About Anna Devereaux

Hi, all! My name is Anna Devereaux and I was born and raised in a small, rural town just South of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. For more of a reference, it is about one hour directly North of Charlotte, NC. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I first became interested in Mechanical Engineering because I figured it was the best fit for someone like myself who had always had an interest in math and science and enjoyed solving problems. It wasn't until entering the program here at UNC Charlotte, though, that I began to explore what I was really passionate about within the field of engineering. I have always had a passion for style and fashion, especially athletic wear, and was drawn to the idea of Textile Engineering. Though I don't have an eye for textile design, I thought, why not develop the machines that produce them? My dream would be to find an Engineering job with an athletic wear company, working behind the scenes to help develop and produce the most efficient and effective athletic wear and equipment. As a member of the UNC Charlotte Softball Team, I feel I have plenty of knowledge and exposure to a variety of different athletic designs and materials which further emphasizes my interest in the field. Though I may not have the most creative mind, it does seem as though I've been quite the problem-solver from a young age. Below, is picture proof.

The image above contains a hand-written note by my Mother, dated 07/28/08, reading the words "Anna's "Nose Guard". Anna made this to protect her nose after she was hit while goofing around with Claire. (It caused a nosebleed.) Our little inventor - always thinking...".

Overall, I am really excited about the course MEGR-2156 with the hopes that I will be provided with the opportunity to think creatively and gain more knowledge about the behind the scenes work that makes our world run. I hope to be able to put my own individual touch on some of the assigments that we are given this semester and really make the most out of this course.

There are numerous engineered products that have contributed to the incredible societal development of our world over the course of hundreds of years, so selecting just three is a difficult task. Although there are many small things that make life as we know it easier, I think a few of the most important engineered inventions are air crafts, satellites, and telephones. Without satellites of course, the other two would be difficult to achieve in the ways they operate today, but all three have to do with the world-wide connection that is available to so many people today. With the development of travel and communication, the possibilites for mankind truly do seem to be endless.

A simple household product that I personally find to be quite helpful is a bag clip, or as some may call it, a "chip clip". This product is designed to seal an opened plastic or paper bag in order to preserve the contents inside for as long as one deems necessary. The bag clip was invented by Jan I. Naslund in 1984. There was not an official patent until 3 years later on April 14th, 1987. The simplicity and structure of the original bag clip makes for an efficient method of storage and does not require much instruction, making it an entirely useful product to functioning people of all ages. This product is most often seen designed and manufactured with plastic and seems to be the most reasonable material to use. Wood is another alternative for material when it comes to the design of the bag clip and is commonly considered to be more eco-friendly. Although it seems as if the bag clip is the perfect solution to keeping your favorite chips from getting stale for as long as possible, there are many videos and other demonstrations on the internet that provide methods of how to fold opened chip bags in order to seal them, without the use of an external product. The original bag clip was designed without a spring or any other form of assiting force on th clip, although many of the more traditional chip clips that are offered today typically contain some force such as magnets or torsion springs that increase the efficiency of the product. There are multiple manufacturers that produce bag clips globally and the product can be found in a variety of stores around the world. The original patented photos are shown below.

Click Here For More Pictures and Information about the Original Bag Clip!

For my 2156 Project, I thought deeply about things that I use frequently in my own life that would be easier to manuever with modification. That being said, the problem I would like to solve for my project is the inefficiency and wastefulness of the peanut butter jar. For someone who eats peanut butter as often as I do, this should be easy to understand. But for those who do not, I'll happily explain. When a jar of peanut butter approaches the end of it's life, there's a few words that can be used to describe it. Wasteful, frustrating, and messy are just a few that come to mind when thinking about trying to salvage the last bit of spread from the sides and bottom of the jar. A traditional peanut butter jar is not suit to be used with a traditional butter knife; It's too tall. A traditional peanut butter jar has the opening only fit for the hand of a 10-year-old, and a small one at that. The plasic used in the manufacturing of the jar does not have any non-stick qualities, making it wasteful considering much of the peanut butter in the jar has no choice but to be disposed of with the rest of the container because it can't be reached to be scraped from the sides. All of this being said, I'd like to find a more efficient design and use of materials to make for an overall more simplisitc, and cleaner, use of the peanut butter jar.