About My Research

This site serves as a reflection of my graduate thesis work in automotive textile design at North Carolina State University.  I began this site in January 2009 and plan to maintain it until my graduation in December 2009.  I have been in the graduate program at the College of Textiles for 1 year of a 2 year program.  During this first year, I have focused on the automotive industry, design, and sustainability.  Now at the half-way point, I have selected my thesis topic and made plans as to how to approach my research so that my work is complete by October 2009.  In the right column of this blog, I have posted my personal timeline to ensure that I am meeting my deadlines.  Please take time to look through all the information included in the right hand column, especially if this is your first time visiting this site.

The purpose of this site is 3-fold.
1) Most scholars are only given 1 chance to write a thesis, and 2 years to learn how to do so.  Sure there are books on research methods and databases of theses to form a background or starting place for your work, but no one really explains to us exactly what this process is like from start to finish.
2) Over the past year, I have learned beyond my expectations about the automotive industry, past, current, and future.  Throughout my next year of study, I have access to resources that would be coveted by any designer in this industry and plan to uncover valuable correlations between design and success.  I will post many images and articles which I find the most enriching.
and 3) Writing my thoughts and progress where it is publicly available will encourage me to meet deadlines and provide a clear platform to keep my committee informed.

My Topic
I will be examining the history of automotive bodycloth development and aligning this with outside factors such as the economy, increase in mass production, increase in technical standards and regulations, the importance of fashion and color, along with what at this time is an unpredictable number of additional variables.  The ultimate question I aim to answer is if there is a concrete way to measure and predict success in order to save time, money, and resources.

4.29.2009

Summer Textile Exploration Program (STEP)

Classes have ended- yey!  So planning my summer has begun!

This summer I have 1 focus: thesis, Thesis, THESIS!  In order to keep my sanity, I am already looking for new activities to fill my calendar and keep me social, rather than locked in the library.  One cure to my isolation may be to help work with the STEP program of the NCSU College of Textiles.  

STEP is a summer program for rising high school seniors that serves as a valuable introduction into the world of textiles.  Each session is 1 week long and can host 28 students, who are invited to stay in campus dorms in order to get the full campus experience.  Each morning, students participate in textile-related presentations and activities, including visits to local businesses and a tour of the NC State campus.  After lunch, the students divide into groups depending on their interests in one of the following topics: polymer and color chemistry, engineering, apparel/clothing design, textile/fabric design, or business management.  These groups will work together on a project pertaining to their topic, which will be presented at the end of the week.  

Each afternoon students can enjoy free-time, or group activities such as bowling and cookouts.  On Friday, presentations will be given to students, parents, and professors and a cookout celebration will be held to commend their accomplishments!



If you are interested, applications are available at: www.tx.ncsu.edu/student_services/step/index.cfm
The deadline for this summer's program is MAY 1st at 5:00: FRIDAY! 

This year's Sessions:
1st week: June 14-19
2nd week: June 21-26
3rd week: July 5-10
4th week: July 12-17

Because of this deadline, I'm am sure high school freshmen-juniors will find this post more helpful for the upcoming summers.  If you are interested in applying before this deadline, please contact Brandon Alley at Textile Student Services: bsalley@ncsu.edu, or you can always contact me with any questions.

For more information about the STEP program, please visit: www.tx.ncsu.edu/student_services
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