Environmental engineers tend to be the idealist, almost 50% female subgroup of the engineering discipline. We get students who want to change the world, help improve access to water and really want their work to be meaningful. Somewhere between the 4 semesters of calculus, 2 semesters of chemistry, 2 semesters of physics and one semester…
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Initially when I heard of the digital classroom, I’ll admit, I thought ughhhh. Another way we can enable ourselves to quit interacting with each other in person. As a college student I grew increasingly annoyed? or at least frustrated with the idea that everything can be digital and that there is really no reason to…
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For this first post I wanted to start with a brief background of myself for anyone reading. I’m an Environmental Engineering grad student at Virginia Tech with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan. I’ve taken one English class since high school and I can say that course was the most…
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Something I have been struggling with this semester is the idea of the “imaginary line” that was discussed in Sedlak’s ES&T Op Ed. I agree with the idea that science cannot be biased (though I would argue that the system we currently have with funding agencies, does bias us somewhat) and that scientists need to…
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For those not up to date with the news : The House passed their version of the Republican Tax Plan. Normally I never really worried about these because honestly I don’t make that much money and I’m ok with that. But this Tax Plan will affect us. Something I don’t think most graduate students think…
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ITS ELECTION DAY! Everyone get out to the polls and please make your voice heard. Regardless of who you vote for, I view voting as an obligation of the citizen. 60 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2016 presidential election and only 40% of 18-29 year olds votes. WHY? Voting is a free way…
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Halloween occurred this week and while I’m not someone for scary movies, I really like any excuse to get excited about anything and therefore I found myself very involved in Halloween shenanigans. One big (somewhat) aspect of halloween is the idea that things are scary and these things are ghosts, vampires, and zombies. But these…
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After watching Dr. Pruden’s TEDx Talk from the Spring. She talks about her journey in becoming the person she is today and her motivations for being a professor. I found this talk to be incredibly compelling, especially because as someone she advises, I often don’t see this side of her. I see the person she…
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This post is predominately in reaction to the Facebook/ social media posts “Me too” as a way women this week have taken to trying to show the extent to which sexual assault and harassment exists in the US. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this social media movement, a lot of which come…
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As my first semester of grad school plods along, I’m thinking a lot on “Why am I doing this?”. I have friends making their careers and families as hair stylists, teachers, marine educators and the list goes on. What is compelling me to stay here for long nights and early mornings and do I agree…
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