tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1096187312843131512024-03-05T23:31:24.181-08:00S-STEM Scholar David Ortiz Leon's BlogAmanda Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16951554565276475785noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-81574939782250789482023-04-24T23:11:00.002-07:002023-04-24T23:11:32.956-07:00Blog Post 4: Connecting with a Mentor + NCUIRE<p>Howdy y'all,</p><p>I hope everyone has been doing good as we close out the spring semester!</p><p>So for this blog, we were asked to talk about our networking experience based on our interactions cold networking in the professional sphere, and networking at the ASU NCUIRE symposium. I think the biggest thing I want to emphasize between these two interactions is scope, and for those who are looking to network read this more as "what do I hope to accomplish".</p><p>For networking in a more professional space, it is really important not only to do so in professional air but to also do so in a way that reflects the culture of your prospective connection. When considering, it is important to identify what is considered "the norm" when networking, and also to identify what are the boundaries. In my case, I am in the applied computing field and because there are such a staunchness regarding industry secrets, proprietary knowledge, and security best practices, reaching out and immediately inquiring about a company's practices is not wise. I had to consider this when reaching out to some employers, and when discussing these employers I am also wise to not give a direct name of their business or of their employees who I shared correspondence with. Given this, I understood this connection more in the space of "I am going to initiate this conversation in the hopes of employment". While I might have wanted to do this more for say collecting data for my thesis that is ultimately crossing that field boundary, I had to kind of temper my expectations.</p><p>In contrast with this is how my networking was at NCUIRE. With this being a student event expectations were lowered in terms of professionalism but a more "frank" attitude was also welcomed. Being too professional in this kind of setting is really weird lol, so I think I did well to just inquire about folk's projects form the perspective of just another student. This meant that what I sought to actually seek in my connection was a bit more flexible. While I don't think I could message somebody after with my resume and an employment request what I could do is inquire into how they were able to undertake independent research. These are the kinds of questions that are not only appropriate for the culture but also the context, and I think for me personally I found that a bit more helpful. Obviously, this will differ from major to major, but this was my experience at the very least regarding networking!</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-91463060310216706932023-04-16T19:21:00.002-07:002023-04-16T19:21:37.561-07:00Blog Post 3: Cultural Intelligence<p>Howdy y'all, I hope you guys are going good! I feel surprisingly spry going into these finals, though I could be delusional.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyways, today we've been asked to discuss cultural intelligence; how we understand it, and how our lecture with Dr. Renee Bhatti-Klug enriched our understanding. For me, I've been fortunate enough to be in diverse communities, rationalized my own experiences as someone from a marginalized group, and have had educators that regularly affirm what cultural intelligence is. In my mind, I think there should be two things to consider, and that's the general and the specific. General in the sense that we should be empathetic and always seek to learn from other people as a general rule of thumb. The specific is understanding the context of why a person is feeling what they're feeling and how that is emblematic of something greater or disconnected from a cultural monolith. That last part sounds scary, having to make that judgment call, but it's really just one more step up. In practice, I might understand that someone is upset, which would lead me to consider why their upset, and eventually if it is or is not part of something that is reflective of a greater societal or systemic issue. </p><p>All that said, where I had that understanding Dr. Bhatti-Klug really pushed for cultural responsiveness, which I thought was very positive. In this context, responsiveness refers to how the actions we take reflect our values. I think the question in one of our exercises that really made me consider my responsiveness was a prompt that asked something to the effect of "Out of these 4, which are you least likely to engage with" to which I said a project out of my scope. On paper, I considered my skillset, and I also considered the cultural precedent set in such a project, wondering if I would even be a good fit. What Dr. Bhatti-Klug noted was that even if we were aware of systemic issues, not engaging does not move anything forward, advocating for being a little out of place if it meant broadening our lived experiences. Dr. Bhatti-Klug also noted that we should not be doing this in any way to have a "token" friend but to simply be with people. I thought that was really beautiful.</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-16404199897947146082023-02-17T19:18:00.001-08:002023-02-17T19:18:33.108-08:00Blog Post 2: Professional Identity<p> With one foot out the door, I have started to wonder what my professional identity really even looks like. In my mind, this was always something that I felt was years out from needing to be something I worry about, but with this being my last full-time semester I am now realizing that might now be the case.</p><p>That said, following a lecture we had on networking and identity in class the other day, I feel as though I have at least a bit more of a refined idea of who I could be in my professional field. Firstly, when deciding who I wanted to be I had to consider where I wanted to be in terms of markets, which immediately placed me in a space to consider both my talents and my passions. Currently, I would say I am still in a bit of a toss-up between education and database development, which does seem like a bit of an odd toss-up. On my professional skill side, I really enjoy sitting down and writing code. At a soft skill level, I really enjoy coaching folks and being a part of their support system. It is an interesting pickle to be in from the most social to non-social disciplines being my interests lol. All that said, when listening to our lecture the other day I did come to understand that being in only one discipline doesn't necessarily mean both skill sets won't be utilized. </p><p>With this in mind, I think the identity I have designed for myself is that of a software engineer who thrives in a team environment, facilitating team projects and relaying feedback from members to management. I feel as though this is something incorporating not only my skills but also my interests. I know it always won't be so clean for everybody when finding the middle ground, but I would love to hear if this is something some of y'all have been able to find as well.</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-63818316320645773122023-01-31T19:38:00.005-08:002023-01-31T19:38:34.691-08:00Blog Post 1: TRAIN Mixer<p>Howdy y'all,</p><p>I hope everyone has been having a good start to their semester, I know I've been enjoying the peace and calm before things really start picking up. </p><p>Speaking of starts, it was really interesting seeing the new batch of TRAIN scholars that West will be getting soon, and it really made me consider my own struggles through my journey here. See, when I talked to the student there were different takes as to what they wanted out of college, but there was one common thread. Everyone asked, "What do I do once I leave here?". I spoke truthfully when chatting with them and admitted that I, and a lot of folks, really don't know. I, like many other current ASU-West TRAIN scholars, have found the internship market to be pretty brutal. Nonnegotiable unpaid onboarding to work only being adjacently related to our field, things feel pretty slim just for the internship portion. Compound this with the eventual need for full employment, and things feel a bit daunting for many of us.</p><p>A funny conversation even started at our table regarding our doubts about our career paths, in which many of us even admitted having backup professions in mind (most commonly education [me included]). So with all this, I do have to wonder what is it all for? On one hand, I do appreciate my uncertainty cause it made me feel like I could reassure students that they had time to work it all out, but at the same time, I still feel like I need to address my own apprehensions. It really is tricky.</p><p>Fingers crossed that I can find that to only be a footnote in my growth, but I would love to hear if any of y'all have felt similar to this at all!</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-19018946319253167492023-01-17T17:13:00.004-08:002023-01-17T17:13:44.551-08:00Spring 2023 STEM Mindset<p> Howdy y'all,</p><p>Man, it is crazy to think that this is my last full semester at ASU! I remember scrambling to find research project topics just a few years ago, and here I am about to walk out with my degree. It's crazy. I'm old lol (at least to 18 y/o me). </p><p>As I wrap up this program I think more and more about how I want to utilize my degree, and I find myself debating two different routes. On the one hand, I could continue where I was and pursue educational pathways, or I could try what I've been considering more and become something of a data consultant or advisor. Either way, I do hope to educate folks, I'm just not quite sure what yet.</p><p>Outside of the picture view, I am really excited about this semester! I'm currently taking ACO 350 for Systems Programming, and I am also starting the front end of my thesis this semester with Dr. Oh'Flarety on IT Leadership Styles. This feels like a good balance of courses between the major-specific courses like the two previously listed with some fun ones like zines and religion.</p><p>Anyways, I hope to update this a little bit more throughout the semester, and I hope y'all give this a read!</p><p><br /></p><p>David</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-62540328027357706202022-12-01T21:38:00.002-08:002022-12-01T21:38:43.930-08:00DB Project Reflection: Fall 2022<h2 style="text-align: left;"><b>FALL 2022 WRAP-UP</b></h2><p>Another year, another semester. It is crazy for me to think about how long I've been with this program and how much I have expanded my skill set. Do I always master everything I work on, no, but I think that's kind of the best part. Ideally, I would like to be able to do everything we do in this program with ease, but the diverse spread of disciplines we practice lets me understand where I can best utilize my own individual skills.</p><p>Speaking of which, this semester we took a deep look into database construction as well as data analysis. I think for a lot of students this was a primer of what the reality of research would be. I know from personal experience, the database tools we worked with here are the same ones we used when I was still at Phoenix College with this program, so it was interesting to now be in a position where I could develop the skills my mentors would utilize. It was definitely trick to get at first, not cause of the content necessarily, but a lot of it was unlearning certain habits I made from doing my own guerilla research years ago.</p><p>With that in mind, here are some of the takeaways I had on this semester's database project!</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Describe your understanding of relational databases versus spreadsheets.</i></h3><div>So, both are tools that we use to consolidate and organize data, but there are differences in how they give users access to data. Spreadsheets are powerful in how they are able to continuously expand their length and allowing for design freedom after an initial set of data's inceptions. Databases consolidate data in fixed positions, meaning that data in a table is not so easily modified in scale (rows and columns). While at times limiting with the actions that can be done with it after, databases offer a firm structure in its data and how it expresses relations between other tables. There is also a matter of how this data is hosted and collaborated on, as spreadsheets can be utilized through Google and Microsoft suite, while databases must be deployed to a local or online network where other administrators can interface with it. This can take the form of personal Apache web servers or large repositories such as GitHub.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Provide an overview of the database class project</i></h3><div>The database class project was aimed at giving students an immersive experience in data entry, interpretation, and aggregation by utilizing SQL tools. The project starts students off in pairs, in which they must find a set of data for which they are to make a database for. The construction of this database is done over SQLite DB Browser, which is one part SQL compiler and one part .db manager. Over the semester, we would work on the project more and more by utilizing research standard practices and reporting our experiences and work to our instructor. This culminates in a final semester presentation in which students describe their experience creating the database, and how it was for them utilizing SQLite and writing their own queries.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>What did you learn about databases through the application of the concepts on the project? </i></h3><div>I think what I found so interesting was a little bit more on the "what databases needed to do" side. I had been familiar with SQL before, as at my prior college I worked on a project where we hosted an Apache web server that utilized PHP my admin with SQL administration tools baked in. At the time, I was somewhat aware that databases and their respective tables need to be massive in scale, not only in the number of entries but also in how many columns they needed. At the time, I thought this was just a quirk of the project I was on but going through this project I learned that this was standard practice for researchers to have 30+ attribute tables. That really helped put into perspective the importance of databases for not only organizing large amounts of data like this but also interpreting it. The last thing I'll add is that I had to unlearn certain syntax standards between SQL and SQLite; that sounds maybe inconsequential, but I remember spending a lot of nights wondering why my years of YouTube tutorial SQL knowledge was not working like it normally does.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Has learning about databases influenced your future plans? </i></h3><div>Kind of not really, and I don't mean that in a bad way. I was already trying to go into something data adjacent, and I think really this project just allowed me to widen my scope of reference. While I did have some familiarity with databases, I was ultimately unfamiliar with what the course used for their compilers, administrative tools, and language. That feeling of "I know this" to "I don't know this", as I understand it, is reflective of really being hired by company that works with data. Companies can have in-house, or partner backed software that is not widely used, or they could use common web apps; it ultimately means it is important to understand the principles first and foremost. Regardless of syntax or what version of an application I have, there will always be universal concepts like Primary and Foreign Keys that if I solidify my understanding of could do wonders the next time I have to learn a language or app again.</div>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-33496197000072803612022-04-22T23:03:00.002-07:002022-04-22T23:03:06.257-07:00End of Spring 2022: Reflection<p> Well, it looks like it's finally here, not me graduating, but possibly the end of COVID-19. The keyword is possibly right? I want to believe that things are finally lifting for the better but I'm too much of a skeptic; I'll be keeping my mask on for a little while longer. As we come out of this, I hope that sense of togetherness that was fostered throughout this pandemic isn't dropped so fast. I think a lot of people learned that it was okay to be vulnerable with one another as this pandemic affected everyone. I know that throughout this class we have never shied away from the mental aspect of it all, and I am grateful for that, but I think I just worry about how that might not be the case for everybody else. </p><p><br /></p><p>Truthfully the pandemic has also made me reflect on my career path. It is clear that online communications and cloud storage are going to need to be bolstered for whatever comes next or to just accommodate the new wave of at-home workers (for whom I am so jealous of lol), but I kind of think the education bug I had has fallen off the wagon. From the work I've gotten to do in education, I am very appreciative of those experiences, but I also realize how poor the infrastructure was at all schools. It's a systemic issue. It did not seem to matter if it was a university, a middle school, or a community college; educators were left dead in the water. I think education was always a "maybe when I retire" sort of route for me, but now I wonder if I ever want to set foot in a classroom. It's clear that it's not just an issue about money anymore, but an issue of respect towards our educators. I'm not exactly grinning ear to ear at the fact that I'll probably be balled up in a cubicle longer than I anticipated, I think I only wish it wasn't so bad.</p><p>At the same time, we all can't give up hope either. Education will always have a place in my heart as a passion project, and I think as the content shuffling continues we may eventually land on the next generation of great mentors. Of course, this big shift is contingent on that same early pandemic positivity barrelling through for the rest of our lives, which means I have to just stay a little more positive every day.</p><p><br /></p><p>I can't wait to give this blog another entry in the fall, but until then I'm just gonna hope I can maintain my gpa for these coming finals. Have a good break y'all!</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-45214089795558355192022-03-25T23:13:00.001-07:002022-03-25T23:13:40.859-07:00Feeling a little less alone through vulnerability <p>Over a lot of the discussions we've had as a class, there is definitely a running theme in how challenging STEM work can be. Challenges can take the form of many things for college students, such as overwork and feelings of inadequacy. Alongside those fears is loneliness, which is common among any STEM student having to dive into classes that carry the connotation of being "Easy F's". Whether it's counting the white speckled tile of a lab floor or listening to the low growl of an AC all day, it seems that there is somewhat of inherent loneliness to working in anything STEM, and it at times feels like we can't share that with each other. Very much in line with our readings of class book daring greatly, it is so easy to feel like we are the only ones who are struggling in our fields, especially when the culture praises individuals who can work with the greatest of ease (which is especially on display in Daring Greatly Chapter 3).</p><p>So what might be the remedy? Based on my interpretation of the video this week by Brene Brown I would argue its vulnerability. Dr. Brene Brown states in her TEDTalk that people with a strong sense of love and belonging do so by believing they themselves deserve it. If we are to apply that to how we can hold ourselves back as outlined in Daring Greatly's section on shame, we could infer that the techniques that result in a better understanding of self-worth would also yield a better sense of love and belonging as well.</p><p>Given all this, I think I need to make sure that I am not only adequate in my understanding of myself, but that I have achieved a lot and I shouldn't sell myself short. Whether I'm sending in resumes or thinking to myself on the job, working to not only state that I am adequate but that I do deserve to feel like a belong. In fostering that, I believe I can work passed that loneliness I described earlier, and that may very well not just aid in my mental health but also my productivity!</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-14922583965101783992022-02-18T18:11:00.001-08:002022-02-18T18:11:06.006-08:00STEM Inclusivity: A Transitionary Period<p> <span> Over these past few discussions we have discussed how sometimes in STEM fields individual researchers or workers can feel out of place, and I know there have been times in my experience that I have felt this. The most notable time this has happened to me was probably when I first got into the S-STEM program at my community college. I was one of the only students in the program who were specifically programming-oriented, and at the time there wasn't a lot of support or preplanned projects for me. To supplement this, I was set up with the IT department at my school and was essentially working as a custodian. On paper, it sounded like a good idea to give me a practical experience, but as a Latino research intern, there was obviously (whether intentional or not) a sense of alienation as well as some unintentional racist undertones. Being asked to write an APA formatted journal submission about my experience cleaning up Carl's Jr. wrappers from server rooms was a bit unnerving, especially with the rest of the TRAIN scholars getting to do peer-reviewed research. Of course, it is likely that the program didn't intentionally do this to discriminate against me (from what I heard the head of PC IT told staff to just send me to pick up garbage), but I would be lying if I said it didn't feel comically racist towards me. </span></p><p><span><span> Eventually, things got shuffled around and I was finally doing genuine work, but it was bittersweet given the prior experience. I always struggle to explain to some of my family members why STEM work matters, and how as Latinos we don't have to be locked into manual labor. It's not hard to imagine how difficult it was to convey this when my internship was me carting around a Rubbermaid bin of garbage. As bitter as I sound (really I'm more just stunned, hindsight I've been laughing about the irony of it all), I am at the very least pleased to know that things are getting better on all fronts. Services like the light rail have been getting approval to go into South Phoenix, which means the up and coming gen alpha from neighborhoods like Maryvale can be able to commute to places like the Phoenix Coding Academy, Phoenix College, and eventually ASU comfortably without having to lie that they live in a different zip code or begging their parents to drive them. It is through this increased accessibility that I think both employers and members of my community can see the potential for STEM work. When that time comes, which I would argue we are now in the early stages of, freshman will be hot-footing it not to pick up the lunch of maintenance workers who eat in servers rooms but instead hunkering down to develop the infrastructure for those servers instead.</span><br /></span></p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-16902620083395704362022-01-21T21:46:00.000-08:002022-01-21T21:46:09.278-08:00Is Intelligence Inherently Fixed?<p>Whenever I think about where I am today I consider how I have had to change my learning style over the years. From about 1st grade to my senior year of high school, I never really put a large amount of effort into my studies. That's not to say I didn't care about school, but earning A's and making the dean's list was pretty par for the course. Knowing what I know now, I would say I was subscribing to the traditional model for effort and intelligence as described by Carol Dweck. This model often rewards students who do work with little or no effort and declares that as a benchmark for intelligence. While the self-congratulatory aspect was appealing to my ego at the time, it all really fell apart as I got into college. There were challenges aplenty in higher education, and at that time I took these challenges as a contradiction to my intelligence and as a reason for me to consider the "the easy way" out on assignments. I didn't know it at the time, but my feelings correlate with a "fixed" mindset of learning. In line with the "Students’ Mindsets for Learning and Their Neural Underpinnings", I was lacking in my own, "self-efficacy, (and I was more prone to) give up more easily and adopt maladaptive strategies". Thankfully, there was still time for me to change my mindset, and thanks to a lot of mentors in my college I finally focused on the bigger picture. Shifting to an “incremental” mindset helps me put into perspective how much I've already done, and visualize how much more I can do if I challenged myself. Three years later, I haven't really looked back at the old mindset, and I couldn't be happier in school!</p><p>I think for anyone doing education to enter a career or to pursue a career in education itself, reading the articles by Tirri, Good, and Mangels, along with the Ted Talk by Dweck will do a world of wonders!</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-48163639122715901482021-11-19T15:46:00.000-08:002021-11-19T15:46:06.224-08:00Translating My College Experience Into Employer-Desired Experiences<span>Howdy, howdy, y'all!</span><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><span> I hope y'all have been doing good, I've been sort of bouncing all over the place right now (I say that as I type this late in Chicago). </span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><span> This week, we were asked to consider how our college experience will translate into our work later down the line. In the scope of how I interact with my employer, I think being in programs like the S-STEM program where I, as a member of a team, get to express myself through a team-sanctioned platform is a huge bonus and something I would like in my work later. Not only does the blogger portion of this internship allow me to express myself, but I also get to read what everybody else is up to and get a better understanding of my teammates. If I could get into the workforce and experience something like this, I would be super stoked!</span></span><br /></span></div><div><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span> I think another experience I have had not only in this program but from college as a whole is the opportunity to immerse myself in a team with a diverse spread of skillsets/majors. I think a lot of folks might interpret the later workforce as a centralized discipline, but from working with other students who come from a wide range of interests I feel that actually primes you for a career environment. With the work I've done that is at a career level, I could be on a single team that incorporates statistics, biology, web development, and mathematics. This, very predictably, requires a certain level of flexibility that can really only be nurtured organically. Looking back at it, I realize that I was able to thrive in an environment like that because of my time in college, and I think that's an experience you can't always fine hammering through your major.</span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span> Lastly, I would say the most valuable experience I have had in school that I hope to take with me into the workforce is boundary setting and employer expectations. Maybe when I say this I sound like I'm lazy or a "quitter", but I really think there is a lack of self-care for people in the workforce. Because of the dynamic of schools, there is give and take with work expectancy and capability. Not all professors are super cooperative of course, but for the most part, professors try to meet students in the middle regarding subject understanding or accommodating when "life happens". To have a relationship like this with my employer would be a dream, but I must admit that it shouldn't be a dream, it should be the standard. That being said, I think having it set as the baseline can prime students for understanding their own individual needs and later communicating these needs to their employers.</span><br /></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span> Overall, I couldn't speak any more highly of college providing experiences for students entering the workforce, and I hope that other folks have taken away similar experiences.</span><br /></div>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-48127578307165808742021-11-05T14:43:00.002-07:002021-11-05T14:43:40.388-07:00How I think I want to use my degree and why<p> Howdy y'all,</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope everyone had a good Halloween the other day! It was like a ghost town in my area but I'll just assume it was like that to be festive lol. </p><p><br /></p><p>This week, I have been asked to talk about what I hope to use my degree for and I think this prompt actually caught me while I'm at a crossroads. In previous posts as well as in my bio, I have been pretty forward with my intentions to use my degree to develop more STEM and Computing opportunities specifically for students in underserved communities. In my mind, giving a similar opportunity to students in these environments allows for dormant minds to flourish or to give kids who feel like they're too far ahead an outlet. This initiative is still super near and dear to my heart, but recently I've had to take stock of tech culture and its position in a social space and ask myself if I should be working on something else.</p><p>I imagine many of you have read the unsettling reports from Facebook (Now referred to as Meta) regarding their internal statistics implying a complacency to violence and bigotry. For those of you who don't know, recently a Facebook whistleblower leaked documents showing analytics that indicate that Facebook is a hub for harsh online culture and is a breeding ground for misinformation and hate. Despite these implications, it appears all Facebook leads have gone to ignore the signs. Now, of course, the whole site isn't necessarily like that (that's actually twitter lol), but I would be lying if I said I haven't seen a relative post something about 5G towers causing COVID-19. The online space created by Facebook, and I would argue social media spaces in general, is really due for an overhaul of transparency. This is not a new cry for this, as Capital Hill has been having a field day ripping these companies to shreds. My concern with this specific call for justice, as well as the greater issue of toxic spaces online, is that it seems many members of top personal be it in tech or in politics don't seem to fully understand the spaces either, and that is worrying.</p><p>Given all of this, I think I may actually begin to shift my focus into youth outreach and divert into ethics within the greater IT sector. Calling it by such an elaborate name sounds a bit posh and maybe call to mind an Orwellian nightmare, but in my mind, I would hope to mediate reform of online spaces to ensure full transparency and best practices. I, as someone who is a 'digital native', or someone who has grown up with computers, have to concede that I am painfully aware of this dissonance in implementing good ethical strategy into online development. I wouldn't say that this is anything new, in fact for many programming students this is one of the first things we learn (to work with ethics), yet it is not reflected in our present day. This is a huge undertaking and is in some ways even very abstract, but I think as someone who is always looking for humanity in the situation I have an obligation to spread that in spaces where it is short supply. Right now, that space is online.</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-76721074967730695452021-10-15T10:00:00.004-07:002021-10-15T10:00:41.751-07:00My Desired Online Presence<p>Hey y'all,</p><p><br /></p><p>So I'm officially one midterm down and a final to go, which means it's time for another post.</p><p>This week we've been asked to consider what our desired online presence would look like, and truthfully I don't think I have a full answer to that. On one hand, having a family account, professional account, and private account is pretty standard but that seems pretty bloated. Not only that, but it even feels really bizarre and disconnected. Paranoid as I may be about my anonymity, even I have to admit that having to hope through all these hoops is a bit much. If anything, creating side accounts and secret accounts really speak to the culture of today.</p><p>In my experience, while I may not fancy having to be on all modalities it is also essential to have any real communication. Employers want you on LinkedIn, your family wants you Facebook, your friends, and more intimates want you on Twitter or Instagram; it's like we can never be ourselves. </p><p>Ideally, I don't even think I want to be on the internet, as unprofessional as that is. That's not to say I don't want to connect with employers or see family pics, but the idea that someone can peak over a page and discern any idea about who I am because of what I liked and disliked feels cold and alien. If I could just post a single headshot I would probably be fine with it lol.</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-8794746753702509112021-09-03T14:56:00.002-07:002021-09-03T14:56:28.316-07:00Back in STEM & Reflecting on my current online presence<p><b>BACK IN STEM</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Wow wow wow wow, </p><p><br /></p><p>First and foremost I want to say it feels good to be writing on this again. It has been almost 2 years now since I have participated in the S-STEM Train Program and getting to go in person to ASU-West and seeing some of my old PC alumni just made my day on that first Friday. I am super interested to read all my old blogs as well, though I will take a guess and assume they are either moody, self-congratulatory, or just very burnt out lol.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>REFLECTING ON MY CURRENT ONLINE PRESENCE</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>When I had heard that we were going to be writing about this I genuinely had to take a second and think about my time on the internet. I have been using a computer since I was about 7 years old (2008), and have just about seen it all online; in a way, I might be considered "old internet". Between mySpace, Ebaum'sWorld, Pirate Bay, Napster, and everything else that screams y2k web design I have either somewhat participated or observed the goings-on online. In a funny way, I think I am pretty lucky now because all those years prior have made me pretty cautious about what I post. </p><p>That being said, I want to burn my Facebook to the ground! </p><p>There are so many things that I have liked that have either become out of vogue if not problematic. Whether it was a meme page that now posts controversial advertisements or celebrities who have now been revealed to be terrible people. Things like my Facebook I keep today still just so I can stay connected with family, but on apps like Instagram, I try to stay hidden with a private account that doesn't even use my name. Not that I'm necessarily up to anything, but because I use that space to be a little more open with things like my experience with depression I would prefer to keep it to a more closed circle.</p><p>Despite all this, I 100% still see the value in my online footprint. For people like my dad who has been in Mexico on a temporary deportation deal for the last 10 years, social media provides a method for us to communicate and for him to keep up to date on what I'm up to. 15 year old me still probably posted some cringy stuff, but that's just a few clicks to clean.</p>David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-67628774530261046652019-10-31T19:12:00.001-07:002019-10-31T19:12:13.540-07:00Week 9 : Around the Corner<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXVxUQHepeG0_-MKNGPR1biy4ZWW7ClPg78V5Y0OSEGoe2JWqtQKzGYI1JV99gnaTfbPnDe7xnXVRdQKP8fITrTh1N4IqHUcQgPc4FbMCtxn1Q6G9wKzlCpzhYbQNoAEEhgbYS6TzLQ/s1600/phpMyScreenshot.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="607" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXVxUQHepeG0_-MKNGPR1biy4ZWW7ClPg78V5Y0OSEGoe2JWqtQKzGYI1JV99gnaTfbPnDe7xnXVRdQKP8fITrTh1N4IqHUcQgPc4FbMCtxn1Q6G9wKzlCpzhYbQNoAEEhgbYS6TzLQ/s400/phpMyScreenshot.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">phpMyAdmin is a database manager I am configuring the database through</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This week, I am currently in the process of finalizing the dual file and text uploading for the database. Having achieved both separately, this should be no hard task. The challenge of this task comes from linking them to one database, which will require a configuration file. Normally with the text uploading the database is auto generated initially and referred to in all iterations after, however with a file being uploaded it requires that the database is configured to allow a file upload by using a configuration file.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">At the time of writing this, I estimate that I should have this operational by the end of my lab time tomorrow. Stay tuned for more updates!</span></div>
David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-52199154856387673192019-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:002019-10-24T18:59:41.000-07:00Week 8 : Up and OutThis week, James and I have worked on uploading a file to the local host. As we have already been able to upload text data for the bat database the next step is to upload the recordings of the bats themselves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIamoMFTpWcZ6hSuBVlOWiCoPgRjU8fgrrJut4yLkOZrRT4e9I-DwaOyyiJXH6a0ffIEj7YGvJa8ZFjiEUsXU0q3MclhahgDjKxNnH-FbM5Bq1PMeYCPE3qmnkCyXlwcHuY5kyherwVA/s1600/fileUpload.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="921" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIamoMFTpWcZ6hSuBVlOWiCoPgRjU8fgrrJut4yLkOZrRT4e9I-DwaOyyiJXH6a0ffIEj7YGvJa8ZFjiEUsXU0q3MclhahgDjKxNnH-FbM5Bq1PMeYCPE3qmnkCyXlwcHuY5kyherwVA/s400/fileUpload.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The output of the test code</td></tr>
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For uploading we are recommending all users zip the folder so that the file is compressed, thus saving storage space on our end. To be able to do this we refered to some online sources to better understand how php integrates with mySQL when moving files. After some research, we were able to succesfully upload a file to a pre-generated database. Unfortunatly the next hurdle is now saving said file, but I am not distressed. As the project continues I am both learning so much, and aiming to make a difference.David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-83154318119967949962019-10-11T19:07:00.001-07:002019-10-11T19:07:13.357-07:00Week 6 : Over the WallThis week, midterms have concluded and the project has reached a major mile stone!<br />
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As of many of you may know, my partner James and I have been working on developing a database to collect data on bats and allow the sharing and filtering of said data. With SQLite as our platform, we have succesfully enabled text data uploading into the database. This means that information such as time of recording, species of bats, and location of recordings among other variables can be recorded and kept in the database. This leaves only the uploading of the bat recordings themselves, which will require us to allocate an area to store the recordings as well as code that will pass the files through SQLite.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0H1QIOY-OUto3_IbJc4cEjLJ6MeCe711Q6aNmqUOTnW8KaS79scwtrTq19GEu2HGSlNFm2nFp3LEsFcbdmUVTz__9NgJ9ULH1VbG-p1B6qvsm7zu-iHZRWis3WuaQAyhS4JCb_EQSg/s1600/SQLite-Database-Browser_7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1146" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0H1QIOY-OUto3_IbJc4cEjLJ6MeCe711Q6aNmqUOTnW8KaS79scwtrTq19GEu2HGSlNFm2nFp3LEsFcbdmUVTz__9NgJ9ULH1VbG-p1B6qvsm7zu-iHZRWis3WuaQAyhS4JCb_EQSg/s640/SQLite-Database-Browser_7.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the database browser for SQLite, which will be used on the administrative side.</td></tr>
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Stay tuned for more progress!David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-7126521658637530252019-10-03T19:34:00.001-07:002019-10-03T19:34:28.627-07:00Week 5 : Building SteamThis week, James and I were able to set up a page through a localhost!<br />
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Localhost refers to your computer (as in the one you are on), to display webpages or all sorts of domains. For our purposes, we have been using the local hosts to test the php code I had mentioned in the previous week. With a local host running now, we should be able to observe the output of all of our code properly. Because of this, our next goal is to finalize data uploading capabilites ASAP. With the page up all the bells and whistles come right after solidifying the data collecting side of the project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PKZ5sxyN5fxgI5-AxjlGhRX9Jetu4xOqTpye5gpA6hTEr6OJNS5R-SWaSe92NED3agNjv8QD0TnwA7nWOuj6O3QnQ8aLA64g1_TGnaOgTwRqu0SiTy_lH8ysq0dc1rz7BtLe9VIl0w/s1600/idGenerator.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="633" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PKZ5sxyN5fxgI5-AxjlGhRX9Jetu4xOqTpye5gpA6hTEr6OJNS5R-SWaSe92NED3agNjv8QD0TnwA7nWOuj6O3QnQ8aLA64g1_TGnaOgTwRqu0SiTy_lH8ysq0dc1rz7BtLe9VIl0w/s320/idGenerator.PNG" width="320" /></a>On the bells and whistles side, due to the nature of the project James and I along with the rest of the team looked into creating a serial ID system for better organizing. For every data entry upload done using the site, a unique number and letter ID will be generate specifically for that upload to help cataloge the data and prevent overlapping.David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-31158511968682076862019-10-03T19:03:00.003-07:002019-10-03T19:03:52.768-07:00Week 4 : Taking FormThis week, James and I have chosen the platform for which we will be building the databases off of.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOZZzINsd7l-Nx2WL_NWm8MILqujpABwLPCiSGdsl7HsBFvfxYtBG5VbhIuuNq9ZwMYgK19mbEdQkoLa1Yt-HwbDtcWOSkNHCoP-I8O8s_B2wpzFSe1tMcnzIHZpnSh_nVdkeiZyFnw/s1600/codeExample.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="339" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOZZzINsd7l-Nx2WL_NWm8MILqujpABwLPCiSGdsl7HsBFvfxYtBG5VbhIuuNq9ZwMYgK19mbEdQkoLa1Yt-HwbDtcWOSkNHCoP-I8O8s_B2wpzFSe1tMcnzIHZpnSh_nVdkeiZyFnw/s400/codeExample.PNG" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few lines of code using HTML and PHP</td></tr>
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In prior weeks I have spoke on the development of a data collection database which we are approached about creating. After some outlining an testing with various programs we have settled on using a php build site while managing it with mySQL. PHP is a web devolpment language which can be observed on servers, which will be perfect for our purposes. mySQL is a database manager which we will use for managing all of the inputted data at an admin level. With all of our tools installed we began to write some code, with the compiling just over the horizon.David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-89990548579996676672019-09-19T21:08:00.001-07:002019-09-19T21:17:30.502-07:00Week 3 : Think of the Children<span id="docs-internal-guid-8075728e-7fff-c39a-273a-7f22fc7281ee"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This week, while waiting for more and more parts to cook up, Josh, Maria, and I prepped for a visit to Chase Field. 2 weeks earlier Josh was contacted by the Arizona Diamondbacks to see if STEM (and in turn Robotics) to see if we would be interested in participating in a field trip day hosted by the Diamondbacks. The idea is to be able to give hundreds of kids a wide variety of attractions to explore and learn from, in our case it was on robotics with little dollops of the scientific process here and there.</span></span><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YijueFBgK8vtFlek036-9q6ESc9zeNZi8X0wvdmsuQSmAFL0ANj59AYlueQ0xpHLoTCWIVacaVeLtnCaThH2O-CrBOqci3JicL0XRzXfX7laQR4acXZenJj1HDYowH_ZSnzCcYKX1A/s1600/shot.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YijueFBgK8vtFlek036-9q6ESc9zeNZi8X0wvdmsuQSmAFL0ANj59AYlueQ0xpHLoTCWIVacaVeLtnCaThH2O-CrBOqci3JicL0XRzXfX7laQR4acXZenJj1HDYowH_ZSnzCcYKX1A/s320/shot.mp4" width="180" /></a><span id="docs-internal-guid-77ba3ae8-7fff-efb9-46d1-1e8082545850"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After hoisting all of the equipment out the van and setting up in the low 90 degree arena, we set up the 2 robots we had brought to show the kids. Our main attraction was a Vex based ball launcher (seen to the left) Josh and one of the Robotics club members prepped the week prior. For the short time it was up kids were having a good time, but a motor problem decommissioned it before it got to see the full run of the event. As for the second piece brought, it was a standard Vex RC built of a RC Josh had procured at a Goodwill. With the big bot down, we had just the RC (which like the big guy was facing technical difficulties as well) but it was enough to keep the kids entertained. Because it was facing battery drain and overuse, I was able to turn the repairs for it into participative lectures for the kids where they would help me see if the RC was ready to drive or if it could be improved in anyway.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1b0f6933-7fff-228b-82e7-9b810e57dd43"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not to toot my own horn, but I ended up being the main sort of STEM spokesperson for the kids, but I wasn’t complaining either. Somewhere deep in my heart I wish I was an English Teacher like I wanted to be for so long, but luckily through the program I hope I inspire kids in the same way.</span></span></div>
David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-57080149305257442722019-09-12T20:37:00.001-07:002019-09-12T20:37:31.922-07:00Week 2 : Shapping Up<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUIJS2BHatAyZkPfjhqR7MymfheMsNaV-yPAOpSw8Dq-hXVbkOH9OYAbYa7wt8w3rYTzoxAaFau7dZJ1D5ji04B63VSjF3zqgVbIUNwWiFnOW0mu6HZudAsPgKGkTYGxJ_QdNyuQQlA/s1600/91219_1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="534" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUIJS2BHatAyZkPfjhqR7MymfheMsNaV-yPAOpSw8Dq-hXVbkOH9OYAbYa7wt8w3rYTzoxAaFau7dZJ1D5ji04B63VSjF3zqgVbIUNwWiFnOW0mu6HZudAsPgKGkTYGxJ_QdNyuQQlA/s320/91219_1.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top piece described in the left paragraph</td></tr>
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This week I took another swing at the chassis, this time focusing on the housing area for the Arduino. In previous iterations I have used a sort of lego snap together method for assembling, and I feel as I have now refined this style with my current designs. You will notice that the top is already shapped for a fan even with holes to fasten it down and to pass the power chord through. It is currently printing, and I am excited to see how it comes out.<br />
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As for the bat work, James and I met together this week and found a platform that lets us do a drag and drop method of building the site. It may not be the most nuanced as it is hand-written, but it is currently to help provide a proof of concept. With that in mind it might be sometime till I feel it is something I can showcase here, but it is in the works.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo-B0N-d28MBi_3LfttPP52S9igpl_mS90mbNlmjqZU-qj5d95aLvRgUY7Pp3VShfInaPyN73dhlYzlRrt9-hDta4r104mPPisQ5VKxjbv9aXbr6Qut0oH3RTxwqriiA20iV5CTR17Q/s1600/91219_0.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="735" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo-B0N-d28MBi_3LfttPP52S9igpl_mS90mbNlmjqZU-qj5d95aLvRgUY7Pp3VShfInaPyN73dhlYzlRrt9-hDta4r104mPPisQ5VKxjbv9aXbr6Qut0oH3RTxwqriiA20iV5CTR17Q/s320/91219_0.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All designs are CAD models, intended for 3d printing and exported as a .stl</td></tr>
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In other news, I am currently prepping for a STEM fair of sorts hosted by the Diamondback at Chasefield. Hearing about it last week, I ordered quite a handful of parts and began assembly on a simple arduino controlled rc that is housed in just a cardbox. As unremarkable as it sounds, I am actually looking to outfit it. Currently I have attached a motion sensor and a bit of a gag external device (as per James request), so when I showcase it next thursday it will be quite a lot of fun.David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-83198751888413626092019-09-05T21:32:00.001-07:002019-09-05T21:32:31.015-07:00Week 1 : A New Perspective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Blog Viewers!<br />
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It has been quite a while since last I typed up one of these blogs, and you may have noticed I have restarted my week count as well. This summer I got a bit of a head start on my project by testing verious chassis designs for the aquino so that testing may properlly commence. The circutry was a nightmare of a task, and the coding was a breeze, but I find that the building is somewhere in between. Having pieces 3D printed does take some time, so I was excited for the head start I got.<br />
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Because of this gap though I am excited to announce that I will be working on a secondary project as well!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static4.depositphotos.com/1007959/345/i/950/depositphotos_3455573-stock-photo-excited-businessman-expresses-his-excitement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image result for stock photo excitement" border="0" height="266" src="https://static4.depositphotos.com/1007959/345/i/950/depositphotos_3455573-stock-photo-excited-businessman-expresses-his-excitement.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A visual representation of my relief and excitement</td></tr>
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<br />Matt H. in the lab had pulled me aside the first week and asked if my partner James, fellow tech Maria, and I would be interested in building a database for him. My excitement for this can not be understated, as database construction was something James and I learned how to do 2 semesters prior and is generally more in our wheel house. The idea for it is to create a web hosted database to help researchers log and share recordings of bats that they have collected out on the field. For us it will be geared towards creating a stable enviroment as well as designing it so that it is easily approachable.<br />
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I am so,so,SO, excited for this semester even if the work load is big, but in theory works out as I have to halt my current project for days depending on what I have printing (so it should even itself out).David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-70809531567238720652019-04-24T15:56:00.004-07:002019-04-24T15:56:32.213-07:00Week 37 : No Time, Bad Habits, and a PosterOn my last post I remember telling my self I was not going to post late again and here I am covering 3 to 4 weeks now. It however has not been E N T I R E L Y in vain. 4 weeks ago (It really has been that long) I posted about a new problem arising, that being a broken pump. Following that post a new pump was ordered, but due to some shipping errors (you would think I'm really making this stuff up). The week after (now 3 weeks ago), I had to attend a meeting for Phi Theta Kappa (a community college honor society) over in Orlando for the week; meaning another week of dilly-dallying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4f4tC9juBERAeWf8BlgGXFA0N2VusTWWv6-ii9LPIFn1P63VPZZjhySZiQtxK7WntVez7W2nqXtnRmOuM4tGf1EgxnEdWKifqQWbSPovBaRzYhNlNLLZejcIdiJNdUcdu9jtDlDWkw/s1600/20190408_150116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4f4tC9juBERAeWf8BlgGXFA0N2VusTWWv6-ii9LPIFn1P63VPZZjhySZiQtxK7WntVez7W2nqXtnRmOuM4tGf1EgxnEdWKifqQWbSPovBaRzYhNlNLLZejcIdiJNdUcdu9jtDlDWkw/s320/20190408_150116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As of last week, progress has continued with the new pump (and a back up) arriving meaning that I could test it's capabilities. Starting with a simple relay to see how long it takes the pump to release 100 mL of water. Between 20 tests it took on average approximately 7 seconds to dispense 100 mL of water, meaning that there was an average rate of <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">≈ </span>14.28571 mL per second. With that quick calculation, my partner James and I decided that this rate is still suitable for our predetermined rates of water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkp7lWUjrkCnVhnfNUKTowfXxo5pNCO6hWQYNWKcjJNsXLmpmWrLUhLeY8U3kwGl4TO7r-ym-OhuVsN2UHn92Nx0Cf2n6VrEasTpGMav63SLGgzTOIjrKnoIy3YYQZzDQpEz13kiecw/s1600/20190424_155054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkp7lWUjrkCnVhnfNUKTowfXxo5pNCO6hWQYNWKcjJNsXLmpmWrLUhLeY8U3kwGl4TO7r-ym-OhuVsN2UHn92Nx0Cf2n6VrEasTpGMav63SLGgzTOIjrKnoIy3YYQZzDQpEz13kiecw/s320/20190424_155054.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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In related news, the chassis has keeled over and<br />
died.<br />
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I really wish I was joking...<br />
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<br />
Rather, after an outdoor test, we noticed that the internals of the Aquino's proved fine thanks to it's newly installed fan. The same cannot be said for the outside, which has warped and contorted in a way that makes in unusable as it no longer<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoc20Nr3TU_4Vhhs6Ehy_Wpd4o5OOCiIGv8F14QxLNd0tfKiwDY3mjXeruzPPzxDeVTTJdqNcdSZwnZm6mOwmZYJlzvnkgeT7PYMHNd90AmS5ID1xftdYspZSm7tilgIpxbep9YDEOQ/s1600/20190424_155059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoc20Nr3TU_4Vhhs6Ehy_Wpd4o5OOCiIGv8F14QxLNd0tfKiwDY3mjXeruzPPzxDeVTTJdqNcdSZwnZm6mOwmZYJlzvnkgeT7PYMHNd90AmS5ID1xftdYspZSm7tilgIpxbep9YDEOQ/s320/20190424_155059.jpg" width="320" /></a> interlock as it was intended too (as seen to the right two photos). MetroTech is just a week away and it is becoming harder and harder to stay optimistic about the project, but it's there for sure. We learn more from our mistakes, so I shouldn't really worry about ANOTHER set back; that the experience of it. As for what next, James and I are looking to redesign the frame slightly to introduce a water vessel for the Aquino instead of using a CORE bottle with a hole cut into it (as seen above).David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-7802047428052417772019-03-27T16:36:00.000-07:002019-03-27T16:36:04.291-07:00Week 33 : A Quick RecapFirst things first, I apologize for the delay on these posts. For a bit of context it was only this last Wednesday that I finished my last midterm, of which I did pretty good. With all those wrapped up and my passing grade secured it means I can devote time to make a poster for all the upcoming symposiums and conferences we will participate at.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LbceQ-LMqR-lLN1eQLxkFq10ORm7SdtHZe6cdP0Jx7coqebplxlgxxqSNfzBP7U5gjZzqw0yFbPLdzFx2sFstbGmBl1S1__fRBXfdSnwEBhRqHXx63QnfBZMKrF8pfp_syrCqfzdOw/s1600/20190327_162449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LbceQ-LMqR-lLN1eQLxkFq10ORm7SdtHZe6cdP0Jx7coqebplxlgxxqSNfzBP7U5gjZzqw0yFbPLdzFx2sFstbGmBl1S1__fRBXfdSnwEBhRqHXx63QnfBZMKrF8pfp_syrCqfzdOw/s320/20190327_162449.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Aquino in it's striking <br />periwinkle chassis</td></tr>
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As for where the project is currently well I have changed the method of data collection for starters. After a conversation with one of my S-STEM mentors, I was told about a program many people use for plant growth using a collection of photos to calculate the surface area of stems and leaves. Originally I was hoping to record the plant's growth using a small surveillance cam and condensing the footage to generate growth rates with pixel measurement ratios. Preparing to do this, I was informed that due to the use of what is at it's core a live feed camera I would need <u>district</u> level approval as it would be on a school network. As a week or so went by I was given the impression that they might take a while to get around to my request as there are issues with more gravitas that require their attention, which makes sense. Finding an alternate way to get highly accurate data was the next question, though I still hoped I had the possibility of using the camera as all footage would be stored on a server and would mean I would not have to buy external storage. With the newly mentioned software in the mix now, my partner James and I have decided to aim towards the use of this new method instead as it only takes minimal storage space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B2b1THDWyisIC9ReF1kYetMu1YvF5HjBke4qkzCV7kFSNHcw8acwRZU-ssxgTsfol18kBGG4Td0FM6_5f5kZ4sF8L2A_jf1ln3v-4t_Aj0kWp0jPse2tqf1trKsLu7hFtxz3g5_FTA/s1600/20190327_162440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B2b1THDWyisIC9ReF1kYetMu1YvF5HjBke4qkzCV7kFSNHcw8acwRZU-ssxgTsfol18kBGG4Td0FM6_5f5kZ4sF8L2A_jf1ln3v-4t_Aj0kWp0jPse2tqf1trKsLu7hFtxz3g5_FTA/s320/20190327_162440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rectangular break in question</td></tr>
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As for the Aquino, well it would not be one of these weekly update if I didn't post about a sudden problem that has been encountered. This week it was the pump, the last thing we wanted it to be. This last Thursday, James and I were preparing to start the experiment with a preliminary run to see if the hardware and software were good to go, that was when we noticed a hole in the pump. The pump we are using is made of a black 1 cm thick plastic chassis with a thinner 1/3 cm and less dense plastic used for it's gears. Our best guess is that the pump could have simply fell with the plastic chassis snapping off a part of it's chassis. Evidence pointing towards this is a perfect rectangular hole being the culprit, meaning it could just be on part of it's manufacturing. In all fairness the chassis was from when I started this project so it is no real surprise that it is finally time to upgrade.<br />
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Despite what I regularly post on here, it feels like I am just dawdling in circles with no genuine progress. As of now it is unlikely that I will have any substantial data to present at these upcoming presentations, but I hope that a live demo will help curve any lack of confidence that my judges might feel in my project's legitimacy.David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109618731284313151.post-17750931501989722102019-03-07T20:23:00.003-08:002019-03-07T20:23:49.589-08:00Week 31 : The Little Things<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgParKIigGpiajKkxNjmwEZfU2ii0_56wt9X76JOkIxuY0jPvvB8LoeP64tQXJN6nO6Sr1FVA13bvRtZsKiF5_qtyzItQ8Sh1_Ze9mGfGxJ1pojx4Q0Jqw9PX8gxqLPZHxy95JO5F_pg/s1600/20190305_121216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgParKIigGpiajKkxNjmwEZfU2ii0_56wt9X76JOkIxuY0jPvvB8LoeP64tQXJN6nO6Sr1FVA13bvRtZsKiF5_qtyzItQ8Sh1_Ze9mGfGxJ1pojx4Q0Jqw9PX8gxqLPZHxy95JO5F_pg/s320/20190305_121216.jpg" width="179" /></a>This week the name of the game was cataloging all the wiring in the Aquino before testing. I have to admit, testing little stuff like this is more daunting than I expected, not so much in the workload but rather the context. Assuming the preliminary inspection is good I could see my experiment underway very shortly. It feels like I have been here forever just trying to get the ropes, but the weight is somewhat gone now, I think I really figured this out.David J. Ortiz Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10564894836351426326noreply@blogger.com2