FES from Venezuela: College of Engineering at Berks

Excerpt from Penn State Berks:

Barbara Lombardi, a materials engineering major at Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela, is completing her summer internship at Penn State Berks, where she is working in the college's engineering laboratories. The internship began on June 7 and will conclude on September 9, 2008.

During the internship, Lombardi worked with ceramic gas sensors that detect the presence of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The goal was to learn how sensors are integrated into a system and to investigate the materials physics behind how the sensors operate and how they convert a physical parameter into an electronically measurable property.

Lombardi worked under the supervision of Dr. Dale Litwhiler, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Penn State Berks. Litwhiler purchased the actual sensors and then he and Lombardi built circuits and developed software to control data acquisition equipment to create gas detection systems.

When asked about the practical applications of the internship, Lombardi explained, "This information is useful for monitoring the quality of air and it is less expensive because we construct it. If Professor Litwhiler can build a network of sensors, he can install them in all the classrooms at the college to monitor air quality."

During the internship, the role of teacher and student were reversed when Lombardi taught Litwhiler about ceramic gas sensors.

"I wasn't as familiar with the material physics of gas sensors, but through her work, she was able to explain to me how these devices work," comments Litwhiler. "It was a good way to share knowledge."

Litwhiler and Lombardi had a limited budget, so they improvised on how they tested the sensors, building test chambers out of coffee cans. They used their breath to test for carbon dioxide and car exhaust to test for carbon monoxide.

After Lombardi returns to Venezuela, she will complete her studies and plans to graduate in January 2009. She plans to either take a job in industry or pursue post graduate study in advanced ceramics, possibly in Italy where she has family.

When asked why she decided to travel all the way to Penn State Berks, Lombardi stated, "I wanted to improve my English and have the opportunity to conduct research. In the school I attend in Venezuela, they do not do much research."

The internship also had benefits for the college. Litwhiler will be implementing the air quality monitoring system on a trial basis in some of his classrooms this semester.

1-35 IDF Merkava by Tamiya

I picked this one up a week or so ago and it has been on my want list for some time- the Israeli Main Battletank the Merkava. I believe this one represents the MK I Merkava tank and the kit was produced in 1984 then re-issued. The detail is pretty incredible (again) for a kit of its age and the fit so far has been perfect. I began assembling the suspension, drive sprockets, idler wheels and tank wheels the other evening. I would like to paint this one a light sand color then go at it with my earthen pastels. This should be a really fun project- the lower hull is big enough to support a battery so I will once again route some fiber optic into this tank and give the headlights some life.

This kit looks like it is a resin cast rather than a model- Tamiya did a great job.

Also shown here is the beginning of my Star Wars Mighty Mugg collection. I have already shown you Darth Vader but I also picked up Jango Fett and Grievous a week or so ago. Also shown: my completed Tallgeese III.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Yep- I went and preordered it today. I did it unexpectedly too- I went to go buy another gamecube controller and decided to preorder for FU. I remember watching a developer demonstration on youtube and I really liked it- especially the new physics engine in the game. I am really looking forward to this one and I will have to resist all temptation to skip schoolwork for this one! (just kidding, I will still get my work done). Retail is $52.99 and you can preorder at Gamestop, EB Games or a gaming outlet of your choice. The fun part of the demo was that Darth Vader stopped a star destroyer as it crashed into the ground.

Heroes

My roomate has gotten me hooked onto Heroes- a series being broadcast on NBC. It is a series about ordinary folk with extraordinary powers. There is a group called "the company" that is trying to confine these individuals so that the world does not know about them. Powers range fromt ime travel to time freezes to regeneration to flying to shooting electricity, among many. The series is VERY addicting and I like it- it wasn't half way done and I can't wait until season 3. For some reason, although he is a bad guy I like Adam. I found it very amusing what Hiro did to him in the end of season 2, but I won't elaborate. It is a series worth checking out- I will consider picking up season 1 (has not seen it) when I go to get Lucky Star: DVD 3 next week.

Around Penn State Berks, Part 1

Being back on campus has been great- there are a lot of new people to meet and things to do. For those considering college next year, I figured I would write up an article (series) on going around Penn State Berks. This week I will make it my duty to stop in and take photos of various places around campus. Let's get started!

Here is our Lion Shrine, located outside the back of the Franco Building. Franco is largely for business majors and many math classes are held there (Calculus, Statistics, etc). Franco is also where the registrar is located. It is a relativly new building. In between Frano and the Thun Library are some construction markers- they are building a new building there that will be for engineers. The building will feature shops to satisfy the needs of instructors- milling machines, lathes, tools, CNC, you name it the facility will probably have it. The Baja buggy will also be moved over there. They are expecting completion by 2011 (does a lot of good for me).

Some of my room unpacked two days ago. The crates on the side hold my books- they are milk crates and they are very handy for holding books. More books on my shelf and the black bin is for modeling supplies. I also have out my Star Wars Mighty Mugg collection and my recently completed Tallgeese III. TV is there for Wii play and TV watching.

Don't screw off- these guys are EVERYWHERE. There are usually cops watching the center of the Village and Woods complexes and the parking lot. You will find cops around campus riding segways, which I doubt one can outrun with relative ease. There is a heavy presence of police here- we are 10 miles outside of Reading, PA (the car theft capital of the country in 2007). The area is relativly safe- the biggest crime in three years was that someone stole a bike- off campus someone was stabbed in a nearby apartment (not a part of Penn State). A far as I know they did catch the guy.

Back of the Woods Complex. The Woods is the newest dorm installation to Penn State Berks and it houses approximatly 900-1,000 students. Berks students really are the spoiled bunch of the Penn State Student system- We have the best digs and furnished lounges to boot. Rooms are connected together via one bathroom, so four people to one bathroom (it works out well). The Woods complex has study rooms, laundry rooms on every floor (except the 4th floor) and a small computer room in the Ivy Lounge. I recommend the 4th floor- you hear no noise above you, however it is a chore to climb four stories- they turn the elevator off and reserve it for those who truly need it.

Once I can edit some more photos (some did not convert to 800 x 600?) I will post more information. I figured this information would be useful for those looking at Penn State Berks.

Solidworks 2008

Solidworks 2008- new at Penn State Berks.

Doing some basic commands in Solidworks.

All the buttons are now condensed and easier to find. Takes some getting used to, though.

This morning was enjoyable in that Penn State has updated their Solidworks program to the 2008 version. I got the privilege of using it this morning and I wanted to post about it. Solidworks is a CAD program (Computer Aided Design Program) where one can create parts, bodies, etc. I have created things from doggy doors to workbenches to television sets.

This edition of Solidworks is a lot cleaner, is sharper looking, and the buttons are easier to find. The edit sketch or edit feature button can be selected right away from a window menu above a said section in the command manager. Even nicer- they cleaned up appearances/textures/colors of parts- they are all now in one button, which brings up another small window. Click on the box you want- color the body, a face, etc and it will do all the work for you.

Initially I didn’t like this new edition because I am used to Solidworks 2007, but after giving it an hour I like the new edition (I still need to find out where things are!). I am taking the EGT 201 course at Penn State, or Advanced Spatial Analysis. Now we are given something and are told to put it into Solidworks.

Back In Again- Reporting from Penn State

As I thought, University Park has not turned my internet on yet so I am forced to remote post (I carry the word document on my flash drive and do the classic copy/paste into blogger) until I can get internet access back in my room (via ethernet).


Things are going alright for the time being. I like my suitemates; they are very considerate and are rational like myself. They are freshman though- which is fine- I applaud their sincerity and I wish every other student here would follow their example. My roommate is cool too- though I have not seen much of him lately. He was not back in the room last night so I am a little worried about him.


I have managed to get Cable TV working and thanks to my mother I have a small 13 inch TV hooked up in my dorm room- she gets the job done. I put out my Mighty Muggs (recently got Jango Fett and General Grievous) and my Tallgeese III as well. I was an idiot and locked my keys in my cupboard today- thankfully housing had a pair of bolt cutters (it makes me cringe that these "high quality" padlocks are snipped in a second).


I am thrilled to be back on campus and to continue my research. I am looking forward to diving into Penn State's databases, but unfortunately my article writing takes a back seat to classwork and freetime. In short, I need to do my Physics homework before writing articles about things that interest me- that will probably be a thing I can do on the weekends.


In physics we are covering waveforms (easy) and in Strength of Materials we are starting axial loads and analysis of internal forces on a member/body. In Product Design (quickly becoming my favorite) we are learning machining processes and in a few weeks welding (I can't wait). Processes including using a milling machine, lathe and grinder- basically stuff that can remove fingers. My education from high school (3 years woodworking and a year of manufacturing techniques) helped to establish an overall foundation in machine safety- don't be stupid.


Not suprisingly almost every face in all of my classes are ones I have seen before at some point. As EMETs and METs move on with their education, classes become smaller and topics are more thorougly discussed. It's good to eat at the cafeteria again and it is amusing to watch the nervous freshman. I am so happy to be back on campus and I can't even begin to ponder going home again for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Another Modeler's Merkava Tank. I would love to give mine a flat coat of desert sand and then weather it with my pastels- I have the right ones for the job.

I would love to do this camo job on my M113- Personally the Browner shade is too vibrant here, but does the job, though.

*Sighs* I have picked up a few more models to add to my evergrowing stash (CURSE SALES!). I bought an M113 Personnel Carrier today at HobbyTown USA (Vietnam era armor) and the other day at Trains and Lanes I picked up the Israeli Merkava and the M4 Sherman "Jumbo". All were on sale. The Israeli Markava should be a fun and easy build (albeit time consuming) and so should the Sherman- but I want to do a camo job with the M113. I just bought a Pegasus ME-262 Messerschmitt too! *sighs* looks like thats getting pushed back, too. I will also be making progess on the Enterprise when I can get the time in.

Monday Feature: So... Whats Your Opinion With the Drinking Age Ruckus?

I should get one thing over with before I get started. Those who "grind", drink and get drunk in their orgies are complete morons. If I am accused of being narcassistic then I have no idea what the hell foam parties are for.

Lately there have been calls around the country to lower the drinking age. College campuses advocate that this will allow students to drink more responsibly and have less of an inclination to drive drunk. I need to correct this assertion and agree with the police- although the intention behind the measure is good natured, allowing the drinking age to be lowered will not affect a person's behavior or decision making. Colleges need to stop and think just how many morons they have as students- that the typical, average student likes to get drunk and think about the consequences later.

YES, the average person in the age group in the USA aged 18-20 is a complete moron who wouldn't know what do with responsibility if he was handed it. Lowering the drinking age will allow teens to drink at a younger age, but you are not going to make a huge impact in drunk driving related deaths. Those are caused by poor decisions because a person is completely stupid. No, not every human is born with a brain- society is built around servicing the orgies that these extraverts need.

So what am I saying? that poor decision making is caused by having a lack of responsibility, and lowering the drinking age will NOT yield more responsibility because drunken teens are irresonsibile in the first place. Being someone who isn't keen on authority- we need even tougher rules and regulations against offenders and the irresponsible. In fact I am all for increasing the minimum driving age for keeping these morons off the street- and unfortunately it is the responsible individuals like myself who suffer for it. I am not a 60 year old man- you just heard that from a college sophomore- who is supposed to be banging it up with a different chick each week and heads to all the local parties. I am creating a stereotype yes, but it is well founded.

MBTI Personality Profile

According to MBTI and my experiences, I get along with 21.875% of the personality types. All peoples of the world will fit into one of these 16 types.

Gotta get to packing tonight- may be able to post tomorrow- might not be able to. Will be back to full posting in a week or so. We'll see what happens. ~Rob.

Probably Should Have Given It to Northrop/EADS

Unrelated photo- the final Tomcat taking off in 2006 for a final flight and landing. The F-14 Tomcat was replaced by the F-18 Superhornet in 2006.

Well time has been spent deliberating on this thing and it looks like that Boeing wants 4 months to design another tanker. A few months ago the Air Force awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman and EADS to replace the aging KC-135 tanker. Northrop Grumman presented a ready to go design, however the GAO (Governmental Accountability Office) agreed with Boeing that there were flaws in the selection process. Maybe we should have just went with the original plan and our boys and girls would have their tankers sooner? What's your opinion?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c98854a-70ac-11dd-b514-0000779fd18c.html

Tamiya 1/350 I-400 Sub Repackage

Tamiya will be re-releasing their 1/350 I-400 into a special edition kit. This kit will feature transparent hangars so that one may see inside the hangars at the complexity of the engineering involved with the submarines at the time. The kit should be retailing for $95.00 USD (MSRP), I would like this kit but I am going to hold off for a bit until I finish more of my stash projects.

DannyChoo.com

Since early 2006 I have been a reader of DannyChoo.com. I first read his Gundam Making Tutorial and I was impressed by his work. After that I clicked around the site and enjoyed it from there- lately there has been a massive explosion of news and articles there from both Danny and other members. Danny's site features articles about living in Japan, Japan itself, Anime, Festival coverage (comiket, wonfes, etc), Figures, Gundam, and of course Anime and everything in between.

The site is a massive collection, and the best description I can give it is that it is a portal for everything I enjoy about Japan. I have learned more about Japan through Danny's blog- if it is even a blog anymore (I think it has grown much bigger). He has recently done a redesign of the website and it is much easier for folks to access it. Check it out if you like anime, gundam, japan, etc, I think you will like it. Be careful though- if you are sensitive to certain things you might want to avoid those sections (echhi, anything partially or barely nude, idols, etc).

Keep up the great work Danny!

DannyChoo.com

Gundam Battle Assault Soundtrack

Masahiro Katana Assembly/Maint

Preparing to disassemble the katana. They did a good job with the rayskin fitting.

My sword came with a cleaning kit- though you can find many third party ones just as easily over the internet that will work. Choji oil is- choji oil.

The meguki pin is removed- this is the key to the stability of the katana and keeps the handle attached to the tang. Over time the meguki wears and it must be replaced. It will always go in at an angle, usually 20 degrees. One side IS bigger than the other, so be careful. My katana is a traditional 1 pin meguki, but two is better.

The tang- exposed. It is supposed to look rusted. KEEP IT THAT WAY! That is how swords keep their value.

The tang with all the sword's fittings. I leave the blade collar on because it is more trouble than its worth to remove.

Since I am moving away to school I figured I would give my katana a once over because I will not be back home until late November. I was worried that if I disassembled my katana that I would break it and would not be able to get it back together again. I tried it and it was relativly simple- and I also got it back together (months ago).


I wanted to see the exposed tang- there is no signature on this sword because it is a reproduction from Long Quan Forge along their discontinued line of Bamboo Katanas. Bamboo is just the theme- theres nothing wooden about it (except the meguki pin). Assembling/disassembling the katana is a great way to change things around, such as ornamental fittings, tsukas (hand guards), etc.


I would love to have a smith make a shirasaya for this sword (wood fittings). In the sword world, all the ornamental fittings I have on it now are like a tuxedo for the sword- if I were to put the blade into a shirasaya fitting it is like putting the blade in pajamas,if you see my analogy. I will have to do a sword cleaning video as well before I leave to show my techniques for cleaning them. To be honest, they arn't much different than what is widely taught- although I should say that if your katana is stainless steel then it does not need choji oil- just a good wipedown with a moist towel. stainless steel is that- it is protected from oxidation- carbon steel (1045) is not- it needs choji oil.

Hiatus

Well, unfortunately I have to throw this thing into hiatus again. This time it is packing- and a bit of it. I am packing everything up in boxes that I want to take back with me to school. Everything is going well so far- I managed to get some boxes at work. The only challenge that lays ahead is how I am going to get the USS Enterprise into a box- I picked two up that can be taped together so that the ship will fit in there. Otherwise, I will have to wrap up all of the deck components and pack the hull outside of a box with me inside my truck. My room is starting to look empty- I don't feel bad at all, and am very excited to get back to business. The room I have this year was occupied by a friend of mines last year, so I have been in the room. I do not know my roommate or suitemates, however my roommate claims he has met me before at the Super Smash Bros Brawl Tournament we had last year.

I want one of these! or rather, could I make one as an engineer?

In other news, NES get! I got a tip from a buddy at work about a gaming store in Freemansburg, PA that specialized in selling older games, imports and everything else. I went there to check it out and my brain nearly exploded- it's like this store carried everything I wanted and more. NES games, Super NES games, N64 titles, Playstation 2 games, Xbox games, and of course the newer generation stuff too. Anime plushes, Nintendo plushes, imports (Seaman 2!!!) as well as poster board standups.

I was (almost) in heaven. I bought their last NES on sale along with Ninja Gaiden (NES). The game is friggin hard; it's legitimatly hard and it's gonna take me a while to beat it. Otherwise, the NES does have an issue with blinking on and off, so I need to acquire a new 72 pin connector. I already popped this baby open and cleaned it thoroughly- and I still get problems. At least the system has worked and the motherboard is fine.

Sherbet

Sherbet is an ice cream that originated in Turkey. It originally came from a drink but has made it to the USA in the form of ice cream. The stuff is delicious- I am not sure how to describe its taste but it is quite delicious- it is my favorite flavor of ice cream (chocolate chip mint is next). Although Wikipedia is very vague, "Sherbet "şerbet" in Turkey is a traditional cold drink prepared with rose hips, cornelian cherries, rose or licorice and a variety of spices." I have had sherbet mixed with a lemon flavor (usually in the middle) and it was delicious. I recommend you give this stuff a try- I saw some tonight in the grocery store and bought a small carton to eat over this week- it was only $2.00 USD too! I love this stuff, its fat free and has natural sugars (in english, healthy).

Lucky Star DVD 3 Bandai Release Notes

According to Bestbuy.com, Lucky Star: DVD 3 will be released September 2nd, 2008 for interested folks who like the series. Looks like I will have to preorder mine! I need more Lucky Star.

Business End of Things

Sorry I havn't had much to say lately- I have four days off after working tomorrow and I will try to find time to post some stuff. In the meanwhile I posted some more gaming videos to Youtube- I hope you enjoy.

Monday Feature- Zelda Tops

Most Difficult Boss Battles

__________________

1 Puppet Ganon (Wind Waker) *****

2 Gyorg (Majora's Mask) ****

3 Helmaroc King (A Link to the Past) ****
4 Turtle Rock (A Link to the Past) ****

5 Ganon (A Link to the Past) ****

6 Majora (Majora's Mask) ***

7 Phantom Ganon (Ocarina of Time) ***

8 Barinade (Ocarina of Time) ***

9 Ganondorf (Ocarina of Time) ***

Most Difficult Dungeons

_________________

1 Agahnims Palace (A Link to the Past) *****

2 Snowpeak (Majora's Mask) *****

3 Snowhenge (Twilight Princess) ****

4 Great Bay Temple (Majora's Mask) ****

5 Hylia Water Temple (Ocarina of Time) ****

6 Stone Temple (Majora's Mask) ****

7 Mizery Mire (A Link to the Past) ****

8 Ice Palace (A Link to the Past) ****
9 Stone Temple (Majora's Mask) ****

10 Jabu Jabu's Belly (Ocarina of Time) ***

Coolest Dungeons

____________

1 Shadow Temple (Ocarina of Time)

2 Fire Temple (Ocarina of Time)

3 Snowhenge (Twilight Princess)

4 Spirit Temple (Ocarina of Time)

5 Desert Colossus (Twilight Princess)

6 Hylian Water Temple (Ocarina of Time)

7 Tower of the Gods (Wind Waker)

8 Temple of Time (Twilight Princess)

9 Desert Temple (A Link to the Past)

Easiet Boss Battles

_____________

1 Gohma (Ocarina of Time, 5 seconds)

2 Gannondorf (Wind Waker) *

3 King Dodongo (Ocarina of Time) *

4 Ganon (Ocarina of Time) *

5 Twinrova (Ocarina of Time) *

6 Gannondorf (Twilight Princess) **

7 Armos (A Link to the Past) *

8 All Twilight Princess Bosses *

9 Morpha (Ocarina of Time) *

Coolest Bosses

__________

1 Ganon (Beast)(Twilight Princess) *****

2 Blizzeta (Twilight Princess) *****

3 Bongo Bongo (Ocarina of Time) *****

4 Ganon (Ocarina of Time) *****

5 Phantom Ganon (Ocarina of Time) ****

6 Turtle Rock (A Link to the Past) ****

7 Volvagia (Ocarina of Time) ***

8 Zant (Twilight Princess) ***

9 Judger (Tower of the Gods) (Wind Waker) ***

Coolest Side-Kicks

_____________

1 Tingle (Majora's Mask)

2 Four Giants (Majora's Mask)

3 Skull Kid (Majora's Mask)

4 Mask Salesman (Majora's Mask)

5 Mail Man (Twilight Princess)

6 Navi (Ocarina of Time)

7 Midna (Twilight Princess)

8 Tatl (Majora's Mask)

9 Kafei (Majora's Mask)

10 Malon (Ocarina of Time)

Coolest Cutscenes

_____________

1) Stopping the Moon (Majora's Mask)

2) Head Stab (Wind Waker)

3) Sages repower the Master Sword (Wind Waker)

4) Hyrule Castle Discovery (Wind Waker)

5) Ganon forms (Twilight Princess)

6) Ganon forms (Ocarina of Time)

7) Phantom Ganon dissolved (Ocarina of Time)

Pegasus ME-262 Messerschmitt

I picked this one up today at the art store up in Bethlehem because it was on sale. The ME-262 is one fighter that has been on my list to build for some time now- and I am glad that I am going to build it soon- I will put it in the immediate stash since it is a snap together model, though I am too good for those. I am going to try a new technique with masking on this one, and hopefully it turns out nice.

M3 Lee Progress- Ain't Pretty

... but it could be worse. This is one of Tamiya's kits from the 1970's and it is giving me a pain in the rear end. A lot of the joints are old style where I have to fit everthing in at a certain angle, make sure it is there properly or tear it off and do it again. It is annoying. I think everything is fine for now- I am stopping work on it tonight for fear of ruining it further. I have been sucking on Jolly Ranchers this evening and watching deathnote (more like listening) as I construct the Lee. I still intend on building the British model- and I am going to get the plaques out to staining tomorrow. Painting for the Lee is a ways away. Pics to follow when I get a chance to upload them.

1/100 Tallgeese III Complete

Sad to have to stop work on a project, but it is done! I think I turned a disaster kit from the beginning into a decent and good looking model in the end. This is one of Bandai's 1/100 HG series kits. Honestly, if I were to tackle a MG or PG I would spend months on it to get it just right.The tallgeese III is one of my favorite mobile suits from the Gundam Wing series. The Tallgeese III encorporates elements of both Tallgeese II and Gundam Epyon. It's got a beam cannon, a heat rod, vulcan cannons and two beam sabers- not to mention vernie boosters- this thing is a MONSTER on legs.

No idea if it could fold up like Wing Zero and Epyon- my assumption is no.I intended the mode to be a simple kit, and somewhere along the way I inked the entire model, then left it to do other things. The tallgeese sat in its box for over a year until i found it again in the garage in its box, right where I had left it. I decided to make it my mission to finish the tallgeese. Everything was on the model and ready to go- I stopped right at the beam cannon. I decided to work the seams (didn't quite work so well- will explain later) and repaint the gun- a wise choice because the texture of the paint looked so much better than the flashy plastic. I then went at the heat rod pieces and shield by painting them white (Tamiya TS-27). To my suprise the white dried quickly.

When I had time, I then began weathering the entire model by applying black pastels and rubbing water into the body to create effectively a wash. It looked neat. I decided that I wanted a top coat at the end of the ordeal, so I weathered more pastel than I wanted because flat coat eats pastel work. It turned out just fine. I sprayed the top coat then ran like hell with ventilation on in the garage- that stuff is strong! (wear a mask, I did).I then painted the shield and beam cannon their proper colors (that is, the minor details). The chords to the beam cannon were painted with three parts brown to one part black. I painted the blue disc covering on the back of the gun as well.

I painted the shield according to my aesthetic needs- in short I wanted to customize tallgeese my way- so the shield paint scheme is not 100% accurate.This model was done with NO AIRBRUSH WORK whatsoever. I, like many readers don’t have too much time to airbrush stuff, though pretty soon that will change. This is a way to get a great looking Gundam model with considerable effort without having to become a full fledged pro. I like my Tallgeese, and I am going to paint the Zechs figure as well that came with the kit, despite being horrible at painting them properly. I am going to give it a shot.