I haven't written in awhile. It has been a really busy semester. I am taking more credits worth of engineering than I have ever taken before, sixteen. In previous semesters, I took 13 credits and there was usually a general education required class in there somewhere. Hence, this semester has been challenging.
I have also been interviewing and polishing the Bent on campus to try to earn a spot in Tau Beta Pi: the engineering honor society. On top of this, I have been spending my weekends helping out on concrete canoe with ASCE. I've helped measure ingredients, placed concrete, and I have even sanded the canoe. I feel very proud of the project. It has also been refreshing to be around such awesomely smart people. It makes for wonderful conversation, so I appreciate the time I have spent with my fellow peers.
I have been working really hard on my schoolwork too. I am taking 5 classes and 2 labs this semester. Hence, everyday has been jam-packed with stuff to do. Every semester, I think the same thing, "If I get through this semester, I can get through anything." Last semester, I experienced the combination of transportation engineering, a research project for the transportation department, the mechanics of materials class, water software, et cetera. I remember that I felt like I always had plenty to do. It was a tough, but rewarding semester. I am even considering working on a transportation department research project for my senior capstone project next year, which I had never thought about before. I intend to specialize in Water/Environmental, but my perspective has opened a bit since my semester of Transportation Engineering. Given the problems with pedestrians getting hit in the Southern Nevada Valley and the large number of flash floods that hit the valley this past fall, perhaps a project about driver's education or flood remediation on roadways might make more of a difference to society.
In any case, I have been trying to increase my club involvement while also still working hard on my course load. Every week, I think, "I can't believe I did all the stuff I did this week." I'm so proud of my efforts. This semester, I am in Civil Engineering Materials. Like most of my classes with labs, I usually enjoy the lab sessions better than the class. I think it's SO COOL that I've been mixing concrete this semester, making cylinders and beams. I was so proud of myself that I was able to use the air compressor to detach the concrete cylinders from the molds.
I have mad skills at tamping the concrete layers for the slump test. It's so great!! I even have done compression and tensile loading loading tests on what we make. I love that I am able to do this stuff as a woman. It reaffirms my belief that a woman can do anything a man can do (except pee standing up...women weren't built for that).
In any case, I also like that I'm taking Soil Mechanics along with Materials this semester. I often see the correlation with Materials and I believe it is a great combination since aggregates feature in both courses. Even though I'm really busy this semester, I am proud of my efforts and my increased capabilities. I also think it's great that I've been helping with concrete canoe this semester. It makes me understand concrete better, which helps with Materials.
In a nutshell, that is why I have been so busy lately. I'm really working hard and trying to be more involved than I have been. I hope life continues to get better and that I am able to shatter my own internal glass ceiling of what I thought I was capable of everyday. I hope that increased engineering experiences make me even more confident as a person, as well as become a better engineer.
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