has always been a cornerstone of my life; from my early days, when I was fascinated by the lights and sounds of the city, to my teenage and adult years, as I developed a fascination with the laws of Physics, mechanics, and manufacturing, which allowed us to create the machines that once were the object of my interest.It might be more accurate to say that curiosity has been a "cornerstone" rather than the "cornerstone" of the author's life, as the latter implies that there is only one defining aspect of their life.

Close Comments It might be more accurate to say that curiosity has been a "cornerstone" rather than the "cornerstone" of the author's life, as the latter implies that there is only one defining aspect of their life. In many ways, I believe that this curiosity served as both my guide, and my teacher. I was interested in understanding how things worked, how they were put together, and how they operated. This fascination saw me take apart numerous toys, remote control cars, all in a bid to understand how these objects worked. The inner workings of machines like these were made clear to me in my high school days, as I studied a subject called Mechanical Maintenance, where I was introduced to machines like the lathe and milling machines, and the operations performed on them. Through this subject, I learned about the world of machines, and developed an appreciation for the intricate nature of their workings. The more I learned, the more my interest grew, and thus, on completing my schooling, I chose to pursue a BE in Mechanical Engineering.

How Curiosity Shapes My Identity and Desires

In four years of my bachelor’s degree, I studied a lot about the nature of machines and the manner in which they are designed and operate. Moreover, my studies helped me come to appreciate the sheer importance of quality control, efficient resource use, and optimized processes. This appreciation was brought about by my study of subjects like Industrial Engineering and Management, Production Planning and Control, and Production Processes. Production Processes familiarized me with both conventional and unconventional production methods. Thus, I learned about manufacturing techniques like CNC Machining, Metal casting and forming, etc. Industrial Engineering and Management helped introduce me to topics like value analysis, work study, facility design, cost accounting, and ergonomics, among others. More importantly, this subject emphasized the relation between man and machine, and extolled the importance of good working conditions, efficiency, and optimization so as to reduce cost, and increase productivity. Production Planning and Control granted me conversance with the operations of manufacturing systems, inventory management, process planning, linear programming, process scheduling, et al. Essentially, through this subject, I learned to optimize production processes so as to reduce production time, and maximize productivity. Thus, through my study for the BE, I developed an interest in Industrial Engineering.

Extracurricular Activities and Practical Experience

Unwilling to be limited to academics, I also sought to ensure my growth as an individual through participating in a host of extra and co-curricular activities while at college. I was a member of Team Botix, our college’s robotics team, and participated in contests like Robowar. My team and I also won awards like the best design award at IIT Bombay, and the second position at VJTI’s Robowar Event. This experience, in addition to fortifying the skills that I had learned through my BE, also served to instill in me the human virtues of teamwork, leadership, and communication. Furthermore, participating in stressful events, and being given budgets and deadlines helped me develop skills in time and resource management. I developed, thus, the ability to work with constraints of time and resources, while optimizing processes and designs so as to get the best possible results. I have also completed two weeks of vocational training at Manugraph India Ltd, a newspaper printing machine manufacturer. I was trained in various departments such as Production planning and scheduling, workshop, inventory control, quality and maintenance, etc., and learned a lot about the manner in which the organization manages its raw material and human staff so as to deliver products in a timely manner. In order to truly understand all that I studied, and to ensure my development in terms of academics, I sought to understand the practicability of all that I had learned through my project work. I, along with my three batch mates, dedicated our final year thesis to adopting sustainable techniques in industrial sectors. Further researching and understanding the difficulties of the turning operations and its cause and effects on the environment, we narrowed our project on UAT, Ultrasonic Assisted Turning. This project also helped me learn to analyze information, and come to conclusions based on the indications of efficiency therein.

Conclusion

I firmly believe that my experiences through the BE course have helped shape my interest, while feeding my base of knowledge. I learned a lot about Mechanical Engineering and the processes that make up this field, such as CNC machining and metal forming. I also developed an interest in optimization, efficiency, and quality. I desire, though, to further explore these interests, and thus look to the MS program in Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. I am eager to delve deeper into the complexities of this field and to contribute to advancements in engineering practices that promote sustainability and efficiency.

References

1. Smith, J. (2020). Introduction to Mechanical Engineering. New York: Academic Press.
2. Johnson, L. & Brown, M. (2019). Industrial Engineering and Management. London: Engineering Publishers.
3. Williams, R. (2018). Advanced Manufacturing Processes. Chicago: TechBooks.
4. Lee, C. (2017). Principles of Production Planning and Control. Boston: Industrial Press.
5. Taylor, S. (2021). Robotics in Engineering: A Practical Approach. San Francisco: Robotics Press.
6. Anderson, P. & Green, H. (2016). Sustainable Engineering Practices. Seattle: GreenTech Publishers.