Today was the graduation ceremony, my last day at COSMOS. If I had one wish, I wish that I had more time here. I never met so many like-minded people in one place. Thank you for the amazing memories!
This morning, we completed the robotics presentations. Everything went smoothly until the demonstration for Andy's function #2, where Andy helps user drop garbage into the nearest trashcan, so the user does not have to stand up. Because the project was shining on Andy, Andy's ultraviolet sensor malfunctioned. As a result, Andy made a U-turn before it would normally. However, we moved on. All the presentations were amazing, regardless of how many bugs the program had and how well the robot performed. Thank you for this amazing experience COSMOS! That night, we ate at Putah Creek instead of at the DC. We played in the jump houses, played cards, and sat in a circle signing yearbooks. Then afterwards, all the RA gave speeches about their memories of COSMOS. When we returned for our 9:30 meeting, people started to cry. Thankfully, the curfew has been extended, so we have more time to spend with each other.
Today, I had robotics lab from 9am-5pm. We tested and then retested Andy until perfection. Then, we finished our ignite presentation and practiced it several times.
After dinner, my cluster and I attended the Cosmos Ball. It was a blast! At first, people were shy, but once Miley Cyrus's Party in USA song came up, people let themselves free. Below are some picture from the dance. This morning, we finished coding our program. Then in the afternoon, instead of going to biophysics, we went to robotics to finish the ignite presentation and the poster board. Everything seems to be going well. Then, at night, my friends and I went to Sno-crave and Forever 21. I wanted to cheer her up because she was apparently rejected by her crush.
Below are all the essays and projects I completed throughout Cosmos, but forgotten to upload.
On the second day of COSMOS, I, along with four other classmates, wrote a research paper on flash memory. I found this project useful, because when I researched flash memory, I also learned about many other mechanical parts that related to flash memory. Ever since Toshiba invented flash memory during the 1980s, its usage has become increasingly common. Toshiba unknowingly created a sensational product new to the world of the 80’s — the NOR and NAND flash memories that was capable of both retaining and erasing huge amounts of information, unlike the DRAM at its time. Currently, this flash memory continues to change the devices frequently used today, such as a phone or camera by retaining data despite a power loss. Flash memory’s prevalence in many computer systems today has enabled it to become a major factor in data storage. During the 1980s, Dr. Fujitsu Masuoka, an employee at Toshiba, invented the NOR and NAND flash memory. They were originally called erasable EEPROM. However, other people suggested the name flash because the device could wipe out a large amount of memory in a flash. The NAND flash was a newer version of the NOR flash memory, reducing the size of the device so the price of each bit would decrease. These PCMCIA allowed for the development of standardized memory cards, which were used for data storage in digital cameras, portable computers, and personal digital assistants. By 1999, Toshiba introduced the Solid-State Floppy-Disk Memory Cards, the first NAND-based removable media format. In 2001, Toshiba announced the First Secure Digital Cards, which allowed the multimedia consumer electronic market to expand. A year later, the company launched the first 1GB MLC NAND chip, which increased the density of the storage and decreased the cost-per-bit. In 2004, Toshiba invented the Multi-chip(MCP), allowing electronic companies to decrease the size of mobile phones and to provide a low-cost, high-performance option for cell phones. Both NAND and NOR have their benefits and drawbacks. NAND is used for block-oriented and high capacity data. It is generally less reliable because of its correction hardware and software programs. As a result, it changes the originally stored data. The goal of NAND is to hold more data in a compact device. For example, iPods are becoming physically smaller, but they are holding much more data. Devices such as MP3 players, memory cards, and flash drives incorporate this type of flash memory. The other type of flash memory, NOR, enables individual bits to be accessed and stores data in greater detail than NAND. Examples include simple home appliances and digital cameras. Although NAND is much faster than NOR, NOR makes up for its lag by providing a full memory interface. Another difference between the two is that NOR is easier to use but is more expensive. NAND is faster because the data it stores is simplified. However, NOR takes the time to store every detail. Thus, both types of flash memory serve functions that work specifically for different devices. There are two main types of speed measurements, speed class and speed rating, both typically expressed in megabytes per second (MB/s). Speed ratings measures the maximum transfer speed for reading and writing data to and from flash memory. It is typically closer to normal usage speed and is pertinent to photography. Speed class measures the minimum transfer speed for reading and writing data to and from flash memory cards. SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) specifications define class ratings to correspond to the minimum sustained transfer rate of the memory card. For example, Class 2 SDHC cards have a minimum transfer rate of 2 MB/s, while Class 6 SDHC cards have a minimum of 6 MB/s. Speed class is essentially a “worst-case scenario” and is pertinent to video recording. Ever since Masuoka created the two types of flash memory, the NOR and NAND, our lives have been made easier with more portable and compact devices. Without these memory cards, we wouldn’t be able to use the everyday electronics we have today, nor would they be as advanced as the high-memory, huge capacity, data retaining, and quick data transferring devices we possess now. Then, several days later, I completed another research paper, this time by myself, on transistors. Similarly, I found this research project extremely informative. Transistors are a type of switch. They are used in a variety of circuits and usually each circuit contain at least one transistor. They are central to electronics and there are two main types; NPN and PNP. As the current to the base of a NPN transistor increases, the transistor turns on more and more until it conducts fully from collector to emitter. Then, as the current to the base of a NPN transistor decreases, the transistor turns on less and less, until the current is so low that the transistor no longer conducts across collector to emitter and shuts off. The PNP transistor works the completely opposite way. As current flows out from the base to ground, the transistor is on. Most circuits tend to use NPN. There are hundreds of transistors which work at different voltages but all of them fall into these two categories. Transistors are composed of three parts � a base, a collector, and an emitter. The base is the gate controller device for the larger electrical supply. The collector, the positive lead, is the larger electrical supply. The emitter , the negative lead, is the outlet for that supply But by forcing crystals of germanium or silicon to grow with impurities such as boron or phosphorus, the crystals gain entirely different electrical conductive properties.\ The transistors are often made out of crystals of germanium or silicon mixed with impurities such as boron or phosphorus. This material is placed between two conductive plates (the emitter and the collector). In Robotics, I fine-toned action #2. Previously, the robot continued straight before dropping the paper in the garbage can. However, the robot sometimes went over the edge of the table. Haeseung and I decided to program the robot to curve, with the hand holding the garbage forward, preventing it from going too close to the edge. We ran close to thirty trials today in an attempt to perfect this move. After we finished developing action #2, we worked on our poster board. Before the Improvements: After the Improvements: In Biophysics, Dory and I completed the final project. Although we did have trouble combining our code, because we used different variables and because we both had syntax errors, we managed to put them together in the end. Below is a picture of the finished product! Below are pictures of the python code.
In Robotics, I continued to work on Andy. I encountered a lot of trouble with the audio sensors. I placed two audio sensors, one on Andy's right shoulder and one on Andy's left shoulder. These two sensors were the exact same brand and type, but the audio sensor on the left shoulder seemed to be hypersensitive. After several trials of testing, I finally realized that the fault was not the sensors themselves, but the way I fixed them on the shoulders. The audio sensor on the left shoulder was turned too far right, so it sensed sounds that happened on the right, when I only want it to sense sounds that happened on the left. By the end of the day, I managed to program the clapping function and the three actions. However, there are still tiny offsets that I need to fix. In Biophysics, I started my Final Project. I chose prompt D: Random walks on a circular DNA. Compare time to find a target with (i) single step walks, (b) walks with steps of arbitrary length. Tonight, I went to make candy sushi, which I did not finish because it contained too much sugar. Then, I hiked to the campfire to make my first ever smores. The smores tasted extremely delicious, but the only problem is that the fire dried my eyes and burned my hand. All this for one tiny smore. :(
Today, I went to Forever 21, where I helped my friend choose a dress for the Cosmos Ball. Then, my friends and I ate lunch at the Dining Commons. After eating, we biked to the Arboretum to meet with my other friends. We encountered numerous trouble on the way to the destination. Because the Arboretum covered such a large area, we got lost on the way there. Furthermore, I smashed my toe against the tire and the nail was chipped off. Then, my toe started to bleed.
I stayed at Arboretum for approximately 15 minutes, before I decided to bike back to the dorms. Today was too hot to stay outside. Today, I am going to San Francisco! First, I visited Pier 39, where I purchased a pink tank top. Then, after I finished lunch, I went to Giradheli Chocolate Factory and Sees Candy. I did not purchase anything at Giradheli because all the items seemed too expensive. However, I did purchase a box of candy at Sees Candy. At two, the whole Cosmos met to go on a boat. Below are some pictures of my trip.
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Jennifer Zhou
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