In my 3rd week in Costa Rica, I started ENGI 200 with Professor Bistesti. I choose to continue working on the iWound Negative Pressure Wound Therapy device with Leo (as we had created a testing plan for the current prototype in ENGI 350), with Sumin joining us. We thus became the “Vacuum Visionaries.” For the first couple of days, we worked on background research, piecing together our DCR, and got a chance to brainstorm and begin prototyping on Wednesday and Thursday. We didn’t really go into low-fidelity prototyping as we would in a normal course––I think partially because the BootCamp already gave us a lot of that, but also since we had a good idea of what we wanted to create as our design was essentially a revamp of iWound’s prototype.
Professor Bistesti had a good idea of hosting class from 1pm-5pm every day, allowing us to have the mornings to either go on adventures or sleep in after a long night. One memorable day before class we went on a 5k nature hike through a coffee plantation, and it was really nice to exercise in the morning, waking us up for a productive day of class that followed.
Izzie found a “nervous plant” that flinches when touched, which was honestly the highlight of my hike, since I’ve never seen a plan like that before!
For dinner on Sunday the weekend before class’s formal start, Professor Bisesti suggested we visit a Harry Potter pub/diner, and honestly, it was amazing. The vibe of the place was great to start, and the Harry Burger and Butterbeer that I had were both hitting the spot.
The first week of class was a little daunting since it seemed an impossibility to create a good, working prototype in just 2 weeks, but I think we did a pretty good job!