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.

4.26.2010

Portfolios, Pets and Progress.

Another month has passed and on top of the work I am doing for the College of Textiles and my job search, I am constantly finding new ways to keep myself busy.

Updates
1) I have created a new set of instructions and a working chain plan for EAT in conjunction with the ElTex.  We are currently working with some of the wonderful personnel at EAT to check that these are accurate.  This will enable us to have our ElTex loom working properly, and ensure that students, faculty and staff will be able to easily work with this loom and software in the future.  Once the instructions are verified, I will be gin creating a database of weave structures.

2) In continuation of my thesis research, I am working with graduate student Ivy Hill to determine trends in hand by the categories of Thickness and Softness.  Once all data is collected, we will evaluate the trends and make predictions for the future.

3) Although I have not yet found my niche in the automotive textile industry, I am not allowing my confidence to falter.  This is a tough job market, especially for such a specific area of interest.  In addition to my career search, I have been finding new and exciting ways to continue my cash flow beyond working with the college.  These are listed in the next section.

New Projects
1) Pet walking, sitting, loving...  I am an animal lover to the extreme, but I know that until I have a normal working schedule, a permanent living situation, and a steady cash flow, I cannot have a pet of my own.  Instead, I have integrated others' pets into my life and have added to my weekly income.  This is usually the most exciting part of my day.  If you're local and have a pet that needs some extra love and attention while you're at work, gone for the weekend, etc., contact me and I'll be glad to help!

2) I am starting my own online business!  I am offering services to help prepare you for the job market. I am offering services such as Resume writing, formatting and editing and Portfolio building.  I can also provide guidelines and personal consultations for Interview success and self-promotion for "You as a Product".  The website is currently in progress and will connect from this blog as soon as it is available.

3) In addition, I am thinking about heading west to California by the end of the summer, surrounding myself with automotive design centers.  While I'm there, I'll continue my Pet-sitting and Resume services and perhaps work part-time with an automotive trim shop or in a retail environment.  I will continue my career search and will be ready to move wherever the best opportunity may take me.
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