Robotics or Nothing
There are thousands of classes here at Tufts. And for some classes, there’s still a lot of choice within the category of class. A perfect example, (which is the only one I have taken yet), is the Introduction to Engineering (EN1) class. The EN1 class is a class taken by engineering freshmen in the fall semester. Just one window: The Fall Semester. It’s basically designed to help introduce the concept of engineering to first-year students, so it includes a lot of options like Climate Change Engineering, Biomechanics, Innovation in Biomedical Engineering, Simple Robotics, and a few more classes.
Over the years, though, Simple Robotics has always been the “hottest choice” to pick. Being a class of just 30 students, compared to the number of students that want to get the class, it turns out to be really competitive to get in. But well, I got in and the class has been...super fun! The teacher is really fun. The name of the class, Robotics, has this ring to it (well, that’s when you drop the “Simple” out of it). There’s a lot of best parts of the class, so here are three:
1. The Teacher
To be honest, the class itself isn’t why I love it. Yeah, the name feels nice to say, but the main reason it's great is Dr. Ethan Danahy (Dr. E for short). In my opinion, he is the best teacher at Tufts, and although I’ve taken just four classes, students who have taken more might say the same thing, or would surely say he is one of the best. First off, he is funny. He started off the course by warning us about his dad jokes, but his classes have been really fun. Not only is he fun, but he is also helpful. As I started, and even until now, the whole Robotics thing has been new to me. In making the robots, I had never used LEGO. In coding the robots, I had never used Python. I mostly just brought myself to the class to have that good laughter, but somehow, Dr. E helped through and still is. Of recent, I have definitely noticed an overall improvement in my “robotics skills” even though I still have a lot to learn. By the way, midterms are close!
2. The LEGO
By LEGO here, I basically mean the hands-on experience involved with Simple Robotics. The classes are totally practical, and not just the mundane things, but having a Slow Race Competition to see whose robot car crosses the finish line last or having a Haunted House with robots made by the class. For a fact, (albeit a sad one), none of my robots have ever worked in the class though, but that doesn’t mean I get an F for all my failed trials (at least I hope not). The main aim of the class is just to get students familiarized with the engineering process, which includes both failure and success. So everyone is welcome here.
3. The Class
The class, in general, just ends up being a blast.
So that sums up my best class presently at Tufts! I've only taken four, but this one will be tough to beat!