"Nowadays, I get so caught up in completing a task on schedule that I forget to explore like a child. " - Truer words were never spoken!
As a kid, I used to like making things out of paper, shoe boxes, paper towel rolls, and glue - rocket ships, buildings, and things like that.
A few years ago (as an adult) geodesic domes really caught my interest - I visited Epcot at Disney World, a Buckminster Fuller exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum, and the ASM Dome near Cleveland (
ASM Headquarters and Geodesic Dome) within a couple of years of each other.
The geometry of triangles in hexagon and pentagon patterns to create a round surface fascinated me, so I set out on a series of lunch hours (of course, because you can't cut into billable time....) figuring and creating 2D patterns in CAD to print on paper to then cut out and bend and glue together. I experimented with different approaches - the interlocked hexagons and pentagons (like a soccer ball) vs. concentric rings laced together with triangular bracing. I ended up with a better understanding of domes and a lot of nice paper models ….. but to this day I haven't had the opportunity to actually design a real one. I've got a lot of respect for the folks who've designed actual domes - ASM, Montreal, and Epcot (dramatic ones) as well as more workaday ones like covers on water and sewer plant tanks. More importantly, I got to feel like a kid again and remembered why I was attracted to engineering in the first place.
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Greg Thein, PE
Cleveland, OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-03-2020 06:54 PM
From: Jameelah Ingram
Subject: The Life of a Kindergartener
Do you remember your kindergarten years or interact with five-year-old children often? There are a few things that I'd like to borrow from that period in my life for my work life today. Snack time is one of them but staying curious at work is another. I remember learning about magnets in kindergarten and going home to try them on every surface around. Nowadays, I get so caught up in completing a task on schedule that I forget to explore like a child.
Are there any experiences from your kindergarten days that you would like to implement in your work life today?
Thanks for taking a stroll down memory lane with me,
Jameelah
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Jameelah Ingram P.E., M.ASCE
Washington, D.C.
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