HAPPY NEW YEAR and HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I hope everyone is having very happy holidays, wherever you may be.

I have been very busy graduating, celebrating holidays with family and friends, and moving. Although I have completed my thesis and degree, I will continue this blog until I find permanent employment. As soon as I get a chance, I will update with my progress. If you have emailed me, I will respond as soon as I can.

Take Care!

The Fun Never Ends :)

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving has had a wonderful one with friends and family! For everyone else in the world, I hope that you also take some time to think about all the things you are thankful for!

This past week I did my "final final final" (hopefully) thesis edits. The post "I'm Done" did not included edits from the thesis editor. This is the final step. She edits primarily for formatting (not content) so that the theses are consistent with the ETD (electronic thesis and dissertation) guidelines. I was able to complete these edits in a few hours and have shared with Nancy for 1 last review from her. I will edit one last time according to Nancy's feedback then this "final final final" version MUST be submitted by THIS Friday.

With the thesis almost completely behind me, its time for another project. In order to graduate, I must complete a final project for my Independent Study in Jacquard weaving. This project inspired my 3 architects I admire most: Gaudi, Gehry and Graves. This week I am creating image boards for each designer. From these I will create 2 colorways. I hope to have fabrics in each colorway for each designer, for a total of 6 fabric designs. My goal is to accomplish this in 1 week! This will leave me with a week and a half to prepare these weaves in design software (EAT DesignScope) and weave on either the Staubli and ElTex. Ideally, I will work on the ElTex- which hasn't been used in at least 7 years. This will certainly come with a learning curve. I'm up for the challenge, but the timing is certainly not ideal. I'll power through what I can and keep you updated!

Day Dos in Mexico

Day 2 didn't start until 11am, which was very nice to get a normal amount of sleep. I slept until around 8, had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, then ventured around the hotel and surrounding blocks. It was a beautiful morning and a great opportunity to take pictures. I even ventured to the 6th floor smoking terrace and found my way to the helicopter pad! I was about 8 stories up, definitely one of the tallest buildings in the city. That morning, there was also a protest in the streets. I didn't figure out what for, but added a video.

Once I returned to BUAP, I listened to a speaker who focused on nonwovens and was a friend of my contact. It was then my turn again. I presented on 3D Spacer Fabrics for Automotive Upholstery and on the New Product Development Process through the Development of the Splinter Concept Supercar. I hadn't accounted well for the time it would take for translation, so didn't have an opportunity to present my thesis research at this time. It was necessary to formally close the Conference with a panel of Conference organizers and the College Director. The students were then asked if they'd like to hear my final presentation, and to my surprise, an overwhelming majority raised their hands- definitely a good feeling!

That night, also to my surprise, a neighboring University hosted a Fashion Show on BUAP's main campus. The show included collections created by the University's students ranging from high fashion dresses and trousers to ball gowns. This section of BUAP was in an old convent and absolutely beautiful. It was a bittersweet night as I had to bid farewell to my new friends, but with my new appreciation of Puebla, I hope to return in the near future!

Hola from Puebla, Mexico!

Beunas Noches!

This week I am honored to be attending and speaking at the "3er Congreso Ingineria Textil BUAP" (The 3rd Annual Textile Engineering Conference at Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla). I was invited to speak at this conference by the faculty when they discovered this blog in the summer. BUAP has a College of Engineering, and within this college, they have a Textile Engineering program. Also, Puebla used to be home to one of the world's largest textile industries and even has the oldest textile factory in all of Mexico (which is now a museum). Now, Puebla economy is primarily supported by the automotive industry. This is due in large part to the Volkswagen plant in the city. This is how the University recognized my studies in automotive textiles as a valuable addition to their conference.

To be honest, I did not know what to expect of this experience. I have had one primary contact at BUAP who certainly played a leading role in orchestrating my attendance at the Conference. Beyond information shared directly from this contact, and a few web searches, I still felt as though I knew very little about the University and Puebla. But for those of you who know me, or have been following this blog, you certainly know that I cannot pass-up an opportunity to travel and learn more about the global state of the industry. So I thought I'd give it a try.

After just 1 day of Conference, my expectations have been superseded and I am so pleasured to have been given this opportunity.

This will be a short trip. I spent all day on Tuesday traveling 12pm- 1:30am. Once I settled into my hotel room and connected with my contacts and family to assure them that I made it safely, I fell right asleep. But 7am came entirely too soon. After breakfast and a shower, my contact picked me up from the Hotel and took me to the University. He showed me around the entire College of Engineering and in many of the labs. He also introduced me to the program Director and the organizers of the Conference. All were very friendly! I then sat in on one of the other presenters, from Burlington Industries (a NC-based company) and then met with the translator and technical coordinator to prepare for my presentation. Today I presented about NC State University and the College of Textiles as well as an Introduction to the Automotive Textile Industry. All went well and the students were then given time to ask me questions. This allowed me the opportunity to learn more about their interests and experiences. Most seem interested in learning more about opportunities to study at the NC State College of Textiles for either undergraduate exchange, or post-graduate studies.

After speaking, I headed across town for an interview with an Automotive Textile company. We met in an old Textile Union (El Sindicato) building, once a theater, that has now been converted into a very nice restaurant. It was directly across from this building that the oldest textile facility in all of Mexico was located.

Traffic on the return from lunch was not good. But my BUAP contact kindly drove me to this meeting and back to the University. Along the way, he explained many of the buildings and showed be the Volcano! We returned to the University in time for 1 more speaker. This speaker focused on how to become an entrepreneur. He was very energetic, entertaining and charismatic! Unfortunately, since I do not speak Spanish, I had no idea what he was saying- yet I still enjoyed him.

Following today's conference, I went to dinner with my new amigos, which gave me an opportunity to walk around Downtown Puebla. ITS BEAUTIFUL! Puebla has a very European feel. The architecture is outstanding, the streets are clean, and the food is muy delicioso! This includes my first cow-tongue taco!- Mmmm! This was also a wonderful class to speak more with the students and faculty who accompanied me and learn about the rich history, culture, and the local cuisine of Puebla. My hotel is only a few short blocks from the center of downtown and already feels like home. But for tonight, I will sleep and prepare for another exciting day of Conference.

I'm Done!

Hello Everyone!

I hope all is well! So after 6 1/2 years of higher education and 11 months of thesis-specific research, I have finally become a Master...haha!

Last Tuesday, I successfully defended my Thesis and was able to make the November 6 submission deadline for the final paper. Since then I had a very busy weekend with dog-sitting, Homecoming, and helping my sister and husband at their new house, but most importantly, I was able to sleep! Even though my Thesis is done, there are still many things to do, but I just feel lighter as I take steps towards completing my next goals.

Since one of the objectives of this blog is to provide other graduate students with tips and insight based on my experience of this process, now might be a good time to explain what those final steps of thesis preparation are really like.

The Friday before my Defense, as I mentioned in the previous post, Nancy and I reviewed my presentation. She helped me clean-up slides. images and information, and this pushed me to complete the slides for the presentation early. This was a huge help in relieving much of the stress on the Defense day! To be honest, that day I enjoyed a 6-mile morning run and had time to look and feel refreshed and relaxed before the presentation. The truth is, on the day of the Defense, I feel that all graduate students should be able to achieve this sense of calm. For the first time, I knew what it was like to feel like a "master" of a subject. This is my research and my experience. It was nothing like presenting on a topic for class, which you have spent possibly a month researching. My research is now a part of my life. I couldn't wait to show-off what I had learned and was excited to answer questions.

Once the Defense was complete, and I took a sigh of relief, the real insanity began! I did not find out until that day that I needed to submit my final Thesis (with committee edits) within 24 hours of the Defense! Woah! I guess it was written in the guidelines, but, if you have experienced this or reviewed the guidelines, you certainly know how confusing all the dates can be! The only date set in my mind was Nov. 6- to successfully Defend and Submit my Thesis. So for your future reference, take note:

NC State Master's Students...Your Final Thesis Draft, in PDF format, with Committee Edits...is due 24 hours after your Defense date!

For those of you who are wondering why this might be difficult, you have clearly not prepared a paper according to academic of professional guidelines (yet). I was VERY fortunate to have limited edits from my committee. This was due in LARGE part to keeping them significantly informed throughout the process. However, the hang-ups were on cleaning up citations, page numbers, spell check.... Sure, not much "brain-power" is involved during these steps, but it will suck the energy right out of you when working with a 178-page, 40,000-word document. From my Defense completion on Tuesday at 2pm until Wednesday night, it was pure adrenaline rush! The calm of Tuesday morning was gone and I realized that all this work, and pushing to meet this semester's deadlines, could be ruined by poor judgement in how long "clean-up" would take. And another heads' up, I have very reliable, high-speed Internet and computer, yet upload for the Thesis Draft document took over an hour! So that was time spent staring at the computer screen, pray and begging that it would go through. Some how, some way- with lots of support from Nancy- we were able to submit the proper pdf.

There is one last thing I must clear up. Although I am calling this my Final Thesis....its not...there is 1 more stage. This submission date has put my Thesis (as well as thousands of other graduate students) in the hands of the University Thesis Editor. At this stage, the Committee has approved all edits, primarily regarding content. The Thesis Editor will respond with any punctural, grammatical, or structural errors (NOT content). The absolute final submission date will then be Friday, December 4th (the last day of classes). I will certainly let you know how this stage goes.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement! Please let me know if you have any questions by commenting on this post or emailing me at: autotexdesign@gmail.com

This is it.

I hope everyone who celebrates Halloween/All Saints' Day/Day of the Dead/Fall Festivities had a wonderful weekend! As well as those of you who do not celebrate this holiday. I always enjoy Halloween around campus because the exchange and international students, experiencing their first, are so excited to partake, take pictures, or just sit back and watch. For those of you who have had a chance to do this, I hope you enjoyed!

Well...THIS TUESDAY is my THESIS DEFENSE! I can't believe it! I have completed my presentation, with help from Nancy and a practice session. It was of course twice as long as it needs to be...but with focused editing, I should be able to make the 30-minute time frame.

And even more than that...THIS FRIDAY my THESIS IS DUE! Completely due (the almost final draft) to the thesis editor, who does not edit content but may help put on any finishing touches in preparation for publishing.

There is still much to be done:

Abstract

Works Cited and In-Text Citations

Figure Numbers

and the Committee Draft 2 and 3 edits

But: I think I can, I think I can.

I just can't believe the end is so near!

Antique Automobile Club of National Vintage Tour: Photos!

Antique Automobile Club of National Vintage Tour

Monday, October 26, the Antique Automobile Club of America's 2009 Vintage Tour began in my hometown of Sanford, NC. This tour is hosted by the Brass-Nickel Touring Region and includes 71 antique automobiles from twenty-two states. Each day the tourists will drive their vintage automobiles approximately 100 miles, avoiding highways whenever possible. One of the most well-known historic routes, which they will travel is Old US 1, which partially runs between Sanford and the state's capitol, Raleigh.

The small town of Fuquay-Varina will be the hub of this week long event. All cars have been restored to their factory original condition. The cars range in age from 1912 to the cut off of 1931 and include rare makes such as Pullman, Stanley Steamer, Essex, Packard, Franklin, Peerless, Hudson and Oakland. Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Plymouth and Chrysler are also represented in the lineup.

While most of the tour has been "playing it by ear", Wednesday is sure to be an exciting day. The tour plans to start at Historic Yates Mill Park, the State Farmer's Market and Mordecai Historical Park. That night, from approximately 5:00 to 7:00 pm, the town of Fuquay-Varina will close off its streets to vehicle traffic to facilitate pedestrian viewing of the cars. The Town of Fuquay-Varina is planning special activities to highlight the tour as well as the 100th anniversary of the founding of the town.

The tour continues Thursday with proposed stops at Tobacco Farm Life Museum and Charles B. Aycock Birthplace

On Friday proposed stops include Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville Area Transportation Museum, and Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex.

- If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Riley Reiner (919.554.1158) or email (rreiner@earthlink.net).

- All information from this post has been obtained from Fuquay-Varina Independent, October 17, 2009.

- For more information on the Brass-Nickle Touring Region, check out: http://www.bntraaca.org/

- For more information on AACA, check out: http://www.aaca.org/

PICTURES TO COME!

The Joy of Editing

I completed the final chapter: Conclusion, on Wednesday and have been editing since then. This round of edits will be my 2nd draft. Today I completed Chapter 1 and 3: Introduction and Methodology, 2nd round edits. I plan to complete this 2nd draft by Wednesday, October 21 to submit to the rest of the faculty committee members. I will work on Chapter 4: Results, this weekend and then I will face the beast, Chapter 2: Literature Review.

But the end is near...I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

15 Days to Go!

Chapter 4: Results....Complete.

Wow...only 1 more chapter to go!

I hope to finish the Conclusion chapter by this weekend.

Then its 2 full weeks of intense editing.

As I've progressed, I've found myself just putting words on paper. The important part for me is that I continue to make progress and not get hung up on any one part. Nancy has been providing feedback along the way. I'm hoping that once I complete this final chapter I can push the "reset" button on my brain and start fresh as I begin editing. The words are now there...it's just a matter of making it flow, and making it something that I think people will enjoy reading. Oh...also important- ACCURACY! This is certainly another huge advantage of working with such an adept professional as Nancy.

For those interested, the page count is nearing 115. My guess is that will all preliminary pages and appendices the final will be near 150.

Good Luck to my fellow graduate students who are defending their theses and dissertations in the upcoming weeks. We're almost there!

Oh Research.

Well, not the most exciting update...but I am making progress, and lots of it.

I have now submitted first drafts of Chapters 1-3: Introduction, Literature Review, and Methodology. The Literature Review needs a LOT of editing, but I'll get there.

I'm currently working on Chapter 4: Results, and am about 1/4 of the way through. I've reported trends from my original research and with adjustments from industry interviews. Tomorrow I will begin writing about the factors that contributed to these trends based on industry interviews and the literature review. This is certainly one of the most important sections, so wish me luck!

I hope to complete writing the entire Results Chapter by next Sunday...Here we go....

A little culture on the side

For my last face-t0-face interview, I traveled to the beautiful city of Asheville, NC. I started at the Folk Art Center, which is part of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and located on Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Guild is an educational, non-profit organization founded in 1930 for the purpose of creating a network and market for mountain craftspeople. Today, Guild membership stands at more than 900 artisans selected by a jury for the high quality of design and craftsmanship reflected in their work.

The Folk Art Center exhibits traditional and contemporary crafts of the Appalachian region and sponsors educational demonstrations and programs. While I was there, an area weaver and a woodcrafts man were sharing their talents with demos. The Center also houses the century-old Allanstand Craft Shop, which is one of the nation's top craft retailers and carriers the world of Guild artisans.

[Source: Southern Highland Craft Guild brochure and website.]

My lovely guide (my interviewee), also took me to the historic Grove Park Inn. Not only was this resort and spa one of the most lovely I've ever seen (and like none that I've ever stayed at), but they also are home to an amazing and world-renowned Arts & Crafts gallery, store and studios. I highly recommend a visit for anyone who passes through this area.

Committee Meeting 5

On Tuesday, my committee gathered for the first time since the end of last semester!  I had done my best to keep everyone informed, and meet with them individually, but this was certainly a scary time since I had no idea what kind of feedback I would get- with only 1 month to make any changes.

So we started with my outline...well, really this was just the "Contents" of my thesis.  To my very pleasant surprise, we made very few changes.  The changes we did make involved removing entire sections- wonderful!  While my fear was that there were parts I was missing- and I would be overwhelmed by whatever task it is that they ask me to do next- the reality was that I was already trying to do to much.  I have my committee to thank for helping me stay focused and on the right path.  With their reassurance, there a chance I just might get this thing done ;)

I'm currently focusing on the Literature Review, which is perhaps the most overwhelming section of all.  But I met with Nancy today and we discussed a plan of attack.  My goal is to complete the Literature Review over the next week.  Then I'll take it from there.  Wish me Luck!

Interviews are Complete! (almost)

I've driven over 200 miles in Michigan, 800 in California and over 2200 miles on the East Coast.

I've flown in a diamond from coast to coast and border to boarder across the US.

I've called Mexico, Australia and Korea (twice).

And I've sent thousands of emails to a hundred contacts across the world.

The outcome has been 31 interviews with 46 designers, engineers, sales experts and executives in the automotive textile industry from OEMs and all Tiers.

One of the main reasons I chose this very non-traditional route of gathering information is the same as my reason for choosing this topic: very little has been published regarding automotive textiles and the history of the industry.  We found it necessary that I gather information straight from the source.  I'd like to thank all these industry professionals for sharing their time and historical knowledge with me for this study.  

I'd also like to give credit to the few books that I have found extremely useful and I suggest that if you are interested in this subject, that you refer to these as well:

"Textile Advances in the Automotive Industry"- Edited by Shishoo

"Engineering Textiles: Integrating the Design and Manufacture of Textile Products" - YE ElMogahzy

"Textiles in Automotive Engineering"- Fung and Hardcastle

"Automotive Interior Trim" - Michael Ravnitzky

"Automotive Textiles" - Adrian Wilson

"The Automotive Industry Since 1945" - Lawrence White

"The Decline and Fall of the American Automobile Industry" - Brock Yates

"The End of Detroit: How the Big Three lost their grip on the American car market" - Michieline Maynard

The first three books listed were made available by the Textile Institute.  These and the two listed after are the ONLY publications we've come across in English that speak in detail about automotive textiles: materials, structures, specifications, and the supply chain.  

The final three listed have each addressed the same issue, the fall of Detroit, but were published decades apart (1971, 1983, 2003).  And note that none of these have discussed the current crisis.  Although these text didn't speak about automotive textiles...well...at all, they provided the perfect background for understanding the cycles within the industry and getting "the big picture".  

Combine these 8 texts with the quantity and caliber of interviews conducted and I should have all the ingredients for a successful paper.  But a baker can't just throw everything in 1 pot and hope for cake.  Its time to enter the test kitchen with the goal of finding the prefect recipe for the red velvet of maters' theses.  

Oh yeah...and the countdown: 1 MONTH until the full first draft is due!

Let the Countdown Begin!

Wow...I'm finally writing!

Today I submitted my Abstract, Introduction (all but summary of benefits and limitations), and Methodology chapter first drafts to my professor for review.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for no major changes.  

The next step will be to finish organizing all interview feedback into a table that I have created.  The table will help me categorize trends and factors in a logical manner so that once I get to the Results chapter, I will just be translating these categories into paragraph format.  I hope to complete this over the course of the week (by September 20).  

Once this information is organize, I will tackle the Literature Review.  I have read and taken notes on the majority of my references, but there is still much to be done in this section.  I hope to have this chapter first draft written by September 30.

Other than that, only a handful of interviews remain, which means I'm actually going to stay in one place for the next two months.  It bound to be boring compared to the summer of travel and all the interesting interactions I've had, but it will help me focus on my writing- thank goodness.    

Progress is good!

Business Week: The Year's 20 Coolest Concept Cars

More interviews for me this week: 4 Industry Retirees, 1 OEM, 1 Fabric Supplier, 1 Yarn Supplier, and 1 Safety Product Supplier.  What's the most amazing is that every interview has unveiled new information.   Its a very complex industry.  

While I'm off interviewing, I'll let you enjoy this link to "The Year's 20 Coolest Concept Cars".  I was glad to see that they found quite a few of my NAIAS favorites.

We need to get out more: National Geographic picks the World's Greatest Scenic Routes

We need to get out more: National Geographic picks the World's Greatest Scenic Route, Autoblog.com

Another week gone by.  I have completed 7 more interviews this week (including a conference call to Korea and a supplier retiree who spent over 50 years in the industry!).  Since there are not too many other exciting updates, I thought I'd share the link above for your enjoyment.

My suggestion: Try them all!  

I've only done 6- it looks like I have a lot of driving to do!

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Interview Phase 2: California...Complete.

Wow California!

I think I could get used to this place.

This week's interviews included four OEMs, two OEM Design Studios, and one Color Trend Consulting Firm. Everyone I met with in California were color and materials designers with deep insight into the future of design.

I'd again like to thank all the participants! Its been informative...and FUN! I look forward to meeting with you again.

Edelbrock Performance

There are definite perks to having the same interests as my dad.  Last Wednesday, we visited with Vic Edelbrock Jr., a long time friend of my dad's from the automotive industry.  Magneti Marelli (my dad's company) provides parts, primarily carburetors, for Edelbrock Performance Products.  Vic was kind enough to give us a tour of his facilities and many of his toys.  Dad even got to drive us to lunch in one of Vic's toys: a vintage Chevelle with a 670 horsepower Edelbrock engine.  He floored it, and needless to say, left a good bit of rubber on the LA streets.







 

  

Making My Way through Californ-I-A!

Sometimes the journey is all the fun.

On the 15th, I spent 15 hours of travel time getting from Detroit to Monterey.  I landed in Monterey and was greeted by my dad and his 9-ton home on wheels.  That night we stayed at a Super8 motel in Salinas because we booked too late (only 3 months in advance) and cost in that area for the weekend were so High!  But we were in good company.  The parking lost was full of Porsches, a Maseratis and many other racing vehicles.  We were in the midst of a weekend full of not only the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but also the Monterey Historic Automobile Race and the county fair (this is a different county than you might be used to!).  Sunday we enjoyed the Concours and then began a 4-day drive south down the costal highway to Torrance.  We couldn't make it 5 miles at a time without being passed by a Corvette, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari...  

Along the way, dad and I camped at Big Sur, Pismo Beach and Lake Casitas.  It was a little cool for us along the coast, so we went inland and up until we reached the mid-90's at 5000 foot altitude.  Here, the weather was perfect.