Problem Statement

Many students think that the number one stolen item at UF is their electronics; although, the number one item stolen on campus is students’ bicycles. Bike theft is a problem on the University of Florida campus because students are constantly getting their bikes stolen even though they are locked up and secure. Students are doing everything right when they lock up their bike but it is still getting taken and this is a problem at the University of Florida that needs to come to an end. Many students leave their bikes locked up right outside of their dorm rooms and they will come out the next morning and find out that their bike is stolen. These bikes are being stolen in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping and when security around campus is not expecting it. Any student at UF with a bike needs to make sure that they lock their bike up because anyone with a bike can be at risk. The main cause of this problem is that students don’t have the correct lock for their bike. Many students tend to buy the cheaper locks because they don’t know that bike theft is a problem. However, students that have the “U-lock” are at less of a risk because this lock is practically impossible to break and thieves will go after bikes that don’t have the “U-lock.” The “U-lock” is 13 mm of steel lock that is shaped like the letter U and is resistant against bolt cutter and other forms of destruction that the robbers use. Therefore, making security of the bike greater can prevent bike theft. The effect that bike theft has on students leaves them in a phase of anguish and distress. If a student gets his or her bike stolen they are left confused as to why their bike got stolen and who stole the bike. After getting their bike stolen many students have a hard time finding transportation around campus. If this problem is solved students of UF can feel safe and this campus can be a safe place to have your bike. Students will not be worried about their bike getting stolen and they can be able to know that their bike will be there when they need it. The police department is trying to stop this problem, however, there are still bikes being stolen. The university police department goal is “to preserve a safe secure campus environment where diverse social, cultural and academic values are allowed to develop and prosper through a combination of reactive, proactive and educational law enforcement services.” However, they are failing to live up their goal of providing “a safe secure campus environment” because students don’t feel safe locking up their bike. If the police department puts more time and effort into this issue then the problem can be solved. The police department needs to make this a priority and this problem will be solved with this extra effort. This is a problem that can be easily solved with extra security, time and effort.

A practical solution to this problem would require that students have the "U-lock" and register their bike with the police department. The police department will register everyone bike for free and put a tracking device on the bike. With the tracking device anyone will be able to find the bike if it gets stolen. If the bike has the "U-lock" and is registered with the UFPD I think that all the bikes will be safe and secure.

Proposal Argument

• There is a problem on UF campus with bike and motorcycle theft and I think that this problem needs to come to an end. Many students lack the transportation of cars so therefore they bring bikes and mopeds to get around this HUGE campus. However, these items are being stolen constantly and many students are affected by this issue.
• A practical/policy solution would be that every student needs to check-in their bike with the police station and get it registered. Then if your bike is register the police should put a tracking device on your bike. This solution will help with bike theft because each bike will be able to be traced and found at anytime of the day. If someone were to take a bike the police could be able to track the stolen vehicle down and found out who stole it.
• A research solution could be carried out by doing research on what time of day the bikes get stolen. They could figure out the time the thieves are taking the vehicles and could step up their security at that time of day. This solution would catch the robbers in the act of stealing and scare them away. Also, another research solution is figure out if there are indestructible locks and require these locks to be placed on bikes. To figure this out you will need to do research on what bike lock is the best for bikes then just make that a requirement to have a bike or motorcycle.
• A media solution would not benefit this problem and would be an ineffective solution to the problem of bike theft. The solution to the problem needs to go through the police department but the media solution can still be done. For example, you can make advertisement on billboards and throughout campus about bike theft. However, I think that most people will ignore these signs until something actually happens to them.

Challenge Check-In #2

TO: Mikayla Beaudrie, Teacher at University of Florida

FROM: John von Eschenbach, Student at the University of Florida           

DATE: July 27, 2014

SUBJECT: Challenge Check-in #2

The challenge that I am doing is Gothic on the Tube and I am choosing the zombies in The Walking Dead. I have done some research on the topic of zombies by reading artilces about zombies on different websites. Also, I have gone backed and watched different episodes of The Walking Dead to refresh my memory on how the zombies interact and behave. To better understand zombies I will need to do more research about the origin of zombies and how zombies are portrayed in different cultures. Also, I will do research so I am able to compare The Walking Dead zombies to other zombie characters. Finally, I need to analyze the portrayal of zombies in American Culture and the effect they have on Americans.

Blog Post #3

A movie from my childhood that continues to still be a part of my life would be The Lion King. As a little kid I loved this movie and was fascinated by the plot and characters. My mom tells me that as little kid if she ever wanted me to be quiet for a couple of hours, she would put on The Lion King. I would be glued to the TV when The Lion King came on; I was fascinated by movie and am still am today. The parts of the movie I am still fascinated with are when Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa and the last battle scene between Simba and Scar. As a little kid, I ran around the house singing the song "Hakuna Matata" over and over ago and to this day I still know the words to the song. Also, I remember the last scene where Simba and Scar fight and Simba wins in the end. As a little kid, I always remembered that the protagonist always wins and through most Disney movies this is the case. However, I am not that big of a fan of the other Lion King movies, nothing can top the original Lion King. I remember being so excited when the other Lion King movies came out but in the end I was disappointed because it wasn't the same as the original.

http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/26600000/fight-scar-26653456-688-480.jp

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/198/1/8/

hakuna_matata_by_themightyhylian-d6dvjrd.jpg

A celebrity that I have always looked up to or identified with was George W. Bush. As a little kid growing up I was always intrigued by politics and to this day I still am. George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. I always admired George Bush because of his faith, support for the military and love of his family. Then when I was in the 5th grade I was able to meet George Bush and I will never forget this memory. I met him because at the time my dad's uncle was president of The Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He was able to give our family a tour of the White House and it ended with meeting the person I have looked up to a while, George W. Bush.

Challenge Check #1

The challenge that I am choosing to do is challenge #3, which is Gothic on the Tube. The monster or set of monsters that I see in a TV show is the zombies in the show the show The Walking Dead. The first thing that I need to do is review the new seasons of The Walking Dead because I have not been following the TV show the last couple of seasons. After I am done watching some of the episodes I will analyze the TV series and how the TV series portrays the zombies. I am choosing this topic because I love the show The Walking Dead and I really like the way they display the zombie apocalypse and the story line.

Blog Post #2

When thinking back to my time in high school as a young adult I can't think of a specific time where I made a decision on my own but I can remember that when I got my drivers license, it was the first time I started making decisions on my own without my parents help. Once I received my driver’s license my parents gave me a lot more freedom to do what I wanted and that was the first time I felt like an adult. At first, it was a very strange feeling because I was able to do stuff on my own and I wasn't depending on someone else, like I had done the first 16 years of my life. For example, if I wanted to go over to my friend’s house or I wanted to go to the store and get something, I had a car and the freedom to go do whatever I needed to do. After that though I began to make decisions on my own and not know that I was doing it, these independent decisions became a part of my everyday life.

http://www.sagebroadview.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/keys.jpg

The picture that I am choosing from my time at school is a picture from graduation. The picture was taken right before my friends and I walked across the stage and you can tell by our faces that we were very excited. The mood in this picture is very upbeat and happy because we know that we have just finished high school and all of us are going to bigger and better things in our lives. This picture brings back the memories of high school and all of the friends that I shared an incredible bond with.

 Blog Post #1

http://www.rit.edu/kgcoe/area-of-study/ms-industrial-engineering

http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/IE50th/

http://engineering.wayne.edu/ise/


My disciplinary field of study is Industrial Engineering, which deals with optimizing business output. Industrial Engineers figure out ways for businesses to maximize profit and run most efficiently. These three pictures represent Industrial Engineering to me because they each show how business combines with engineering. The first two pictures display as sense of complexity, while the third photo displays a sense of interaction and connection. The first picture can represent Industrial Engineering because not only are you behind a desk plugging away at number, you are also out in the field figuring out the best way to run the company as well. The gears in both pictures one and two show how you have to problem solve and come up with solutions to problems. When I see those gears, I think of the gears in my head grinding with one another to solve a problem. The graph in picture two brings up the idea of statistical analysis. During junior year in high school, I had the opportunity to take a Statistics class and that was where I realized I wanted to do Industrial Engineering and I found my love for statistical analysis. My statistics teacher taught me how statistics relates to the real world and opened my brain to business side of the world. The last picture, shows the communication involved in Industrial Engineering and the social aspect of this field. To be an Industrial Engineer you need to be able to communicate well with other people and cooperate well in groups of small people.