The model boat did not come out exactly as I wanted it to, but that leaves a lot of room for improvement! The next step I envision for this project is a more high-quality boat, first and foremost. I will research building waterproof, CG (center of gravity) accurate boats this summer and hopefully get started on one. The original idea was a boat that was such quality that it would look good just sitting on a mantelpiece as a standalone boat; I realized that wasn’t possible given the time constraints of 15 upper-division engineering classes, but over the summer I will have much more time. The background is another aspect that could use work. I think it would look wildly cool to have actual fish swimming around under the boat, as well as a more complete background. The big tanks, like the kind at dentist’s offices, would be ideal. Someone in the pod had the brilliant idea of incorporating the filter into the boat-a filter similar to the type found in hot tubs, where the filter is inside a float that bobs around in the water. I know that having things living in the water may complicate that, but I will certainly look into it!

I hope to carry on with what I have done in this class-the proof of concept was there, now the quality needs to follow. I am excited to see where it leads. This class was an excellent way to think outside of the box and will surely help with every engineering design project I have in the future. I will also carry forth the sketching techniques I learned in class. I had a lot of fun, and I hope to take flow visualization in the fall with prof. Hertzberg!