Reaction Time Test and Morse Code
Using a PIC16F57 I created and programmed a stop-light reaction time test, which measured the time it took for a person to respond to a stimulus with a motor response. To create this time test, I used a pushbutton, and two LEDs. The red LED acted as the stop light and when it turned green, a timer started. The user then would press the pushbutton, and the reaction time was calculated by the time it took the user to press the button after seeing the green light. This project taught me how applications of embedded systems can be used in the medical and psychological disciplines.
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Using a PIC16F57, I created a program that decoded a Morse Code input. The user would enter dots and dashes representing letters in Morse Code using a pushbutton, and the program decoded the input and displayed the sentence using the English alphabet. This project showed me how embedded systems were used during war times, and how they can be applied for codebreaking in the defense sector. It also helped advance my programming skills, by writing several different functions to organize the code in an easily understandable manner.
Beginner Music Learning Board
Using a PIC16F57, I created a circuit using a pushbutton, piezo speaker, 4 LEDs, 7-segment display, and a potentiometer. This circuit is used as a music lesson for beginners that plays 5 short songs, speeds up and slows down the songs, and displays the notes and octaves of the song being played as they pass. The piezo speaker plays the five songs that were programmed in PBasic. The pushbutton changes the songs, each time it is pressed. The potentiometer can speed up or slow down the tempo of the song, dependent on the direction of user rotation. Each note letter (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) were output on the 7-segment display. Finally, the LEDs indicate which octave each note is played in. Through this project, I learned how to generate sound using software through vibrations and oscillations. It also taught me the practicality of using embedded systems for applications outside of the industrial sector.
Conveyor Belt and Light Monitoring Project
Using a PIC16F57, I created and programmed a photo eye that kept track of boxes moving through the conveyor system. A light sensor was used as the photo eye, which can store the boxes tracked through the system in memory. The eye recognized and counted 4 distinct types of boxes and detected jams when they occurred. A red LED indicated a jam, where the system needed to be unjammed and reset by the user using a restart pushbutton. Through this project, I learned the logic behind the photo eyes that I saw on site while working at Intelligrated. I am now able to understand and implement both the software and hardware of electrical devices.
Engineering Ambassadors
As a member of Engineering Ambassadors, I give tours to prospective high school students that are interested in the University of Cincinnati's Engineering Program. Through this organization, I have developed great presentation skills and demonstrated my knowledge of the CEAS college as a whole. I have the opportunity of sharing my student and professional experiences with students, and guiding them through the college application process.
Better Place Project
As an Electrical Engineering Peer Leader, our spring semester learning community focus was to complete a project that helped our community and showcased the importance of volunteering. As the project lead, I coordinated with Matthew 25 Ministries to have our group sort paint to redistribute to poverty ridden homes. My students and I created the poster below to present their project to engineering students and faculty.
Peer Leader
As a peer leader at UC, I have led three learning communities of 20 students. My responsibilities include creating lesson plans for students, leading classes weekly, tutoring and helping with academics, creating a safe classroom environment, guiding students, and establishing professionalism. The goal of learning communities is to ensure students successfully acclimate to college and adult life, which is why lesson plans cover time management, self-care, budgeting, academic exam review, professionalism in the work place, interviewing, and creating a resume.
H2O Ministries
As a student leader in H2O ministries, I have led bible studies for smaller student groups. Last spring break, we went down to Houston, Texas to help with hurricane disaster relief. We volunteered our spring break to work 8 hour days rebuilding houses by hanging drywall, inserting insulation, sanding, and painting. This experience showed me how important it is to give back to the community, especially with how blessed we are as college students.
