Abstract
“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to write. If you’re
not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out” (Steve Jobs). This quote from Steve Jobs, a figure idolized by many engineers and entrepreneurs, relates importantly to my journey as an engineering student at the University of Virginia and to the final milestone: the capstone project and sociotechnical systems research paper. Throughout my coursework and these projects, I have learned the impact of passion during academic endeavors- while many students can study hard and perform well on exams and essays, being passionate about the subject matter ensures that the lessons learned will be long lasting and allows for a student to make an impact on the world. The classes I remember most from my time at UVA are the ones I was passionate about. Whether feeling a sense of urgency to solve a problem, noticing the larger impact of the things learned in a class, or seeing clearly how a course relates to an engineering profession, the pivotal points of my engineering journey thus far came from times when I felt personally
invested in the work.
In the technical portion of my thesis, I worked with two other students to design a testing
procedure for vibration and heat emission from a handheld power-assisted liposuction device, and sought to improve the device to reduce vibration and heat emissions which can be dangerous to surgeons. We worked with a local Charlottesville company throughout the year, and were fortunate to be able to conduct experiments in-person in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working so closely with engineers, product managers, manufacturers and salespeople at the company opened my eyes to the effort it takes to successfully design and develop a medical device and brought a drive to be successful in our technical project. After many experiments with different testing protocols and extensive research of design modifications, we successfully accomplished our aims and ensured that the device adheres to industry limits for vibration acceleration. In my STS research I investigated the ethical, organizational, and societal implications of the medical device industry in relation to medical device safety. Specifically, I analyzed the actors involved in producing medical devices and their interactions, attempting to discover the reason for widespread concerns with safety for both surgeons and patients. While I originally considered STS topics such as the ethical effects of cosmetic surgery or a case study on medical device failure, my experience working at a medical device company for my technical project led me towards my resulting topic. Through realizing the importance of cooperation of players involved in the process of creating a medical device, I sought to investigate relationships between actors using actor network theory. Ultimately, my STS research revealed that due to actors with different goals and lack coherence in the system, medical device safety remains unprioritized and puts the general public in danger.
My advice for future engineering students embarking on a capstone and thesis project? Take time
to step back and reflect, considering both your personal motivation for the projects and the story your
hard work is telling. Often projects of this magnitude end up with completely different takeaways than
originally intended, and gaining perspective through reflection reveals the true importance of the work.
The combination of my technical and sociotechnical projects led me to a better understanding of the
importance of discussing social consequences, emotion, and culture along with engineering or technical
matters. My capstone teammates felt the same even though their STS topics were very different. While
discussing our projects together when nearing completion, we shared stories of hard work and frustration but focused mostly on the satisfaction we felt with our work, and the gratification we felt towards everyone who helped us get to this point. Reflecting on my time at UVA as an engineering student, I know I will most remember the people: teammates, classmates, professors, mentors and advisors, and everyone involved in my engineering career thus far.
