Class of 2008
Major: ECE
Project Center: London, England
Interactive Qualifying Project: Investigating the use of overnight lighting in commercial shops and offices as part of a global effort to reduce carbon emissions and reverse global warming.
Tom Niemczycki
February 28, 2007
Just like that, seven weeks are up. Like with every other term at WPI, you get a running start, the intensity builds throughout the term, and everything comes down to the last week. Then you turn in the last assignment, and all the pressure goes away. That was the end of IQP.
By week 6 we were still sorting through our data and forming results. My team had amassed over 850 pictures of buildings, and we stored information about each one in a series of spreadsheets. We used this data to make correlations of the amount of overnight lighting in buildings of different sizes, locations, and at different times that we observed them. We also compiled conclusions from the qualitative data that we gathered from interviews with building managers as to why people leave lights on at night in commercial buildings. Our study was too small to make a definitive statement about all buildings in London, but the research is a starting point for a broader study on this form of energy conservation. Our liaison seemed very pleased with our data, and he expressed some interest in continuing our research to develop a publishable research paper.
The last two weeks in London were pretty intense. Once we had compiled and analyzed our data, we proceeded with writing our report. Since we had been writing and revising throughout the term, most of it was written in pieces. Unfortunately, since we never really had complete results until the end of the sixth week, we had to rewrite most of the results, conclusions, and portions of the recommendations chapters in the seventh week. Finishing these parts, revising entire chapters, and putting everything together was one of the most difficult academic assignments I have ever had. Most students don’t come to WPI to write, but everyone knows how to write a research paper before they graduate, and this is the process by which that happens. And then we turned in the paper, and everything was done.
Tom and fellow students celebrating the end of their IQP
From speaking with other students, I get the impression that everyone’s IQP experience is somewhat different. It seems as though some projects are very technical while others are not, some are more challenging than others, and some students just have an easier time completing them than others. I found my IQP experience to be extremely challenging. It pushed me to step outside of the academic work with which I’m comfortable. I had to adapt to a new environment, work with a team of peers, and find a way to conduct research that no one had attempted before. Through the experience, however, I developed a new set of skills that will certainly be useful later in my career. As I went through my IQP, I refined my writing skills, learned new methods of conducting research, and discovered that I can apply the principles of scientific research to any problem in the world.
The off-campus IQP experience was rewarding, but it was also extremely taxing. There was a lot of pressure building up through the end of the seventh week, and I think most of the students needed some time to unwind. Luckily, some friends and I had planned a trip to Paris before heading home.
A few days in Paris were enough for me to realize the glaring contrast between this city and London. London was fantastic in a number of ways and I loved living there for seven weeks. The city runs like a well-oiled machine – it’s efficient, refined, and functional. Paris is just fun. Perhaps my opinion is skewed by the regular work schedule and difficult work that I had to deal with in London. Regardless, I get the impression that Paris offers more famous tourist attractions and grand spectacles.
My favorite part of the trip to Paris was that I spent the last four days sightseeing and not worrying about a project or anything else. Although the experience is tiring as we’re sleeping for five or so hours per night to maximize our time, the trip has been incredible. If you ever happen to visit The Louvre, follow the crowds to room six of the Denon Gallery, glance over at the Mona Lisa, and then take a good look around. I found each painting in that room to be much more impressive than just the one that gets all the attention. Also, go to the Eiffel Tower; but you won’t miss much by not going to the top floor if you see the city from the second floor. The view is just as great, but the top feels way too removed from the buildings – again, just an opinion. See the Notre Dame, but don’t bother going to the top of the towers – the view from the Sacre Coeur Basilica is simply stunning.
Overall, my IQP experience has been pretty worthwhile. I’m extremely glad that WPI works hard to find projects for so many students to spend some time abroad. The work was extremely tough, but I feel like I gained something from it. Most importantly, though, I had the opportunity to travel, experience new cultures, and see parts of the world I may not have seen otherwise – at least not with my college friends. The last two months have been the most exciting of my life. It’s pretty sad to leave Europe, but I have to fly back tomorrow. If you’ve been reading along, thanks a lot – I hope that my blogs have conveyed some of the IQP experience. Feel free to check out the admissions website for more information about WPI’s Global Perspectives Program.
Thanks for reading,
Tom
London
February 11, 2007
We are now entering the sixth week of c-term, and all parts of the project are starting to come down to the wire. Looking back over the last month and-a-half, this time has gone by really fast. We have spent the time planning, working, writing, and enjoying London, and it’s hard to believe that the weekend after next it’ll already be time to leave.
January 27, 2007
It’s already the start of the fourth week – where did the last three go? Time is moving quickly and there is still a lot of work to do. Last week the project moved completely into the data collection portion. My team’s project is a bit unique in that it has a substantial component that is completed in the field. As part of our study of overnight lighting in non-domestic buildings, we conduct nighttime observations of a set of 140 commercial buildings to record how many lights are on in various types of buildings. We made our first observation last Monday night. We arrived at the Warren St. Tube station around 10:00 p.m., and then followed our planned route. We photographed each façade of every building on our list and made careful observations including which floors leave lights on and whether we can see people inside the buildings. Bear in mind that this is at a time when we don’t expect anyone be working in these offices. Nonetheless, most of the buildings are lit up brightly – some even have all the lights on with no one in sight!
January 22, 2007
It’s already the third week of project work. It seems like I arrived only a few short days ago, but there have been so many experiences that I feel like I’ve lived in London for a year. I can now easily move around the city and just know which tube line to take. Whenever I take a ride through Chelsea on King’s Road I feel right at home. Even the British English and accents, which were difficult to comprehend in the first few days, seem perfectly natural now. Fries are called chips and chips are actually crisps. And, oh yes, instead of ketchup you may have your chips with brown sauce, which really tastes more like vinegar but it’s definitely good. If you’re having fish and chips, then they may come with a side of mushy peas, which are actually mushed up peas.
January 15, 2007
WPI students completing London projects stay in a residence hall for international students known as IES. The dorm is a 10 story building with a great view of the city from the top floor. It’s located in the Borough of Chelsea, which is right in the middle of London. Chelsea is an upper-class area of the city. King’s Road, which runs right by IES, is lined on both sides by stores like Hugo Boss, French Connection, The Calvin Klein Underwear Store (I’m not kidding), and some of the most expensive Starbucks to be found anywhere. I’ve noticed that practically every brand tends to have a few store scattered throughout the city. Without exaggeration, a different Porsche drives past my window about every ten minutes, and I pass an actual Lamborghini dealership on my way to work – one of four in Britain. We’re very close to the tourist attractions for which London is renowned, and the prices reflect that fact. We’ve found that we can save money by going to a grocery store a bit farther away where the prices are more reasonable.
January 8, 2007
It’s been quite an adventure since I last wrote over a week ago. After landing in Warsaw, Poland, Laura and I took another plane to the city of Wroclaw, which is where I am originally from. The trip there went smoothly, but we were definitely exhausted once we arrived. Most of the first week in Europe was spent by getting over the jetlag. We could barely keep our eyes open by 8 in the evening or so, but it was difficult to sleep past 3 am. It became easier to sleep with each passing night, though.
December 27, 2006
My name is Tom Niemczycki, and I will be completing my Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) in London this C-term, which lasts from January until March. I am a junior at WPI majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). I am involved in a number of activities at school including Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, the Lens and Lights Club, the Newman Club, and Crimson Key.
