As the semester wraps up, our project team reflects on an important turning point in our journey. This week, we successfully delivered our System Level Design Review (SLDR) presentation to a panel that included a visiting engineer from GE Aerospace, our project coach, and other IPPD teams. The presentation served as a comprehensive summary of our semester’s progress, where we showcased our design and outlined our plans for next semester.

The feedback we received highlighted key areas to refine and strengthen as we transition into the manufacturing and testing phases in the spring. The SLDR also provided an excellent opportunity to network with other IPPD teams and liaison engineers, sparking insightful conversations about industry trends and broadening our perspectives on the engineering world.

In addition to the presentation, we achieved several technical milestones this week. The stock materials needed to manufacture our top plates and manifold arrived, and we verified that our design aligns with the required tolerances. We also sourced additional components, including the vacuum pump and temperature sensor, which are expected to arrive before the spring semester begins.

It’s worth noting that Week 13 coincided with Thanksgiving break, when university operations were paused. Despite the break, our team remained committed to preparing for next semester, sending out our final status memo and completing evaluations with our coach. Although the project is now on pause for the semester, minor revisions based on SLDR feedback will continue during the break to ensure a strong start in the spring.

As we move forward, we are eager to begin manufacturing, testing, and addressing the challenges ahead. The progress made this semester has set a solid foundation for achieving our project goals, and we look forward to turning our plans into reality in the coming months.