It was a very emotional last day. Everyone was packing and getting ready to leave. We were all asking each other "what time are you leaving?" and hoping we weren't going to be the last one. It was very sad, but at the same time we were ready for it to be over so we could see our family. Bittersweet, the perfect word to describe it. Saying goodbye to all the people I met this summer was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Especially, saying goodbye to Ryan, Giancarlo, and Arpita. Kai became my best friend, and I am SO glad that she is going to be going to Kingsville. Ryan also became a really good friend and unfortunately his is staying in Arlington and going to school at UTA. Arpita is a grad student at UTA, so she is definitely staying. Giancarlo is going to UTA and lives in Jamaica.
My dad came to pick me up around one thirty, with my brother. It was a long eight hour drive home, but it was worth every second spent in that crowded truck. We arrived home around nine thirty that evening; my mom was extatic to see me. I was able to actually show my family my work. I showed them my presentation; I think they were asleep by the end of it. I was so excited about my research, I told all my family and friends.
Diamond Lee
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Research Log 7/2/2010 to 8/10/2010
2 July 2010, Friday
Orientation day - met with Dr. Yazdani and got a brief description of the different projects
introduced to the other participants and professors
overview of the facilities
REU purpose and outcome described
6 July 2010, Tuesday
Met with Dr. Sattler at 10:30am in Rm 414 to discuss what we wanted to model in the Hotspot 2.07.1 program
given and went over two handouts of power point on air pollution
7 July 2010, Wednesday
Met with Dr. Sattler at 9am went over handout of power point on air pollution meteorology and a handout of the Gaussian Dispersion model
Read chpt. 5 in the Practical Guide to Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling by D. Bruce Turner, CCM and Richard H. Schulze, P.E., QEP
8 July 2010, Thursday
Met with Dr.Sattler at 10:30am
brought laptops after lunch in order to start working in the Hotspot program
Met graduate student assistant, Arpita Gandhi, who introduced us to the Hotspot program
9 July 2010, Friday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
went over power point of "plume rise" and "methods of determining dispersion parameters sigma y and sigma z"
12 July 2010, Monday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
went over power point on "air pollution meteorology - winds"
13 July 2010, Tuesday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
lectured on air pollution
14 July 2010, Wednesday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
lecture covered inversion layers, first order chemical rxns, settling, wet and dry deposition, averaging time changes
15 July 2010, Thursday
Met with Sattler 8:30am - 12pm, given articles to read in order to determine parameters
Ethics workshop 1:30pm - 4:00pm
16 July 2010, Friday
Met with Sattler 1pm - 3pm, lecture
19 July 2010, Monday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
researched TEDE levels
explosion scenarios
20 July 2010, Tuesday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
explosion scenarios
21 July 2010, Wednesday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
explosion scenarios
22 July 2010, Thursday
Took a tour of the Holcim Cement Plant 8:30am - 3:00pm
23 July 2010, Friday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
evaluating inputs for explosion
26 July 2010, Monday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
fire scenarios
27 July 2010, Tuesday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
fire scenarios
28 July 2010, Wednesday
9am - 11:25am work with Hotspot
REU Assessment 12pm -1pm
29 July 2010, Thursday
Research Training workshop 9am - 3pm, Rady Room
30 July 2010, Friday
9am - 3pm, worked on Hotspot models
11am, met with Dr. Sattler to discuss progress of the project
2 August 2010, Monday
9am - 2pm, finalizing parameters and organized the comparative tables of data, discussed final presentation
3 August 2010, Tuesday
9am - 2pm, worked from home on slides for presentation
4 August 2010, Wednesday
9am - 11am, worked on combining slides for final presentation
11am - 1pm, watched "Garbage: The Movie" Rm 100 in Nedderman
1:30pm - 3pm, continued working on final presentation
4pm, worked on poster
5 August 2010, Thursday
9am - 3pm, cleaned up the final presentation
worked on poster and reflection paper
6 August 2010, Friday
9am - 12pm, Designed web page for the REU program
1pm, cleaned up final presentation
2pm, met with Dr. Sattler, ran through the presentation and received feed back from Dr. Sattler
7 August 2010, Saturday
finished and submitted poster to Dr. Yazdani
worked on reflection paper
9 August 2010, Monday
finalize presentation for 8/10
finish working on the deliverables for the REU program
10 August 2010, Tuesday
Summer End workshop 9am - 3pm
Orientation day - met with Dr. Yazdani and got a brief description of the different projects
introduced to the other participants and professors
overview of the facilities
REU purpose and outcome described
6 July 2010, Tuesday
Met with Dr. Sattler at 10:30am in Rm 414 to discuss what we wanted to model in the Hotspot 2.07.1 program
given and went over two handouts of power point on air pollution
7 July 2010, Wednesday
Met with Dr. Sattler at 9am went over handout of power point on air pollution meteorology and a handout of the Gaussian Dispersion model
Read chpt. 5 in the Practical Guide to Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling by D. Bruce Turner, CCM and Richard H. Schulze, P.E., QEP
8 July 2010, Thursday
Met with Dr.Sattler at 10:30am
brought laptops after lunch in order to start working in the Hotspot program
Met graduate student assistant, Arpita Gandhi, who introduced us to the Hotspot program
9 July 2010, Friday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
went over power point of "plume rise" and "methods of determining dispersion parameters sigma y and sigma z"
12 July 2010, Monday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
went over power point on "air pollution meteorology - winds"
13 July 2010, Tuesday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
lectured on air pollution
14 July 2010, Wednesday
Met with Dr. Sattler 9am to 2pm
lecture covered inversion layers, first order chemical rxns, settling, wet and dry deposition, averaging time changes
15 July 2010, Thursday
Met with Sattler 8:30am - 12pm, given articles to read in order to determine parameters
Ethics workshop 1:30pm - 4:00pm
16 July 2010, Friday
Met with Sattler 1pm - 3pm, lecture
19 July 2010, Monday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
researched TEDE levels
explosion scenarios
20 July 2010, Tuesday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
explosion scenarios
21 July 2010, Wednesday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
explosion scenarios
22 July 2010, Thursday
Took a tour of the Holcim Cement Plant 8:30am - 3:00pm
23 July 2010, Friday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
evaluating inputs for explosion
26 July 2010, Monday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
fire scenarios
27 July 2010, Tuesday
Hotspot modeling 9am - 2pm
fire scenarios
28 July 2010, Wednesday
9am - 11:25am work with Hotspot
REU Assessment 12pm -1pm
29 July 2010, Thursday
Research Training workshop 9am - 3pm, Rady Room
30 July 2010, Friday
9am - 3pm, worked on Hotspot models
11am, met with Dr. Sattler to discuss progress of the project
2 August 2010, Monday
9am - 2pm, finalizing parameters and organized the comparative tables of data, discussed final presentation
3 August 2010, Tuesday
9am - 2pm, worked from home on slides for presentation
4 August 2010, Wednesday
9am - 11am, worked on combining slides for final presentation
11am - 1pm, watched "Garbage: The Movie" Rm 100 in Nedderman
1:30pm - 3pm, continued working on final presentation
4pm, worked on poster
5 August 2010, Thursday
9am - 3pm, cleaned up the final presentation
worked on poster and reflection paper
6 August 2010, Friday
9am - 12pm, Designed web page for the REU program
1pm, cleaned up final presentation
2pm, met with Dr. Sattler, ran through the presentation and received feed back from Dr. Sattler
7 August 2010, Saturday
finished and submitted poster to Dr. Yazdani
worked on reflection paper
9 August 2010, Monday
finalize presentation for 8/10
finish working on the deliverables for the REU program
10 August 2010, Tuesday
Summer End workshop 9am - 3pm
On the job
The first thing we had to learn was how the program work. We used Hotspot 2.07.1 in order to see how an explosion, using radioactive substances, would look. We sat through numerous lectures explaining the equations the program used to calculate the area that would be effected. Once we finished learning the basic calculations we began to work in the actual program. It required quite a bit of trial and error in order to find out what parameters would give us the worst case scenarios. In the explosion scenarios, we changed several parameters including the wind speed, wind direction, stability class, and the TEDE levels. In the fire scenarios, we changed the same parameters and had to enter the radius of the fire and the cloud top values.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Arlington, Texas
I arrived in Arlington, Texas on July 1, 2010. I met my roomie, Kai, that night. We immediately became friends. It turned out that Kai was going to be attending Texas A&M - Kingsville in the fall as an Environmental Engineer major, which is the same as me. The next day was orientation, we both walked to Nedderman Hall (engineering). Kai and I were the first two to show up to orientation. As the others walked in we said, "Hello" to each of them. Everyone was quiet, I guess they were nervous because they did not know each other, Kai and I were chatting away until Dr. Yazdani came in and welcomed everyone. He then handed us off to the other professors. There were professors for each of the different projects. Both Kai and I were assigned to the Air Dispersion Modeling project. Dr. Sattler was the professor assigned to our group. She explained what we were going to be doing over the five weeks. I must admit I felt a bit overwhelmed and was glad that I had already made a friend who was in my group. For lunch they order us Jason's Deli, and since one of the professors was out sick we had a two hour lunch. Kai and I decided to head back to the room and watch Sweeney Todd. First, we introduced ourselves to everyone involved in our project, Rachel Morrison and Ryan Landrith. It was an interesting first day.
We had a three day weekend because of the fourth of July holiday. It was really quiet on campus and in the dorms. There were others staying in the dorms but we didnt have their numbers and didnt know which rooms they were in. So, on Saturday Kai and I walked to the mall, she told me she had seen it on the way in and that it was close by. We walked for two and a half hours...it was six miles way. It was our "epic quest"! Once we got to the mall and we watched Eclipse and then went ice skating....horrifying! Needless to say we called a cab to get back to the dorms, which took the scenic route.
We had a three day weekend because of the fourth of July holiday. It was really quiet on campus and in the dorms. There were others staying in the dorms but we didnt have their numbers and didnt know which rooms they were in. So, on Saturday Kai and I walked to the mall, she told me she had seen it on the way in and that it was close by. We walked for two and a half hours...it was six miles way. It was our "epic quest"! Once we got to the mall and we watched Eclipse and then went ice skating....horrifying! Needless to say we called a cab to get back to the dorms, which took the scenic route.
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