Month: January 2021

This week we have faced some roadblocks with the existing codebase. We started our development and implementing new features but we were unable to build the project. The README documentation was very outdated and did not reflect some of the folders in the code we were given. There were also some syntax errors that even without these other issues would not allow for a successful build. We are at a crossroads where we feel we may need to remake the entire codebase into something of our own. We are currently weighing out the options, and I have contacted our project partner to see if he knows anyone we can get in a meeting with that could help us with the existing system. If not we may remake the project as that is seen to be less time consuming as we will need to roll this out soon. That process might be more time consuming as we will need to do more designing on top of what we have already done, but might be our only option if there is nobody that can help us. We will need to figure out how to communicate with the instruments and the computer that they use on-site. We will have to see how it will work out once our project partner responds to us then we will have to make a fast decision on our path moving forward. This week has shown the most roadblocks so far with our project, and has caused some stress within the team. I however am confident we will work past this roadblock and be able to finish the project on time. I have created an application for a similar use case so a remake will allow for us to design something we are comfortable with and have experience in using when it comes to libraries and tools. 

This last week we have made and mostly finalized our final design for the website. It includes, and mainly focuses on responsive design for mobile phone screens. The initial want from the project partner was to have a dedicated mobile application, but the main focus was to have a site that is compatible for mobile phone screens. He also stated that having a better screen that uses the same web app system would also suffice as the UI is not very mobile phone friendly. As a team we weighed out the pros and cons and contacted the project partner and said that having a mobile app could have a high ramp up time as we would need to have two implementations for it, IOS and android as they don’t share the same programming tools. This would free up time to do other things that would make the website more usable than an app that we would have less time to spend on. He agreed that the system is more for utility and the fact that having two separate mobile apps could take time away from implementing other, more important changes should lean us on making the website better. This will allow us to implement new features that wasn’t thought out during the planning of the project, that will make the web app more better. We thought of using mobile sms notifications that will send to the lab researcher once the filling is over, or even progress on the filling. Things like that will make the system more robust and polished. We are finally working on the implementation after all the designing and preparation and I’m excited to see what the team can accomplish with this time, and our goals concrete.

The start of the term has been going well, and the change from online classes has been easier since i’m more used to it. I will be doing one more MECOP internship from the summer until fall term ends than one more term until I graduate. It doesn’t seem that long ago since I started at OSU as a freshman and I have learned a lot of valuable information throughout my years here. Not only did I further my education, but I was also able to grow as a person and adult by being more responsible and more acquainted with things. While I wish the last year of college could have turned out differently, it was still a great overall experience and one that will hopefully set up the rest of my life. I landed my first internship through the MECOP program last year and coupled with my classes it has made me feel prepared to work in this field. I understand more about what it means to have a highly technical job, and what that comes with. I also learned that since a lot of engineers will have to talk to people that are in different disciplines, learning how to teach people to a certain extent is also key when communicating with people in the company. I also understand that I don’t need to necessarily know the ins and outs of a job, but that being a hard worker that is constantly learning and evolving will help my growth as a professional. It has given me a lot of confidence knowing how much I have learned so far that I could do anything I want post college. I feel hungrier than I ever have before to be a professional and start the rest of my life and coming to OSU has definitely helped in that regards.