MET 330 Reflection Letter

I absolutely think my work met the objectives found in MET 330. Even though my grades definitely don’t reflect it, I put forth an incredible amount of effort to learn as much of the concepts as I could. When I had the time available to me, which was rare, I put in an incredible amount of effort and performed reasonably well. My third test is a good example. It just wasn’t enough to get a good grade over all because I work a full-time job, that had me both intellectually burnt-out and emotionally exhausting well before the class started. I think it is incredible that I was able to do as well as I did.

What I want to point out is that my grades only reflect that I had to learn the subject within a semester. My lack of mastery over the subject is solely based on the arbitrary constraint of limited time. Even though this impacted my ability to do well, I do feel like I have a much more profound grasp of the subject then when I started this semester. Because of the course work, I can honestly and competently dialogue competently about Bernoulli’s equation, Reynold’s number, the relative roughness of a pipe, Q in must equal Q out, friction factors, Moody’s diagram, choosing a pump, drag coefficients, etc. Even if I don’t become a specialist in this field or learn computational fluid dynamics, I will be a much better engineer for it. 

Perhaps one of my biggest take-aways from this course has nothing to do with Fluid Mechanics at all. It has to do with Dr. Ayala’s format for the class and his teaching style. His expectation was to make his students the best engineers possible when they finally join the work force. I enjoy a strange privilege at my place of employment where, for the most part, I function as an engineer already. I get to perform modest calculations, make recommendations on metallurgical issues, provide tooling solutions for very complex CNC applications, amongst solving many other advanced manufacturing and technical issues. This is extremely rewarding because, by default, I am the resident engineer on my team. But now, in lieu of Dr. Ayala’s educational approach, my ability to think like an engineer while at work has been more precisely honed. The intellectual rigor and discipline that he helped nurture has provided me a wealth of skill that extends beyond the particular subject at hand. 

More than any other class, MET 330 has taught me how to think comprehensively about providing an engineering solution to a problem whilst substantiating it with data through well conducted research. Dr. Ayala has been dogmatic about this level of thoroughness. This skill, I think, is more valuable than knowing all there is to know about fluid mechanics or any subject for that matter. The assignments in general (and the tests in particular) showed me how to appreciate Dr. Ayala’s technique and the rigor required to actually solve a problem as an engineer. That was my greatest take away from this course more than anything and for that I am extremely grateful!