Reflection Paper

This summer I applied and was accepted into the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. I worked on the Air Dispersion Modeling project, where I helped plan for airborne terrorism releases in the Dallas downtown area. There were three other people working on the project with me, Kai Williams, Ryan Landrith, and Rachel Morrison. Kai and I were assigned as roommates so it was cool that we were on the same project. We introduced ourselves to Ryan and Rachel the day of orientation. I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the program as far as the research we were going to be doing. Once I got to Arlington I was given an overview of the work I was supposed to do. At first I felt a bit overwhelmed, but once the work actually started I felt comfortable and confident in what I was doing.



I was taught how to use Hotspot 2.07.1 to predict concentrations of radioactive substances following a potential terrorist attack. Before I could start using the program we had to learn how the Hotspot program came up with the outputs. Dr. Sattler, the professor that led my group, lectured on the calculations used and what air dispersion modeling involved. Also, an undergraduate student, Arpita Gandhi, helped to get me and the others familiar with the computer program. Once I learned the basics about the program I was ready to begin my trials. I modeled Strontium Chloride in several explosion and fire scenarios. I used different parameters in the scenarios in order to determine which would give me the worst case. I changed the wind speed between 1m/s and 6m/s. I also tested it with different stability classes. It was easy to find the worst case because of the charts and tables Hotspot was able to generate using the various inputs. I took the worst case, of the fire and of the explosion, and evaluated them for duration of one year. After evaluating my data, I compared my data to the others in my group. Strontium Chloride caused the minimal damage to the area we tested.


We also toured a cement plant, Holcim, in order to learn about the smoke stacks and what comes out of them. It was required by the plant to wear steel toes, a hard hat, and goggles. My size shoes were not available, so I was stuck with a pair that was about three sizes too big. When we arrived, we signed in and were taken to a conference room. There we listened to several people talk about Holcim and what they did. It was surprising to learn that the smoke that comes out of the plume was majority water. Finally, we were briefed on the safety regulations. Once all the forms were signed, we were taken on a tour of the facilities. The lab part of the plant was where they would test the cement to failure in order to determine the best way to make the cement. We were taken to the control room and shown how they monitor what part of the plant was active. They also took us to the top of the plume where we were able to see the surrounding plants. The area was full of limestone which is the key to having durable cement.

This program was beneficial to my career both academic and professional. I will be able to go back to my home school and share my knowledge on what I have learned and continue learning with others. Its given me insight into a possible future job opportunity working with air dispersion modeling. I am very excited to see what the next couple of years bring. I have expanded my social and professional network, friends I will keep for the rest of my life, not only the people in my group, but the entire program. Dr. Sattler has already offered her assistance for future internship opportunities.

Overall, this was an excellent program to be a part of during the summer. It provided me with a chance to learn how to conduct research and process the data collected. The only part of the program that was regretable was the unorganization, however, it was completely understandable and I know next summer will be better. I would reccomend this program to a number of people in my field, or wanting to get into my study area.