SEED is sadly at a close. This has been a fun, frustrating, educational, and completely exceptional experience and I know I am going to miss it. I am proud to say that we finished and produced a product that we can be proud of. Given infinite time we perhaps could have improved but for 6-weeks the whole team seems happy and that is a pretty great feeling.

This week I am organizing a bit differently. I could take this day by day but this week is more about finishing and experiences. Shout out to Xiaoyao for coming in this weekend and helping me figure out staining and stealing wood. Staining wood, as it turns out, is wildly dependent on patience. 8 hours for stain, then 2 hours per coat of acrylic spray with sanding in between is not something you can rush but there is something profoundly satisfying about watching the wood steadily become shiny and become smoother and smoother to the touch. The results were more finished than anything I have ever produced!

Simultaneously we worked on finishing the device itself. This turned out to be a very involved process, particularly because we wanted thorough photo documentation of the work we did so that we could write an instruction manual to go with it. We spent an entire work day and a little ways into the evening meticulously gluing each joint and ensuring we were not forgetting anything. The pictures are worth a thousand words so here is a massive photo dump.

 

I got to use nearly every type of adhesive in the OEDK all in one day which was an exciting experience! finished just in time to do presentations and get ready to explain the last 6 weeks of work. Gotta end the experience with a Caz quote “its easy to be good, its hard to show others you are good”. Anna and I devoted a day to working on the powerpoint while Xiaoyao and Rebeca finished assembling the final prototype. Lots and lots of paperwork but what came out the other end as a fairly accurate representation of the work we had done. I was satisfied, and it was just in time for dinner hosted by Dr. Wettergreen. That was an awesome experience. I hitched a ride with Anna, Nick, and Eduardo and we arrived around 6:30 om. Mrs. Wetergreen proceeded to teach us how to make fresh pasta and an absolutely phenomenal salad. It was a very satisfying way to celebrate the summer. We did take a nice group photo too!

 

Presentations to day were the final major step. Sadly James was unable to be here but we have scheduled a meeting with him tomorrow and will deliver the device and our final documents.  This definitely is most focus I have ever put on one project and I think this has been one of the best summer experiences I have had. The things I learned will definitely be helpful in the OEDK and beyond as well. Thank you for the good times!