To start off this new forum here’s my introduction.
I am a student studying mechanical engineering. I became interested in composites when I was assigned a research project dealing with composites about a year ago. To summarize I had to brainstorm an idea for a grant and my adviser suggested researching composites. I was hooked and now I’m planning on getting and MS in materials science with hopes of becoming a failure analyst in the composites world.
My name is Ken, and I am an Alco… sorry wrong group:rolleyes:
Another forum admin suggested that I set up a page, similar to the about us page, where I provide more information about myself so anyone and everyone know’s why I’m here and what I know etc etc. I haven’t had any time to set up the page but for now I’ll explain myself here! So with that here’s my extended introduction
So as mentioned above I’m a student. The important part here to note is the student part i.e. still need to learn part. I am by no means an expert, at best I would say I’m moderately to highly knowledgeable with composites, both theory and practical. The bulk of my knowledge is in theory and calculations, ask me about Frekote and XYZ resin and the best I could do is read you the datasheet.
That being said composites are AWESOME and I spend a lot of time reading about the theory, high end applications, consumer level applications, damage repair, failure etc etc etc. I’m way behind and I need to catch up. Like my signature says I hope to one day be a professional in this field.
So if I’m not a professional why am I administrating this site? Basically for the reasons above, I love composites. This site is one of the few where people actually talk at ground level, not in fancy marketing and secretive company terms. Unlike everywhere else in the composites industry this site has an open atmosphere.
Why are YOU administrating this site?
The previous admin had to let this website go since his actual life was demanding so much of his time. I hated to see it just disappear so I asked him if I could take over and he was glad to see it go on.
This site has been through two hands already, the reason being the previous two owners had a life. Maintaining this site requires a lot of time and because they both had lives outside of this forum it eventually caught up with them.
I conversely am just starting my adult life, which at the moment I don’t have a wife, or girlfriend, house payments or a job. This means when the database corrupts itself no other commitments are keeping me from spending 4 hours fixing it.
I only have ~2 years with composites but I have ~20 years of experience with computers. That doesn’t mean I’m a PHP or MYSQL Database expert either but when it comes to troubleshooting problems it helps to have been around computers so long.
All in all I make a loss with this site, even with the generous donations of fellow users but it doesn’t bother me anymore at all. The people here are fantastic, the information here can’t be found anywhere else, and I think it’s awesome that all of us are here to improve our skill and learn more.
Because of that I enjoy running this site and will do as much as I can to keep it available and running smoothly.
Thank you for being here and I’m going to do my best to ensure everyone enjoys their time on this site!
great job canyon! i am glad to have found this site.
edit… maybe i wasn’t supposed to jump on your post, woops!
heres a bit about me. i’m an automotive engineer, originally from detroit area, living in los angeles currently.
about two years ago, i joined a startup electric car company in san diego. the vehicles were made of composites, primarily fiberglass. though it was not my primary responsibility, i got to do a lot of hands on with layups and vacuum bagging, both structural and cosmetic parts.
my favorite hobby is broomball, and although its harder to do out here, i still play some around here, and travel cross country for tournaments.
i have always been a bit of a gear head (having the perfect tool for the job / sport), and have done some wood working in the past. having no real ‘craft’ project out here, and having left my previous employer for another california electric car company, i decided to carry on with my tinkering spirit, and expand my knowledge of composites by making composite broomball sticks. its a work in progress, and was never meant to be a money making endeavor, but it keeps me off the streets!
someday i dream of having a place with a garage where i can expand into other composites projects, but for now this allows me to combine composites while sort of continuing to be active in a sport i love (in a round about way), providing friends and family with sticks.
how do i delete my account???
You can’t but send me a request and I can do it for you. Out of curiosity why would you want to delete your account? Is there some harm in just leaving intact?
