Professional Life

We experienced a team of economist breaking down life to us. They gave us a visit to see what we were doing. Of course our amazing team explained very well what we were doing, and the purpose for which we were doing it. They seemed to be a forged interest in what we were talking about, rather than their interest in our ability to understand what we were doing. They really did not care for what we were saying, though very polite to seem interested. They actually cared about the fact that we were learning to do the things that we set out to learn. They also cared about our professional approach to the whole situation, and cared about what we were doing after the program. Just to know that we are trying were somethings that they wanted to know. We learned as a group that we need to have a professional outlook on life to get ahead in the professional world. We realized that day that networking is a very important part of getting into schools, and even getting jobs. We thank them very much, and will never forget some of the life lessons that we learned that day.

Alaskan Project

Alaska's Prince William Island is a great place to do research on the sieve analysis. As you can see, it takes a dedicated group of professionals to do this line of work.



To determine the permeability of the beach, there had to be digging at different depths. To the right are a couple of graduate students and professors digging at different sections of the beach at different depths.


The reason for the whole project is to change the environment in a better way. To the left is a photo showing the immense amounts of oil the is trapped on the beach. The oil is the reason that the sediment is not permeable. Through the outcome of the project the students and professors will determine what microorganism can be put back into the ground to help break down the oil.
This process is called bio-degradation. The microorganism can not do this at this time because there is no oxygen.

Parking Lot Design with Professor Awada

Mike: first i would like to say that i am having a great time here with cici and she is a great mentor and teacher. so far we've learned about Storm water management and how to keep our water clean.We went out in the field and conducted some test about the draining systems in parking lots around the campus.We did the PH testing with soda,water,chips and peanuts.wed we did our first creative brief which was a little difficult for me so i might do mine over.this upcoming week is the one.i hope we do more hands on projects and i honestly look forward to learning some more about everything our teachers want to teach us.none of this stuff is easy or simple but its not hard no matter how old you are learning is always new.Thanks CiCi

Marianne: This week we started to get to know about engineering. On Monday we were introduced to a lot of people who are taking up engineering. They showed us their labs and and told us about their college. On Tuesday we walked around with professor Awada to learn about storm water. We walked to 4 to 5 different parking lots to see where the storm water goes. On Wednesday we were in the lab and we did an experiment on doritos and peanuts. We were determining were the calories come from and how to find out how many calories are in the bag of chip and peanuts.

Shequannah: I want to say that i enjoy that i' am learning many things about are water and there were many things i didn't know and i; m glad i know i learn and i;m glad i came:) When it rains water washes over roofs.street,driveways, sidewalks, parking lots,and land surface along the way it can be pick up a variety of chemical and soil this polluted storm water drains in to are rivers and streams the pollutant can endanger the waterways making then unhealthy for people.

Brandon: Storm Water Management is a problem in many large cities. The precipitation falls and makes it way to a gutter or man hole and along the way picks up harmful materials for the rivers, and lakes that the water eventually ends up in. In the process of the storm water making it to the gutters everything that is picked up is harmful to the environment and lowers the quality of the lake and water and other water that will become drinking water. There are three acts in place that help to provide guidelines for cities to build on. The Clean Water Act of 1972, the Safe Drinking Water Act 1974, and the Endangered Species Act 1973. These acts have improved the well being of the habitats of surrounding rivers ,lakes, and even the Ocean. These acts allow for there to be permits in place to build lots in the United States, and very strict guidelines.


Carole: I learned if there is know place for the rain to go then it can really harm our o-zone layer. There for if should be some type of grass where there is to much cement. During my research I've learned that storm water has two components. These components are the increased volume and rate of runoff from imperious surfaces and the concentration of pollutants in the runoff. Both components are directly related to development in urban and urbanizing areas. The websites also mentioned what the storm water pollutants can include. The storm water pollutants can include trash,debris,nutrients causing eutrophication of lakes,sediment,,paint and other hazardous substances and oil.

Battling Through Adversity

"We simply complicate, the simple"-Brandon Vinson.

Just a stupid quote that i created over the years. I think that sometimes the hardest things are the things that exist in mere simplicity. The work that we do is very easy and simple but very redundant. And in its redundancy and simplicity we create errors. In our effortless exertion through faulty teamwork or communication we spoil the data. Then in turn it is a domino effect and everything is messed up from there. Personally I think we can easily fix the problem, as we have already started to. As we strengthen our team work, and fortify our communicative pathways we will complete the tasks as it was asked of us. I am pleased with the progress that we are making in the project and the bonds that we are creating as a team. To truly create a magnificent team we must not only know each others weaknesses, but understand them. Through this internship I have learned to be a good teammate, but more importantly I have learned what makes a team great.

Keeping you updated

Monday was an exciting day.We started portfolio training with another group.Our group as always shined like the stars we all are.Zack was our teacher and he was pretty cool.He taught us how to use certain words that we might use on our job applications and how to perform at an interview.I was reading my intern handbook and I saw a quote by Theodore Roosevelt and it stated "Whenever you are asked if you can do a job,tell' em, 'certainly I can.' Then get busy and find out how to do it."I think if people did that with confidence in themselves that more people would have jobs.If the task is too much don't dig yourself into a hole,but if you believe that you can go for it. It wont hurt to try.But back to the portfolio,a portfolio is a place where you store products and other items related to your training,work experience,and special accomplishments.It is the place to document all of your work-related talents and accomplishments so that you have a tangible products that represents your 'assets' including the things you like and do best. Today we separated rocks and dirt which was cool in its own way.

Meeting New People

It was great meeting all the new people that we met yesterday. I learned what the proper way to go to an interview is. I also brainstormed about how a group communicates and works together. Today we did more of the Alaskan sieve analysis and completed more graph. I think it is great how we are learning the whole way through. I truely think that we are the best group and at the same time we are having loads of fun.

Sieve Analysis Training

Today we had measured more of the rock with the sieves and we had a little fun we did more graph i really like my group and it getting to know everybody and i wont forget nobody and i hope they wont forget me:)

The Engineering Squad

On the day of July 13, 2009 the engineering team grouped up with Rita's group to attend a portfolio class with a guy named Zack. This class was designed to teach us how to create a portfolio. This class taught us about what should be placed in a portfolio and the importance of a portfolio. I would say the class was very useful and that I would enjoy attending each Monday. Today at work my team and I took the weight of the rocks that were collected by some Temple students during their travels to Alaska. The project was fun but it can get a little messy at times.

My Way to an Engineer

Today we continued the rock separation and it was a lot of fun. We are finding out the weight of the rocks from Alaska. The students here go to Alaska to collect rock samples from the beaches. We determined eight different rock weights and still have more to go. After we are finished we have to put the data into the Excel. Hopefully tomorrow it will be a lot of fun because we are actually learning what an engineer does.

Rock Shaker

Today I learned how to use a machine that separates the biggest rocks to the smallest rocks. It was very interesting and I believe it will be a lot of fun working with the machines. Also today we were in the lab and the people talked to us about ozone, contaminated water supply, and how they are trying to find a solution to solve the problem.

My First Training Day

When we shook the sieves in a rock shaker and weighed them, I like the whole process. Then we put the sieves back to the rock shaker and added the rocks. After that, we put the lid on each sample so that rocks won't come out. We let the machine shake for about 2 minutes. At last, we took the sieves off one by one, and we weighed the sieves to get the last result. It was fun to learn new things!

cool stuff

I enjoy being an intern here at temple.Everyday we learn something new,like today we found out more about Storm Water Management and the procedure it takes to get the water clean in our city.I cant remember everything right at this moment.I guess that's why i should have took notes.Friday i shall be better be prepared.

Rocky Separation

I loved the rock separation training it was exciting.
We are now prepared for the lab for tomorrow.
We created resumes and participated in a water purification lab.
The samples that we will use in the next lab are samples from Alaska.
Then we will take our data and put it all together in a spreadsheet.
This step in the process is an important part of the whole research project.