Blog 2: Topic Choice

a.)  I have decided to do my senior project on drifting.  As far back as I remember I have been in love with cars.  I was born to a mechanic who to this day takes me to work with him where I get to learn and be with cars all day. Naturally because of my passion for automobiles I decided to do something in that realm but I wanted it to be unique and exciting so I chose this motor sport.  Not knowing too much about it is what lead me to make my decision because I wanted to really learn about something, not just read up on a topic I already knew.  Drifting provides me with the perfect balance of new material as well as a basis that I already understand.

b.)  With this project I plan to implement my people skills much more by establilishing contacts in this field.  This makes me an effective communicator because I will learn to deal with different personalities and figure out how to be in a group where talking to each individual is essential to the tasks at hand.  Also, I plan on searching every resource I have for information as well as use my contacts in the field to learn as much as I can about the sport.  This will make me an effective learner because I will learn to utilize many different sources of information in a way that allows me to pull the most out of each one as possible.  I also want to learn the mechanics behind the vehicles such as engines, transmissions, clutches, and differentials.  I would like to figure out how each of these things is essential to the sport and what the standards of the sport are.  This will make me an effective user of technology because in order to learn about these mechanical and electronic vehicle components I will need to use my brain in a way that allows me to become familiar with changing technology.  Overall, this makes me a more well rounded person who gets to experience new and exciting things that I can share with others.  I will learn to handle high pressure situations, different personalities, and new information constantly pouring into my head.  This will make me a better iPoly citizen because these skills do not only apply to the drifting community but to school as well.