David Minchala

Professor Kyle

Writing for Engineers

17 May 2019

Final Reflection

As a child, I was always taught that my education builds who I will become later in life. Although, I struggled this semester to turn assignments in on time I learned a lot from the class. Originally, when I chose the class “Writing for Engineers” I didn’t know what to expect. Once I received the syllabus it made the class look a lot more interesting. I also feel like everything was well taught and not only that, everything that was taught I can say will end up being useful outside a classroom environment. This meaning I can utilize what I have learned in this class and put it into effect once in the workforce.

Our first graded assignment was the Memo, I had never written a memo before this semester and neither did I know what it was. The Memo Assignment taught me the correct format, having a purpose, summary, discussion, recommendation. Not only did I learn the format I was able to implement it in a real scenario in my case I wrote about the provided student transportation from the nearest MTA station to the CCNY Campus. I also received feedback back from the Professor and I have an idea on how to improve my next Memo I write for either another class or the real world.

The second assignment for this semester was the Lab Report. I see learning this being very crucial for me as I am majoring in the STEM field meaning I will be doing reports such as the one we wrote for class. For this assignment I also learned the format and how it may change depending on your research. I do find these types of papers to be more challenging because you need to include research finds and elaborate thurley upon it something hard for me to achieve. For the assignment I specifically wrote for the class I struggled the most to find a topic. I had to choose from one of many choices and write about it using other people’s information. What really helped me complete this assignment was the group peer review we had in the class. By being able to read other students papers it helped me guide my writing to look similar to theirs yet adding my original thoughts.

The third major assignment was the technical description. At first, I didn’t really get the  actual point of learning the assignment which it made it even harder for me to complete it. Specifically, due to the fact that the format was self explanatory but when I wrote the proposal I clearly saw why it was crucial to be learned and how it can be used in a real world scenario.

The fourth and final assignment/ lesson learned was the proposal. I found the proposal to be quite interesting. It was its own assignment and had its own format yet one can see little bits of every other assignment implemented within it. I enjoyed this assignment the most because it all connected back to the group presentation and we had the choice on what topic we would talk about. In addition, this assignment had a clear audience which was my fellow classmates. What I had written in my proposal would later be presented with my group in front of the class.

Overall, this class was an important step to my education. I learned crucial formats for my future in the STEM career and everything was well taught and the professor made sure we understood it verbally and with provided feedback on our work. One thing that I learned that prior to the class I struggled with was citations. I have always been told to just add quotation when extracting information from works not written by yourself but taking this class I learned how to properly utilize the MLA format to do so. One thing I would’ve liked more are group assignments or work. I feel like I learn even more when communicating with other classmates on a project.

From Neglection to Reflection: A Guide to Preventing Another ‘Flint’

David Minchala

Team New Vision 365

Summary

The Flint Water Crisis happened in 2014 after Michigan tried saving the city of Flint money by changing their water source to a less cost effective one. It was cheaper at first but in the long run it costed not only the city but the country vast amount of money in order to recover from lead contaminated water that was being distributed to the residents of Flint. Lead consumption can be deadly if consumed in large amounts.This could be used as a lesson for the government as precautions should’ve been taken before making such a large changes that can consequently mess up the lives of others. With the budget of 20 million our group has come up with a proposal plan to fix such issue. Not only can it fix this issue but can be reapplied anywhere where such issue becomes present for whatever reason.

Introduction

In the beginning of 2014, the city of Flint had declared bankruptcy resulting in the State of Michigan to take over their finances. In order to save costs, Michigan decided to change Flint’s water source from Lake Huron and Detroit River to the water from the Flints River, a cheaper alternative. Before choosing to carry out tests in regard to the quality of the water, Michigan has already changed Flint’s water source causing residents of Flint to have harmful substances in their water supply. At first, after the vast complaints about the smell and taste of the water, the mayor advised people to boil their water before it was consumed. The reason being  that the bacteria in the water could be extinguished by boiling the water. However, the results of many medical cases and lawsuits studies found that Flint’s water contained harmful amounts of lead which could lead to potential cancer if consumed. The city of Flint has declared state of emergency twice before the government attempted to intervene and aid the city. In 2015, Flint’s water was finally reconnected to their original water source, but failed to keep in mind that the original pipes had been exposed to vast amounts of lead corrosion and the clean water was still transmitting unhealthy amount of lead to the people. The only ethical and possible solution was to replace all contaminated pipes, a solution that was said to be very cost effective so costly that the city couldn’t afford with their small budget they were trying to save in the first place. After declaring state of emergency one last time Flint was finally given about 20 million dollars to aid the sick and replace the contaminated pipes with new ones.

Proposed Program

Trying to save money Flint Michigan experience an extremely horrible crisis; economically and governmentally. By Michigan taking the executive decision to change water sources without testing the quality of the water Flint faced many challenges with very little solutions on the table without having to spend millions of dollars, money they didn’t have to utilize. Our proposed program begins with the water source that started such crisis: The Flint River, the Flint River contained contaminated water with vast amounts of lead. Lead, when consumed can be highly poisonous to the human body. Studies conducted show that consuming lead highers the risk of cancer and strokes to one’s body as lead damages your brain and kidneys which can be fatal in some cases. The chart below shows the effects of consuming high level of lead coming from your dependent water source. (Image 1)

Image 1.

In continuation, the water from the Flint River will then be transmitted to a treatment plant where the water will be treated from the high levels of chlorine and other harmful bacteria keeping mind that wrongfully treated water can lead to the exposure of lead in the main pipes of the water supply. The first pipes that would be changed would be the main one that connects the water treatment plant to the service lines. The service lines are the pipes that transport the water to the community of Flint. The service lines would be the last ones to be changed as they are the most pricey as they’re vast amounts of them. The construction will end where the private properties begin as they’re probably taking water from other water sources. For example: General Motors that stopped using Flint’s water due to the high levels of chlorine present. General Motors feared that such high levels of Chlorine would corrode car parts made in their supply plant. Image 2 below illustrates  the proposed plan.

Image 2

Innovation Process

Our budget to restore Flint Michigan’s water source and aid the people harmed due to the crisis will be 20 million dollars. Might seem like a lot, yet we must keep in mind that there was many harmed resulting the usage of about five million dollars on just medical bills. To add on, about four million dollars will be utilized to pay back lawsuits placed by the residents of Flint as one can claim that their human rights to clean drinkable water was violated by the government.  Leaving about 11 million dollars on the budget for the reconstruction of the water supply system. The 7 million dollars will cover the materials needed to build the treatment plant and replace every lead contaminated pipe in the water supply route. On top of that, four million will be used for the laborers working to make such changes happen. Timewise, the construction of the water treatment plant will take about 3 months to be build and the reconstruction of the supply pipes will take a bit over two years to be completely exchanged with new ones. The chart below shows that polls will be taken throughout the construction of the water pipes to make sure the city is improving.

Image 3

References

1. Fortin, Jacey. “Michigan Will No Longer Provide Free Bottled Water to Flint.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/08/us/flint-water-bottles.html.
2. Ingraham, Christopher. “This Is How Toxic Flint’s Water Really Is.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 15 Jan. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/15/this-is-how-toxic-flints-water-really-is/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.10930c92b212.
3. Nelson, Libby. “The Flint Water Crisis, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 15 Feb. 2016, www.vox.com/2016/2/15/10991626/flint-water-crisis.
4. “The Flint Water Crisis: What’s Really Going On?” American Chemical Society, www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2016-2017/december-2016/flint-water-crisis.html.
5. Zarracina, Javier. “How Lead Can Get into the Water Supply, Explained in 5 Charts.” Vox, Vox, 19 Feb. 2016, www.vox.com/2016/2/19/10972256/the-visual-guide-to-lead-poisoning.

Rubik’s Cube

David Minchala

The City College of New York

Introduction and Background

The Rubik’s Cube is one of the most commonly sold toys in America. The name “Rubik’s” comes from Erno Rubik the architect responsible for the invention of such a toy. Although it’s marketed as a toy until this day, initially it was designed to help model three- dimensional geometry. The original model was said to be twice the weight of the current toy, and it took Erno Rubik months to figure out how to solve what he called his “magic cube.” He once stated in an interview that the more he arranged the colored squares, the more it made the toy harder and harder to solve. “It was a code I myself had invented!” he stated. “Yet I could not read it.” The Rubik’s cube is composed of 6 colored sides, each side having 9 squares that can be rearranged 43 quintillion ways.

The Rubik’s cube took trial and error to be made but by 1974 the final prototype of the toy was finally complete and this is when Erno realized that he actually couldn’t solve his own invention. By 1975, Erno was able to obtain the patent for what he called the “Magic Cube” and after five years it was renamed “Rubik’s Cube”. Around 1977, Erno had released few amounts of toys to the public in Hungary, his birthplace, and it was the start of his success. The most significant years for Erno’s success began in 1979-1982. Throughout these years, Erno made contracts worldwide in order to help sell his invention. By 1982, Erno had sold more than 100 million toys worldwide and was awarded UK Toy of the Year helping his company even more as it provided more exposure. As years continued, people entered speedcubing competitions. These competitions timed competitors for the fastest time to solve a rubik’s cube, and it became a big event since it began in the year 2003.

Visuals and Explanations                        

Figure 1. Rubik’s Cube Wallop, Harry. “Rubik’s Cube Invention: 40 Years Old and Never Meant to Be a Toy.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 19 May 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/10840482/Rubiks-cube-invention-40-years-old-and-never-meant-to-be-a-toy.html.
A visual of a solved modern 3×3 Rubik’s cube. One can visualize 3 complete faces of the cube.

How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube

STEP 1  – COMPLETE THE FIRST LAYER CROSS

STEP 2  – COMPLETE THE FIRST LAYER CORNERS

STEP 3  – COMPLETE SECOND LAYER

STEP 4  – COMPLETE THE THIRD LAYER CROSS

STEP 5  – COMPLETE THE THIRD LAYER CORNERS

Steps taken from: “How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube | Step by Step Instructions.” SPEEDCUBE PTY LTD, www.speedcube.com.au/pages/how-to-solve-a-rubiks-cube.

Figure 2. “Rubik’s Cube Color Schemes – Western and Japanese.” Rubik’s Cube Color Schemes – Western and Japanese, ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/japanese-western-color-schemes/.

Japanese Color Scheme- Present in the early manufactured Rubik’s Cubes. The cross starts with the blue and finishes with the white.

Figure 3. “Rubik’s Cube Color Schemes – Western and Japanese.” Rubik’s Cube Color Schemes – Western and Japanese, ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/japanese-western-color-schemes/.

Western Color Scheme- This color scheme is the most common found in North America and Europe. The cross starts with the color Yellow and finishes with the white unlike the Japanese Color Scheme.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Erno Rubik created a great invention although it didn’t suit its main purpose it created something well known throughout the world. It was invented in 1974, and yet to this day all new generations know what a Rubik’s Cube is. With the help of competitions and awards, success was made possible for such invention. It requires algorithms to solve and can be used educationally other than just a toy.

Citation

“How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube | Step by Step Instructions.” SPEEDCUBE PTY LTD, www.speedcube.com.au/pages/how-to-solve-a-rubiks-cube.

“Rubik’s Cube Color Schemes – Western and Japanese.” Rubik’s Cube Color Schemes – Western and Japanese, ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/japanese-western-color-schemes/.

“The History of the Rubik’s Cube – Timeline with Important Dates.” The History of the Rubik’s Cube – Timeline with Important Dates, ruwix.com/the-rubiks-cube/history-rubiks-cube/important-dates-timeline/.

Wallop, Harry. “Rubik’s Cube Invention: 40 Years Old and Never Meant to Be a Toy.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 19 May 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/10840482/Rubiks-cube-invention-40-years-old-and-never-meant-to-be-a-toy.html.

 Where are the most germs in your school

Abstract

Germs are microorganisms that are found everywhere in the world including humans, animals, and even plants. There are four types of germs: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. One interesting fact is that germs reproduce faster in certain places than others and many don’t know about it. This lab will talk about where in schools are germs multiplied at the fastest rates.

Introduction     

Have adults ever tell you to wash your hands before you eat? If not, you may gain the initiative to do so. Bacteria are single-celled organisms, so small human sight can’t see them without the help of a microscope. A microscope lets a human eye visualize objects as small as 0.2 microns making it a tool very important for one to understand how microorganisms work. The question arises how can one figure out the germiest place at schools? Well since bacteria grows so fast in seconds we can sample different locations by using a technique called streaking. Streaking is a procedure where we utilize agar plates to isolate a colony of microorganisms. With the use of this technique and of a microscope we can visualize where are the largest colonies of germs found. Hypothesis: Human waste is said to carry a lot of germs. My hypothesis would be that the largest colony of germs will be found in a bathroom and the least will be found on a cafeteria tray as they should always be clean for next use.

Materials and Methods

Materials used:

• Microscope- aids human sight to see smaller organisms
• A source of bacteria (different locations throughout the school)
• A swab – helps in the process of streaking
• Lysol – kills unwanted germs from the agar plate
• Agar plate- helps isolate a small portion of a microscopic colony
• Paper towel- keeps your working area clean
• Media- Attracts microorganisms  

Procedure:

Image 1

The process all starts with a agar plate. The agar plate helps isolate a portion of one colony of microorganisms. To make sure this is done correctly  the agar plate has to be wiped using a paper towel and Lysol. We then place some media on the agar plate. Media looks like jelly and contains nutrients for bacteria to thrive on and reproduce. After, you will sterilize the test surface for example a handle of a water fountain and drag a swab across the surface. Followingly, you will push the tip of the swab across the agar plate mainly on one side and turn it 12 o’clock and repeat the process on another side. (You may repeat this step various times for better results) You will place the agar plate under a microscope and record the results.

Results

Table 1

As table 1 illustrates the largest colony of germs can be found in the classroom’s water fountain. This is because it is exposed to interactions with people’s mouth and hands. Everytime you shake your friends hand germs are passed the average being 1,200 CFU/in sq. The results I found very surprising that also countered my hypothesis was that there was less germs in a toilet seat than a keyboard. I expected that a toilet seat is exposed to human waste and for that reason it should have the most germs. Another surprising result was that cafeteria trays have the third highest colony of germs found in a school, something that shouldn’t happen as students place their food to consume.

Discussion

The purpose of this lab is to answer the question: Where is the germiest place at a school? The best technique I had found that would help me find out this answer was streaking. As I stated above streaking helps isolate one colony of microorganisms and by doing this we can observe the population under a microscope.

1. Find the targeted locations- This was very important because you can’t test things close to each other as they would have similar results.
2. Streaking (Agar plate)- This is the most important step in this experiment this is because all the results would be based on this step and if done wrong it can change the results vastly.  
3. Recording results- Recording results is also a major step in this experiment because it helps you visualize the results after you’re done with the experiment. It can also help others attempting to do the same experiment as they can view your results and compare.

Conclusion

Lastly, as I stated in my hypothesis I believed the largest colony of germs would be found in a bathroom seat. The experiment data proves otherwise coming at the third lowest population of germs found in 10 different locations at a school. With the help of a microscope and the technique of streaking we are able to conclude our results that the largest colony of germs can be found in a classroom’s water fountain and the smallest colony of germs can be found at the classroom’s pet cage. To improve results one should repeat the step of streaking more than one time at a location something I would do.

References

“The 7 Germiest Places in Schools.” SSC Services for Education, 30 Jan. 2019, utilized Image 1 and gathered information about the procedures of this lab report. sscserv.com/germs-in-school/.

“Germiest Places at Schools.” NSF RSS, utilized Table 1 for my lab report twww.nsf.org/consumer-resources/studies-surveys-infographics/germ-studies/germiest-places-schools.

To: Vincent Boudreau

From: David Minchala

Subject: Issues concerning the CCNY Shuttle Busses during harsh weathers.

Date: 13 February 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this memo is to bring up the matter of the provided student transportation from the nearest MTA station to the CCNY Campus and vice versa to go home during harsh weathers. A transportation that many enrolled students depend on when needed.

Summary

Students enrolled in City College are enforced to walk from the nearest MTA station to the CCNY Campus and vice versa to go home when extremely cold, raining, snowing or extremely hot. The walk can be exhausting for students and many depend on the provided shuttle busses ; through experiences one can say it’s a non reliable form of transportation for students. Busses arrive after long periods of time and normally get overcrowded by students. Not only is it unpleasant to be in crowded bus but tremendously dangerous if the driver can’t see the side mirrors.

Discussion

My view in the CCNY shuttle bus sparked on January 30, the weather was below 0 degrees. I remember exiting the NAC building around 8 p.m. after an exhausting long day at city college. As soon as I exited the building I was hit by the bone-chilling weather. There was no way I was going to walk to 145th to take the train. So I crossed the street and entered the building across the NAC where people wait for the shuttle bus. After waiting approximately 30 minutes a bus finally arrived but as soon as it made its stop students swamped the bus and many students including me were left waiting once again for the next bus. I was already tired so I eventually put on my hoodie utilized the drawstrings and tied it until the point where one can see only my eyes and took on the challenge to hike the chilling weather to the train station and I wasn’t the only one. So what’s the takeaway of this story you may ask? The college should be providing students with a more frequent bus transportation to the nearest MTA stations, especially during harsh weathers.

Recommendation

As a current enrolled CCNY student. I strongly believe that students should be provided a more reliable form of transportation from the MTA station to the campus and vice versa when experiencing harsh weathers. A possible solution can be a more frequent bus schedule and another pickup point where students can walk half way and if the bus is in route to the school or train station students can still be picked up halfway. In the case where the school can’t afford to have more busses or drivers, the school can host an event in which can charge an entrance fee and with that money use it as a sort of fundraiser to afford to pay busses and/or drivers when needed. Another possible solution is for the CUNY system to form a deal with Uber or Lyft for student discount prices to the school campus or to the train station. The negative side to this is that not everyone has the ability to afford  a cab meaning that only a selective few will benefit from this.