A lot of things happened overtime when I wrote my last post. During my last post I was applying to universities in the US. Now I study in the US at Georgia institute of Technology in Atlanta. My last post was also a progress report on my SLS 3D printer. My SLS 3D printer has been successfully programmed and is in full swing. But sadly, I don’t have access to my printer right now since I’m overseas. I am planning to build a version 2 here at Georgia Tech.
So, after graduation I had a lot of free time which I filled up by programming and tuning my printer. I also worked at Ampleon as prototype line manager to save a little bit for my student life. I also had the idea to bring my Ultimaker 3 extended overseas to my dorm, so I made an enclosure for it.
Later I found out that the shipping was too expensive and aborted the mission. I call my enclosure B^3 because it’s a Big Black Box. Because of the enclosed environment my Ultimaker printed Nylon very well. So, over my holiday I played a lot with nylon as well.
Simultaneously, I was fine-tuning my SLS printer which took longer than expected. Eventually, I made a power to speed curve which worked quite reliable. I definitely would like to do some more research on laser sintering profiles for different materials.
Finally, it was time to move to Atlanta. My family joined the trip as well to help me with moving into my dorms. I arrived a week before classes. It was a stressful week filled with chores and of course there was jetlag. A blessing and a curse because getting up early means no waiting time for the good breakfast spots.
As classes begin to start, it was time to make my course schedule. I start with 0 credit hours because I’m from a national high school with no AP or IB. I calculated that in order to finish my EE major in 4 years I will need to do 17 or more credit hours per semester. Now I am doing 18 and every American student I talked to thinks that I am insane. My classes are OK, but I wish that I had more maths. My favourite class is start-up lab where I simulate a start-up. Of course, it’s a 3D printing start-up.
I love meeting new students and finding out about their background. I have met with students from all over the world and it greatly enriches my experience here at Georgia Tech. The parties are mediocre though because they end at 2:00 which is way too early. What I most enjoy though are the opportunities I come across. There are many entrepreneurial and research programs I can partake which excited me a lot.
The dorm experience is great. I have a lovely roommate and I am a 4-minute walk away from my canteen. The canteen food is ok. The breakfast is a lot left to be desired, but the dinner options can be healthy if you choose wisely… I am also in walking distance from the gym and the gym is enormous. The Georgia Tech campus is very green, and some people call it the ‘forest of Atlanta’. But, the buildings between my classes are spaced out and therefore my minimal number of steps per day becomes 10000.
Finally, Georgia Tech is stressful, but it also provides a lot of opportunity. I will have to work hard but I will try to enjoy as much as possible since I brought myself into this mess in the first place. I will also try to keep up with my website when I can tinker again with electronics and 3D printers!