In Aerospace, I designed an airplane. We were told to choose a goal: either a long flight or an accurate flight. I chose accuracy. After all, if I am in an airplane, it is very important to me that the plane lands squarely on the runway! I was proud of my plane. It performed admirably and was quite aerodynamic.
In the Mechanical Engineering workshop, we tested the amount of force required to pull an object out of sand or corn. This required teamwork and I was the team leader. I assigned one person to write and graph the results, two to fill the containers, and one to hold the object in place and then pull it out. We were the first to complete the project, and we were commended for our results, our attention to detail, and our graph!
In Electrical Engineering, I created a solar cell using raspberries (the fruit, not the Pi) to put out a small amount of power. I used two pieces of glass with special coatings and soaked them in raspberry juice. Once they had fully absorbed the juice, I put them together and measured the voltage and the number of amps. Raspberries - they're not just for smoothies anymore!
In addition to the incredible workshops, I made friends, heard from female engineers in the field, and met with several members of the faculty and staff! All in all, a wonderful day at Purdue!