Cornerstone of Engineering: Resilience Engineering

GE.1501/GE.1502 | Northeastern University

"Cultivating a Culture of Caution"

Project Overview

GE.1501/GE.1502, a required course for mechanical engineering students at Northeastern University, compresses a year-long curriculum into one semester, teaching deadline management and time organization. Our team of four tackled the challenge of creating an educational museum exhibit for first-year non-engineering students.

Project Inspiration

Inspired by recent security alerts on campus, we aimed to leverage this relatable topic to brainstorm ways to enhance the Northeastern community's resilience to campus dangers. Our exhibit, "Cultivating a Culture of Caution," educates visitors about emergency preparedness and campus safety systems.

Team Composition

4 mechanical engineering students working collaboratively across all phases

My Role: Project Manager for Milestone 1, Lead Programmer, CAD Designer

Design Constraints & Requirements

Our interactive exhibit had to meet specific Museum of Science requirements while remaining engaging and educational:

Budget

$100 maximum

Autonomy

Self-contained operation

Safety

No water usage

Technology

Arduino integration

Development Process

PHASE 1: Conceptualization and Visual Design

The team developed comprehensive sketches and designs for different aspects of the exhibit. I was responsible for creating a 3D model of the Northeastern tunnel system, allowing users to understand emergency evacuation routes and different escape paths in case of dangerous situations.

3D Tunnel System Design

3D model of Northeastern's tunnel system for emergency evacuation

User Interaction Flowchart

User interaction flowchart for the museum exhibit

Highlights & Skills:

PHASE 2: Prototyping and Technical Development

This phase focused on bringing our concept to life through programming and fabrication. I developed the interactive C++ program simulating a 911 operator experience, integrating Arduino sensors for user input.

Museum Exhibit Layout

Technical drawings showing exhibit dimensions and component placement

Technical Implementation:

View Code on GitHub →
Cultivating a Culture of Caution Display

"Cultivating a Culture of Caution" - Final exhibit title display

PHASE 3: Exhibit Fabrication and Presentation

The final phase involved assembling all components into a cohesive, interactive exhibit. We presented to both non-engineering students and engineering peers, successfully achieving our goal of educating the community about campus safety and resilience.

Team Working

Team collaboration during final assembly

Team Photo

Project team after successful presentation

Presentation Highlights:

Interactive Features

Our exhibit incorporated multiple interactive elements to engage visitors and reinforce safety concepts:

Project Impact

"Cultivating a Culture of Caution" successfully educated visitors about campus safety while demonstrating the power of engineering to address real-world challenges. The project strengthened the Northeastern community's awareness of emergency resources and procedures.

Key Achievements

Skills Developed & Applied

Project Management C++ Programming MATLAB Arduino AutoCAD Laser Cutting Public Speaking Team Leadership Gantt Charts Technical Documentation Rapid Prototyping User Experience Design