Famous Last Words, Week 9

The last week before spring break was very stressful, because all of my exams were that week for my grad classes, making for a lot of stressed studying.  Optimization and Optimal Control was an especially hard exam to study for, due to the theoretical nature of the course, with very few examples, but luckily the exam was identical to the study guide, so the exam went very well, and is worth 40% of my grade, so now I am feeling better about the course as a whole.  The Control Theory exam also went fairly well, I do not have my grade back yet but I believe my performance was strong and the professor is a fairly easy grader so all should be fine.  The extra week in this class for spring break was perfect, because it allowed me to push back most of the assignments until this week to give me time to focus on studying.  It also allowed me to give the best performance in all my classes by giving the best performance on both the exams and on my writing in here.  The extra time also allowed me to get some extra credit work for this class done so I will be able to finish the course in a week or two. 

For spring break, I mostly focused on more of my research and starting up a new project for Dr. L'Afflitto.  This took up most of my time, but I did give myself a little relaxation by working on a SR-71 Blackbird model that was a birthday gift from my roommates.  It has been a few years since I had taken the time to do a model, so it was an great experience to take a little time and get all the details right.  Pictured is the model itself, just lacking a few final details for completion
SR-71 Blackbird 1:72 scale model, personal image

The canopy is shown in a closed position, but for display I will leave it open, because painting the cockpit and pilots was a 15 hour process, so I want to show it off.  All that is left is a few more of the smaller decals and finally the clear coat.  total time on this project was 45 hours, but it was 45 well spent hours.  Going back to class next week is going to be a grind, but at least we only have a month and change left.  


Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 25, 2018 at 9:42 AM

    Hi there! I am so glad that you did your study guide and your exam ended up being just like it...that is one of the best feelings! ESPECIALLY in a course like the one you are in where there isn't really much to practice as far as sample problems go. I am glad you got to spend some of your spring break enjoying yourself. The model you built is awesome!
    Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 9, 2018 at 11:07 AM

    Hello again, John-Paul!

    I can definitely relate to your post. Stress is inevitable for all of us, or at least that's how I feel. I hope your exams went well. That's nice that they were before spring break, so that you could relax and take a much-needed break. Your project looks incredible! Is there a story behind why you chose the name, Dr. L'Afflitto? Good luck with the rest of the semester! We are almost there!

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