But he chose not to do this. Therefore, he - and his pursuits - proved even stronger at year's end.
Per our article announcing "Edge," Tim chose to spend the remainder of his year expanding upon his learning "process." This final push saw him begin many smaller projects that will undoubtedly inform his Edge work next year as well as his upcoming college application process. During the final month and a half or so, Tim explored:
(1) Blogging. Not long before designing his presentation to the Board of Trustees, Tim worked with his tutor to create a blog "Exploring Current Events" via Blogger.com (@Blogger).
This profile serves a dual purpose. It allows him, on one hand, to
continue to develop his writing skills and to practice strategies such
as audience awareness, digital literacy, research, and proofreading. On
the other hand, this blog also encourages him to extend his IP work to
the Internet and share his thoughts with a larger community. Tim has
reflected upon topics ranging from the limitations of dyslexia
empowerment, Steve Jobs and his approach to business, Greece's request for $300 billion of Germany, and Elon Musk (@elonmusk)'s challenge to utility companies with his "Powerwall." Please be sure to check out Tim's blog, as he is likely to continue this profile when school resumes in September.
(2) Hard Drive Deconstruction.
During the final month of school, Tim began to dissect a hard drive in
order to understand its mechanics. He felt particularly interested in
how an actuator reads the disk in addition to how a hard drive's retrieval system compares to that of a floppy disk. Tim and the IP
faculty enjoyed various conversations on the defragging process and viruses. Ultimately, Tim proved relentless in analyzing the machine.
He even used his accidents as learning experiences, such as when - after
cracking one of the magnets in the hard drive - he began to study neodymium.
(3) Networking.
Early in May, IP received a visitor in the person of Evan Donovan, a
Kildonan alumnus ('13) who created a personal IP-esque structure before
the program even existed. While visiting, he and the IP faculty
happened to begin speaking about 3D printers. His college possesses two
of the devices, he explained, and he uses them in order to print out
the body and parts for drones. He went on to to say more, and before he
made much headway, we called in Tim to participate. The two students
lost track of the IP faculty and held a heady conversation concerning
rotor databases and drone designs. Ultimately, Evan recommended that
Tim purchase a $75-$120 practice drone of the hobby variety; such a
device, he assured the latter, could help him learn the basics of flight
without the cost of a top-notch machine. He also offered that he and
Tim get together over the summer in order to troubleshoot the latter's
drone work. Tim readily agreed. This evolving partnership bodes well
for Tim's work next year (drone specific or otherwise).
(4) Quantum Physics and Fusion.
Tim gave the IP faculty a pleasant surprise when he approached them one
day with the request to explore quantum physics. He assured us that
this branch of his studies would constitute only one week's worth of
study, but fortunately, he has immersed himself in this discipline to a
depth much greater than he originally expected. During Founders' Day,
for instance, he replicated the "Double-Slit Experiment" (not unlike Khaled)
and went on to speak towards theories he was researching. He felt
particularly inspired by quantum computing and quantum entanglement theory
for their ability to revolutionize computer effectiveness. This interest aligned nicely with the in-roads that he
forged into Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (@LockheedMartin), a company that is attempting to
build a prototype that harnesses the power of fusion for commercial and
defense ventures (see the video below). Thank you, Tim, for continuing to diversify your work as a true polymath! We are proud of your progress and maturation this year, and we encourage our readers to celebrate with us by posting in the comments section below.
Descriptions of images: A screenshot of Tim's blog, top-right (located at exploringcurrentevents.blogspot.com). Middle left finds an graphic of a hard drive (located at www.datarecoverydublin.ie). A hobbyist's drone, pictured at middle right (located at www.hcn.org). Bottom left sees a graphic rendering of quantum computing (located at www.slate.com). Kildonan and its Edge / IP program claim no ownership over the media above.
