Abstract
This senior thesis project explores two very different engineering approaches to problem-solving: a technical client-driven design project and an interdisciplinary science, technology, and society (STS) research thesis on the energy transition. Despite the differences in scale, scope, and subject matter, both reveal essential lessons about systems thinking, human-centered design, and creating adaptive, resilient solutions. Together, they underscore the importance of collaboration, humility, iteration, and maintaining a focus on human impacts across all engineering endeavors.
The technical project centered on building a functional data acquisition system for an FSAE vehicle. Through client work, hardware-software integration, and project management, the team faced numerous challenges, from soldering failures to component misorders, that demanded rapid problem-solving and flexibility. Success depended on technical expertise, teamwork, careful communication, and cross-domain understanding of hardware, software, organizational needs, and financial constraints. The work highlighted that engineering rarely follows a straight path; unexpected roadblocks require resilience and creativity, and collaboration is as critical as technical skill.
In contrast, the STS research thesis tackled a broad, systemic challenge: the global energy transition. Analyzing energy demand, evolving grid infrastructure, and international interconnections through technical, economic, regulatory, and social lenses, the work emphasized the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration. No single field could offer a complete solution; the research could only reveal nuanced understandings and effective pathways forward by integrating diverse perspectives. This approach highlighted the same core themes as the technical project: collaboration, humility in the face of complexity, and the understanding that solutions must be human-centered to be genuinely sustainable.
Synthesizing these two experiences illuminates the consistency of sound engineering principles across scale and context. Whether working on a compact circuit board or envisioning transnational energy policy, success is built through iterative processes, collaborative problem-solving, and an unrelenting focus on the humans at the center of the system. Challenges on a small scale mirror those on a large scale: both require adaptability, critical self-reflection, and resilience when initial efforts fall short.
Ultimately, technical, organizational, or systemic engineering demands technical competence, human-centered thinking, cross-disciplinary cooperation, and the humility to recognize that no single perspective can master the whole picture. Through both projects, it becomes clear that meaningful progress comes when people work together, iteratively, across circumstances, to build solutions that are not just functional, but sustainable and just.
First, I would like to thank my capstone groupmates with whom I worked to create the technical report for this thesis portfolio and the physical capstone design. Secondly, I thank Professor Todd DeLong, Professor Adam Barnes, and Professor Richard ‘Doc’ Jacques for their unwavering support throughout the capstone and STS research process.
