Please briefly introduce yourself, your programme, and the focus of your engineering research project.
My name is Joseph Edwards. I am a final year, Industrial Engineering student, doing my project on data analytics. The scope of my project is a comparison of imputation methods on AIS datasets and the impact these methods have on downstream extrapolation.
What was your primary goal when you first came to the Makerspace?
My primary goal when I first came to the makerspace was to gain access to a computer with sufficient RAM to process the data used in my project.
How did you first hear about the Makerspace and its services?
I heard about the Makerspace from one of my lecturers in the Engineering Department.
You used the high-end PCs in the Makerspace to run thesis simulations. What kind of simulations or computational work did this involve?
The simulations I needed to run were broken down into two stages. The first stage was to apply a dozen imputation methods, of various complexity, to my datasets with missing data. The next was to extrapolate that data forwards using several prediction methods. The results of the imputation accuracy and the prediction accuracy were then compared to determine whether there is a correlation between the two.
How did access to the Makerspace’s high-end PCs support your research progress or improve your workflow?
Using the makerspace gave me access to hardware that I knew would be safe and unaffected by power issues. It also allowed me to use a bigger CPU to save me time and effort in processing my data.
Would you have been able to complete the same work as efficiently without access to the Makerspace facilities? Please explain.
I tried to perform the data processing on several computers before I found the Makerspace and every time the computers froze, crashed, or the estimated run time was upwards of 2 months. So without the Makerspace I would never have finished my project in time.
Besides the high-end PCs, which other Makerspace services or facilities were you introduced to, such as the Immersive Technology Lab?
I was introduced to the Immersive Technology Lab and the 3D scanners and printers that students are allowed to use for their projects.
How do you think facilities such as the Immersive Technology Lab could support engineering research, design, simulation, or visualisation in future?
The immersive technology lab provides students with the ability to run extensive, visual simulations and analysis. It has high-definition projectors and panoramic screens to allow the user to view everything effectively in a simulation. It could also be very useful for engineers analyzing years of data, looking for trends. The panoramic views can allow you to see data movements in the bigger picture, which you cannot on a laptop or PC screen.
What has been the most useful or rewarding part of using the Makerspace for your research?
The most useful part of the Makerspace was the consistency it provided me. I needed a place that was going to allow my simulations to run, without fear of termination or damage, on high-end PCs capable of large-scale data processing, and that’s what Makerspace provided.
What would you say to other postgraduate engineering students who may not yet know that the Library offers facilities such as the Makerspace, high-end PCs, and the Immersive Technology Lab?
I had no idea what the Makerspace was for four years of university. But I wish I did. The facilities available are immensely useful for all engineers in their projects. So my advice would be go talk to Mr. Hebler. Find out what exactly is available and what could be useful to you. He is very kind and welcoming and he loves to introduce people to the Makerspace and the facilities available.
Interview conducted with Joseph Edwards via email by Norman Hebler.
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