Major Research Project
Please note that this section is a work in progress, and as such will be updated throughout Semester 2 as I work on my dissertation.
For some people, writing a dissertation is difficult because of the level of detail, insight and physical volume of writing that is required. This has never really been a concern of mine personally - when a topic really interests me, I will research and write about it tirelessly, and with a smile on my face. It doesn’t feel like work when you are spending time exploring something you have genuine passion for. But therein lies the challenge, which is how one arrives at a topic that both stimulates them and fulfils the criteria for their assessments. There were a dozen subjects I would gladly conduct a study on, but very few would have been at all relevant to my course or my future career ambitions. To aid in narrowing down my topic options, Marina provided us a helpful Venn diagram to complete.
Please note that this section is a work in progress, and as such will be updated throughout Semester 2 as I work on my dissertation.
For some people, writing a dissertation is difficult because of the level of detail, insight and physical volume of writing that is required. This has never really been a concern of mine personally - when a topic really interests me, I will research and write about it tirelessly, and with a smile on my face. It doesn’t feel like work when you are spending time exploring something you have genuine passion for. But therein lies the challenge, which is how one arrives at a topic that both stimulates them and fulfils the criteria for their assessments. There were a dozen subjects I would gladly conduct a study on, but very few would have been at all relevant to my course or my future career ambitions. To aid in narrowing down my topic options, Marina provided us a helpful Venn diagram to complete.
From the outset I thought that something related to 3D printing would be a great topic to investigate. It’s a technology that’s been around for a long time, but only in the last decade has it really grown in popularity and become something that the home hobbyist can get into for very little money. Most importantly, the possibilities with 3D printing are almost endless – if you can draw an object in CAD, and it will fit inside the machine bed, then you can bring it into existence. As someone with a keen interest in the history, mechanics, and politics of firearms, I thought that the topic of 3D printed guns would be fascinating to investigate. Initial searches showed a distinct lack of existing research, at least relating to the UK specifically, which meant there was a gap in the knowledge that I could fill. How does this relate to my discipline though? I will let this excerpt from my Literature Review explain.
I was certain that if I focussed on the right elements in the topic, such as material science and new types of printing technology, the findings would be applicable to much more than just firearms and crime and would certainly be beneficial to someone like me interested in the manufacturing industry. I spend a number of days carefully formulating my dissertation question, making sure that I emphasised the focus on design and manufacturing, not just guns. It was essential that I stayed focussed on these aspects of the project and didn't get carried away with my own interests.
Does the technological advancement and increased accessibility of home 3D-printers pose a security threat in the UK? A comparison between traditional and new-age design and manufacturing techniques in the production of illicit firearms.
(Alex Pritchett, 2021)
In order to effectively plan the large amount of research involved in my literature review, I created a detailed Gantt chart to follow. The flags indicate key milestones that were non-negotiable and had to be reached on time. I found that my timekeeping was much better in this module than others, perhaps due to my personal interest and investment in the topic. I am proud to say that I learned a number of new skills while completing my literature review, such as how to better integrate the opinions of authors into my text seamlessly, and how to quickly find relevant information in a source without reading the entire document. My biggest challenge was actually finding sources that were relevant to me, due to the niche nature of the topic, but I suppose that comes with the territory. My personal interest in the topic might have been somewhat detrimental to my other modules, which on some occasions took a back seat as I was too engrossed in my research to give them any attention. It would be fair to say I relished in the opportunity to research things that interested me so and still be able to call it work. Consequently, the literature review was my only piece of work this semester that I was truly happy with upon submission. I might just be too hard on myself, but I don’t think I put the same passion into my other modules which is a real shame. I think it does highlight the importance of finding elements of interest to be passionate about in everything you do, as it makes all the difference to your worth ethic. This is something I must work on in Semester 2; it is unrealistic to be 100% enthusiastic about everything you do, especially in the workplace, but that doesn't mean you can put less effort into it.
Does the technological advancement and increased accessibility of home 3D-printers pose a security threat in the UK? A comparison between traditional and new-age design and manufacturing techniques in the production of illicit firearms.
(Alex Pritchett, 2021)
In order to effectively plan the large amount of research involved in my literature review, I created a detailed Gantt chart to follow. The flags indicate key milestones that were non-negotiable and had to be reached on time. I found that my timekeeping was much better in this module than others, perhaps due to my personal interest and investment in the topic. I am proud to say that I learned a number of new skills while completing my literature review, such as how to better integrate the opinions of authors into my text seamlessly, and how to quickly find relevant information in a source without reading the entire document. My biggest challenge was actually finding sources that were relevant to me, due to the niche nature of the topic, but I suppose that comes with the territory. My personal interest in the topic might have been somewhat detrimental to my other modules, which on some occasions took a back seat as I was too engrossed in my research to give them any attention. It would be fair to say I relished in the opportunity to research things that interested me so and still be able to call it work. Consequently, the literature review was my only piece of work this semester that I was truly happy with upon submission. I might just be too hard on myself, but I don’t think I put the same passion into my other modules which is a real shame. I think it does highlight the importance of finding elements of interest to be passionate about in everything you do, as it makes all the difference to your worth ethic. This is something I must work on in Semester 2; it is unrealistic to be 100% enthusiastic about everything you do, especially in the workplace, but that doesn't mean you can put less effort into it.
More will follow in Semester 2.
