By Maya RectorTony Chang graduated in 2012 with his MEng degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS). He is currently a senior product manager at Intuit, where he works on expanding the developer platform and connected app ecosystem…
Author: Berkeley Master of Engineering
Blum Hall opens state-of-the-art AR/VR lab
By Maya RectorThe new Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) lab in Blum Hall has students and faculty alike excited about the possibilities that lie ahead given the emergence of AR/VR as an up-and-coming field within the engineering industry. We sp…
Being on the Frontier of Tesla’s Electric Revolution
By Michael Ji WangMichael graduated from UC Berkeley with a Master’s degree in Material Science Engineering in 2014, and started working at Tesla the same year at Palo Alto, California.Earlier this year Tesla Motors Inc. filed with the US Securities &a…
How Teamwork and Friendship Build upon each other
Written by Michael Chai, Edited by Maya Rector
Throughout my term at UC Berkeley and in the Master of Engineering program, my capstone project was undoubtedly where I spent the most of my time and effort. It was an opportunity to work on something that I was truly passionate about; it was also a great relief from the more traditional forms of learning (think homework, midterms, finals, etc.). While all students improve their technical skills and gain a tremendous academic experience by working on a capstone project, I’d like to touch on one aspect of the experience that I feel is just as important — working with your team members and advisers.
Early on in the capstone selection process, students are asked to submit their top choices for projects they would like to work on. Almost all students, myself included, selected projects that they thought were the most interesting and closely-related to their field of study. What we neglected was the fact that choosing a capstone project also meant choosing your team members for the next nine months. Even though it is important to be in a project that you are passionate about, I think it’s equally as important to be with team members that you’d want to be working with for the duration of your M.Eng. program. I personally had overlooked this fact.
However, I was fortunate enough to be placed in a project with two other students that were great teammates who turned into great friends.
Our team for the Point-of- Care Diagnostics for Global Health capstone project consisted of three members: Hui-Ling Koh (BioE’14), Ian Legaspi (IEOR’14), and myself (BioE’14). Although I had never met Ling and Ian before we started the program, we discovered that we actually had a lot in common. Ling and I both attended the same high school, the International School of Beijing, and Ian and I went to UCLA for our undergraduate studies. The three of us also shared an interest in food. Almost all of our team meetings involved exploring the multitude of restaurants in Berkeley and its surrounding areas (Korean BBQ in Oakland is one of our favorites). Above all, we shared a love for Disneyland. One month into our project, we had already made a weekend team-bonding trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. It is fair to say that if you’re willing to spend 15 hours in the car and a whole day running around and lining up for roller coasters with someone, you’re no longer just capstone project team members — you are friends.
Our team made the extra effort to build a relationship with each other outside of school, which definitely paid off and translated into how our capstone team worked as a whole.
Being friends with my team members really made working hard and sometimes going above and beyond much easier for me. Some specific examples I can think of are: running experiments at 1 or 2 AM, attending weekly lab meetings early in the morning, taking turns setting up experiments during spring break, and attending workshops and networking events in San Francisco. It also made me more open to offer and receive criticism, because I knew at the end of the day, they are my friends and have the group’s and my best interest in mind.
As you will learn in the Organizational Behavior class, when you care about someone, you are willing to make compromises for them. Throughout the nine months, conflicts and issues are sure to arise, but when you care for and trust your team members, you will be able to work resolve and through them.
I strongly believe that the M.Eng. program has helped me prepare for the professional world in many ways. Besides improving my technical skills by taking classes at one of the best engineering schools in the world, I have also developed the interpersonal skills that are necessary in any job you will take after graduation. However, what I’m truly grateful for was the chance to meet my capstone team members and all the other wonderful people in the MEng program.
Hui-Ling now works as a R&D Engineer at Teco Diagnostics. Ian works at Connora Technologies as the Director of Operations. Michael works as a Technical Sales Engineer at COMSOL.
How Teamwork and Friendship Build upon each other was originally published in Berkeley Master of Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Flex is Changing the Innovation Game
Written by Suneesh Kaul, Edited by Maya Rector
Flex is a Fortune-500 supply-chain solutions and manufacturing firm with operations in over 30 countries offering design, manufacturing, distribution and aftermarket services to a variety of global OEMs and other product based firms.
Predictive maintenance, self-optimizing production, and automated inventory management are the top three use-cases driving the Internet of Things (IoT) market growth through 2020 to the amount of $270B. Flex is a big player in the IoT space, producing and helping produce solutions involving tons of connected, intelligent devices that enable IoT in a variety of settings. We call it “Intelligence of Things”.
Internet of Things only means connectivity, but we are also putting a lot more intelligence into the end devices and that means building smart and connected devices — so it’s more than just the Internet. [1]
For instance, recently Flex described several innovations the company has pioneered which mix the sensing and electronic capabilities of a digital circuit with the stretchiness and washability required of a garment through IoT. Smart, connected solutions have enabled the wearable market to move beyond the wrist and become an integral part of someone’s daily outfit. Flex is empowering fashion designers to make technology a part of their vision as more and more customers expect fashion to integrate with their smartphone or connected device.
Imagine someone being able to tap into the power of a solar powered jacket when they suddenly realize that they’re off the path and night is getting closer. Maintaining a GPS signal can use a significant amount of battery as can connecting to remote cell towers in the woods. But if their smartphone has been charging in the afternoon sun courtesy of their solar jacket, they’ll be ready to find their way back home safely and securely.
Solar powered clothing can do more than avoid having to recharge on the go — consider clothing that automatically adjusts tiny vents to make a shirt warmer on a chilly day, or let in more airflow during a hot, challenging run. Clothing that is automatically smarter (and more comfortable) is within reach.
While at Flex, I have been engaged with the Global Supply-Chain organization to develop revolutionary solutions which can support this growth. One of our recent ventures is to transform the application of ‘Blockchains’ from the Finance industry to the Supply-Chain industry.
Blockchains are pegged to be the next internet [2] and will revolutionize the way we conduct business in the future. A Blockchain is a peer-to-peer distributed ledger forged by consensus, which can be used to build a new generation of transactional applications in-order to streamline business processes and legal constraints. [3]
Blockchain is the foundation on which Bitcoin transactions take place; we at Flex are exploring its applicability into recording the movement of goods in a complex global network across 100+ countries.
How’s that for complexity and scale?
Blockchain’s distributed ledger technology would register the transfer of goods on the ledger as transactions and would identify the parties involved, as well as the price, date, location, quality and any other information that would be relevant to managing the supply chain. Consequently, it would be possible to trace back every product to the very origin of the raw material used, its provenance.
Additionally, the decentralized structure of the ledger makes it impossible for any one party to hold ownership of the ledger and manipulate the data to their own advantage. [4]
Simply put, it ensures both transparency and security while building trust among the parties involved.
It’s an exciting time to be working at Flex; and it’s a remarkable feeling to have been given the opportunity to transform the business of tomorrow at this stage in my career.
Check out Flex’s Intelligence (TM) magazine at https://lnkd.in/gXmXhRi
Sources
[1] http://www.pymnts.com/internet-of-things/2016/flex-on-iot-the-5-biggest-opportunities/
[3] http://www.supplychain247.com/article/why_blockchain_is_a_game_changer_for_the_supply_chain
[4] https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/24/blockchain-has-the-potential-to-revolutionize-the-supply-chain/
Flex is Changing the Innovation Game was originally published in Berkeley Master of Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
3D Printers & The Future of Tissue Engineering
By Giselle Diaz Professor Grace O’Connell in her lab Professor Grace O’Connell is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley, a position that keeps her deeply involved with various research projects. She is currently acting as the faculty advisor for six different capstone projects within the Berkeley Master of Engineering Program. Part of her research… Read More »
MEng Capstone Project Highlight: Applied Rejuvenative Therapies
As the human body ages, stem cells become less capable of repairing damage. One notable cause for this is senescence. Senescence occurs in stem cells due to the accumulated damages caused by everyday use. When potentially oncogenic stimuli are brought on by these damages, the cells will shut down proliferation and cease dividing to ensure… Read More »
Tech Treks: Tesla Gigafactory 1
Tech Treks is a Career Services initiative offered by the Berkeley Masters of Engineering Program. It connects students and industry by hosting trips that allow future Engineers to learn about a company’s projects and initiatives directly from their employees and engineers. This spring, Tech Treks was able to send some Berkeley students out to the… Read More »
Tech Treks: Tesla Gigafactory 1
by Arielle Maxner
Driving up Electric Ave. to the Tesla Gigafactory, a massive windowless wall of white topped with red looms before you, seeming even larger against the Nevada desert landscape. This is Gigafactory 1, currently under construction in Sparks, NV. The huge structure isn’t yet completed: all of the current parking spots are slated to be future factory floor. This stretch of Nevada is where battery packs will be produced for both homes and cars, focusing on the Tesla Model 3, the affordable electric car for everyone that Elon Musk envisions will eliminate the need for fossil fuels.
Tesla’s mission, to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy,” is front and center at the Gigafactory.
Knowing Tesla’s mission is one thing, but seeing the reality of their commitment to sustainability is another. Only partially complete so far, the Gigafactory is already producing batteries for the next generation of clean energy — in a completely revolutionary way. Our tour guide detailed the vertical integration and economies of scale that allow Tesla to overhaul traditional manufacturing practices. For instance, while under construction, the Gigafactory is run by grid power, but will be powered by its own solar panels and become net zero energy by completion. It runs on an advanced water recycling system, which will only use a fraction of the initial projection.
By 2020, the Gigafactory aims to create more lithium ion batteries per year than the current worldwide production.
Getting things done in a better, more innovative way is a palpable culture in the factory. With nearly unimaginable speed and mobility, it’s a unique mix of construction and production at the Gigafactory. Employees are at their desks while construction workers build up the factory interior. Our two tour groups were able to walk around the floor and speak to engineers at Tesla. These representatives from different branches — manufacturing engineering, facilities engineering, packaging engineering, design, and new product introduction — were able to shed light on the needs of the Gigafactory, the Tesla application process, and what it’s like to work for Tesla.
Among them was Brian Mick, an M.Eng. alum now working in Tesla’s Palo Alto office as a mechanical design engineer. He offered advice, opened himself to questions, and when we were out of time, encouraged us to continue the conversation about Tesla with him over email. One thing in common among the representatives was their dedication to Tesla’s mission of producing beautiful cars and, more importantly, clean energy. The core of Tesla, its battery technology, is on display here at the Gigafactory to bring us into Elon Musk’s vision of sustainability.
Tech Treks is a Career Services initiative offered by the Berkeley Masters of Engineering Program. It connects students and industry by hosting trips that allow future Engineers to learn about a company’s projects and initiatives directly from their employees and engineers.
Tech Treks: Tesla Gigafactory 1 was originally published in Berkeley Master of Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
M.Eng. Capstone Project Highlight: Street Nature Score
By Iris Wu
Generating “nature scores” for real estate based on the amount of nature that surrounds a property. Helping nature lovers and conscientious buyers find the perfect home.
The Project
The overall goal of the Street Nature Score project* is to launch a startup that promotes and raises awareness for urban nature. To reach this goal, the team is developing a web platform which quantifies the amount of nature based on satellite data. Users will be able to enter any U.S. address or location of interest and the website will return a set of “nature scores”. This score will be based on a scale of 0–100, with 100 being the highest possible density of urban nature. This individual score will be shown alongside a neighborhood score and a city score, both of which can be used for comparing the individual score against.
Essentially, the nature score is a measure of the area covered by vegetation in comparison to impervious surfaces such as buildings, concrete pavements and asphalt. As such, a score of 100 means the particular area is 100% covered in vegetation (e.g. a park) and a score of 0 means the area is 100% impervious material (e.g. asphalt parking lot). Satellite images (geospatial data) are used to calculate these nature scores, and the team is working on an interactive map to visualize them.
Why is this important?
Urbanization has reached a point where concrete directly replaces nature — the term “concrete jungle” can be aptly applied — which has highly devastating effects on our ecosystem and living conditions. Various studies have proved that urbanization is a catalyst for climate change (70% of current carbon dioxide emissions already come from cities), energy demand, pollution, and a serious threat to biodiversity.
“Cities have put more and more pressure on the ecosystem; it’s time we reconsider the way we integrate nature in our lives.” — Tinashe Giyavha
However, urban nature such as parks and street trees are known to mitigate these harmful drawbacks on our living conditions. For example, two medium-sized healthy trees can provide the oxygen required for a single person per year and an acre of mature trees can absorb the amount of CO2 produced by a car over 26,000 miles.
Nature also provides financial benefits which are not immediately apparent. An interesting study released in the Journal of Urban Forestry & Urban Greening shows that a tree on a property increases monthly rent by $5.62, and a tree on the street adjacent increases the rent by $21.00.
It is also important to note that the economic benefits are not limited to the home seeker/owner, because higher property prices lead to higher property tax and more revenue for the local government to improve services. Additionally, since more people tend to live in urban areas with only small or nonexistent private outdoor spaces, it becomes a more important factor for them to live near a park or an open space. Street Nature Score steps in to provide valuable information for their home search that no other service directly offers.
https://medium.com/media/16cb5e421da3c68d0aeee7a3c173b1bc/href
Meet the Team
Jacquelin Hansel (Industrial Engineering & Operations Research): Project Manager
Jacquelin has leadership and project management experiences as a managing director of a student consultancy and has worked in the software development of a tech company.
Pierre Fredenucci (Mechanical Engineering, Product Design): Business Development
Pierre has done two internships in Parisians start-ups and has experienced several times the Lean startup approach.
Tinashe Giyavha (Industrial Engineering & Operations Research): Product Manager
Tinashe, using his enterprising abilities and business startup experience, is working to help the Street Nature Score team develop a viable business model around the website and monetize the technology.
Siying Chen (Civil and Environmental Engineering): Software Engineer
Siying has experience working with geographic information systems using interactive mapping and map applications.
Want to see this project take off? You can help support Street Nature Score here:
If you have further questions about this project, feel free to email: StreetNatureScore@gmail.com
*A core part of the UC Berkeley Masters of Engineering experience is the Capstone Project, where students develop real-world solutions to address crucial industry, market or societal needs.
M.Eng. Capstone Project Highlight: Street Nature Score was originally published in Berkeley Master of Engineering on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.