One of the tasks engineers will encounter is to convince a client to hire his/her team for a project. In the HCDE project proposal, my team proposes to tackle one of many environmental challenges that exist today. We propose to incorporate greywater recycling systems in new houses to reduce the amount of total residential water used by nearly 30%. Greywater comes from bathroom sinks, tubs, and showers. It is filtered and stored in a tank, disinfected to prevent odor and bacterial growth, and pumped to the water tank of toilets for reuse. We propose a way to affordably implement this water-recycling system while complying with all city and state regulations. This idea was presented verbally, with a written proposal, and with a poster.
Unlike normal class projects, this is one of the few opportunities that I got to work with a relatively large team (of six). This project is also unique because this randomly assigned team consisted of people that I have never known before. Its success further demonstrates my ability to work with others, communicate effectively, and produce quality work in a short amount of time. The proposal demonstrates the quality of my technical writing, the presentation shows that I am comfortable with delivering presentations in front of others, and the poster shows that I can design a clean and easy to follow document.
As an engineer, I expect to put together many more proposals and talks in the future. Both the written and oral proposal prepares me for performing these tasks.