Ever since the beginning of this project, I have had l lofty ideas. From fantasizing groundbreaking discoveries to unrealistic hopefulness of the fields' overlooking of some detail, I had high hopes for what we could do. The initial problem statement speaks for itself: "improve electric generation methods." Energy is a trillion dollar industry with thousands of scientists and engineers constantly working to improve production methods. Why did I think that a group of untrained high school students could best that?

Throughout the project, I have done research on scientific laws, looking to exploit principles or find support for a version of our design. At first with medium of heat exchange and thermodynamics, then water flow and fluid dynamics. As the research went on, I was more and more in over my head. There were things that I was completely unfamiliar with and just couldn't understand on my own. Every time I felt that I got somewhere, finding validation in our ideas in science, I was set back - often realizing some fault in that validation. Excited, energized, passionate, and then dejected and beaten. I would try to ignore the project and accept that it would never amount to anything, and then the next day or the next week be back at it again. Since I was not being taught and guided the material, researching was difficult. I often had no idea where to even start and would later on be speaking with my mentor and realize that I missed something crucial. 

I never really got it into my head that the project wasn't going to live up to my grandiose fantasies until we met with our mentor after winter break. He told us what we knew deep down and what he had been telling us before. There are already competitors out there. There are already solutions. Your solution wouldn't be useful in the application that you had planned for it.

I am proud of all the scientific research I did: learning tons about physics and chemistry, writing equations and analyzing, explaining and applying results to our solution. And while I am proud of it, I am sad for it. Sad that it isn't quite what I had hoped it would result to be.

To any future capstone undertakers, I say think ahead. When you are starting your project, when you are brainstorming problems, think ahead and think realistically. What is something you can actually do. It will be better to start with a smaller problem and create a fully applicable solution than a larger problem and leave off with "in reality this product wouldn't be useful."  Be realistic and discuss with your peers and your teacher the feasibility and the knowledge required to do certain problems. If you have an entire group of people wanting to do tons of scientific research and learning, that's great, go for it. You might not result in what you want, but you will have a good learning experience and a decent chance and making a nice result. Most PLTW kids though, just want to build and design. This kind of project requires so much thought and research to go into that designing first. 

To anyone romanticizing this project, please do. It can certainly be amazing and I'm sure it won't let you down. Make sure to speak out and don't be afraid to say what you mean because otherwise you are going to be stuck with whatever it is for the rest of the year. 

Be realistic. Be brave.

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