August! For Real?

Hello Everyone!

It's hard to believe that it's August! How is your summer so far? I know that some of you have summer jobs, internships, research, overseas trips, or are simply relaxing...... You are more than welcome to share your summer with us by posting on this blog. 

I have spent my past three summers in research labs, but this summer I am simply staying home and doing past-due "homework". I got an assignment to fully upgrade our old kitchen and laundry room. Although there is a skillful contractor helping us with the renovation, the project demands much more than I expected it to.

Old Kitchen View 1

Old Kitchen View 2

Torn-down Kitchen View

In addition to having to move everything out of the work area and living without both a kitchen and laundry room for over a month, I have had to design the floor plan (over 4 versions of it) and cabinet combinations according to our preferences. I have also had to shop around dozens of stores to find quality products (cabinets, counter-tops, sinks, faucets, cabinet handles, floating shelves, garbage disposer, floor tiles, backsplashes, paints, lighting, range&oven, hood, over-the-range microwave, washer, dryer, doors, locks, storm door, door thresholds, etc.) at lower prices, pick up materials, and/or arrange for shipping in a timely manner. Lastly, I also had to supervise and support workers' demands.

New Kitchen in Progress 1

New Kitchen in Progress 2

New Laundry Room in Progress

That's the reason I didn't spend enough time working on my STEM projects in the past month. However, when I reflect on what I have done so far, I realize that I am facing the same type of challenges you will encounter in your STEM projects.  

1. It's a real-world problem and will bring real impact to people's lives. Obviously, the process and results of our little kitchen & laundry room project will change our family lives. 
2. It's new to me, and there are lots of unknowns. Vague and uncertain situations are common. I had to do lots of research and read through tons of incomplete specifications/manuals/information to resolve specific issues.
3.  It's complex, and there are many factors (design, quality, availability, cost, etc.) intertwined together. There was no easy decision that could be made on almost every issue. For example, unavailable/over-priced backsplashes tiles could cause the change of the wall paint color selection. I had to understand, analyze, and evaluate all the factors before making trade-offs.
4. It requires lots of iterations to refine the solutions. The more I learned from new information or experiences, the better I could improve my project. It's a constant learning and improving process.
5.  It involves having to work within a certain time limit and a certain budget.

This is my summer so far. How about yours? Wish you all enjoy the second half of your summer! I will soon be wrapping up my little project and joining you in your STEM research activities.

Happy Research!