Your schematic shows that the Vcc pin is only connected to a diode anode, the Vcc pin also needs to be connected to a voltage (i.e. input voltage to the buck converter). If you don't connect Vcc to a voltage of course your not going to have a output!
In institutions of higher learning (at least in the States), it would be extremely unusual for an undergraduate degree to require the submittal of a thesis. Now a senior/year end project is a different story, but that not a thesis. From Bertz
If you need/want the mold to cool quickly, you want a material like "ceramic" which has good thermal conductivity, but a low thermal capacity. Basically somethng the conducts heat but won't retain any.
To Hero999's point, the first project (Temp data logger)...
It says:
Pin 7 in the schematic is hard wired to +5V... how is that going to work?? Or is it just to early in the morning and I need more coffee?