Alicia

Fall 09 off to a great start!

1.    NSBPA Conference in Woodshole, MA... Check!

2.    Graduate Research Day... Check!

3.     ASBPA Conference in St. Petersburg, FL... Check!

4.    Midterms... Check!

and most importantly...

5.    Yankees winning the World Series... CHECK!

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    The Fall 2009 semester couldn't have gotten off to a better start.  This is my first official semester as a Ph.D. student, and classes and research are going well!  We are still surveying the Long Branch renourishment project on a monthly basis.  Our analysis of the feeder beach evolution has given our coastal group the opportunity to present at three conferences this semester.  In September, my advisor Dr. Thomas Herrington and I went to the Northeast Shore and Beach Preservation Association conference in Woodshole, MA where Tom presented the preliminary results from our first quarterly monitoring report.  In October, Stevens hosted the Graduate Student Research Conference, where graduate students from Stevens had poster presentations of their ongoing research.  I was fortunate enough to speak at this conference about our jetski surveying system called the Dynamic Underwater Coastal Kinematic Surveying (DUCKS) System, which is the system we use to monitor the fill evolution in Long Branch.  Later in October, Dr. Jon Miller and I went to the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association conference in St. Petersburg, FL where I gave a presentation rearding the feeder beach evolution in Long Branch and the impacts the fill had on surfing.  Attending conferences is a great way to network with professionals in the field, and learn about case studies and research being done at various universities and institutions around the country.  I am also taking a full class load this semester: Mixing Processes in Inland and Coastal Waters, Multi Hazard Engineering, and Littoral Processes.  Midterms are officially over, so now we are in the home stretch til finals! 

    Last week, a former doctoral student in ocean engineering at Stevens, Dr. Harry Friebel, gave a seminar at the Davidson Laboratory entitled "Long-Term Drag Coefficient Measurements at the US Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility and Understanding Coastal Wave Energy Dissipation in STWAVE."  Dr. Friebel now works for the Philadelphia District of the Army Corps.

    And the Yanks won the World Series!!! Being at a school in Hoboken really pays off when local teams win.  Hoboken went crazy Wednesday night when the Yanks won, and it was great to be a part of it.  I was fortunate enough to go to the parade in NYC on Friday morning.  Granted, I didn't see much... but it was a great experience.  Here are some pics from the parade!

"True to the Red and Grey..."

It's finally here! I officially have my Master's degree!!! I'm pretty much in shock that I've made it this far in my education. I remember graduating from high school six years ago... and I never thought I would be where I am today. Heck... I didn't even know what engineering was. I just went with it, mostly because my high school math and science teachers told me to. But look where's it has brought me! And I couldn't be more thankful...

The past two weeks leading up to graduation have been jam-packed with activities. 

• Last Wednesday night was the induction ceremony of the Order of the Engineer at the American Society of Civil Engineers North Jersey Branch awards dinner.  I was inducted two years ago, and as a member, I help with induction ceremonies on a regular basis.  As a member of the Order of the Engineer, you receive a stainless steel ring that you wear on the pinkie finger of your working hand.  This signifies that you have taken our oath, the 'Obligation of an Engineer'.  By taking our oath, you pledge to conduct yourself ethically, and to treat all those in the engineering profession with integrity and respect.  The ring is worn on the pinkie finger of your working hand, so as you sign a set of plans or documents, or sign your name to anything engineering related, the ring touches the paper.. sealing the oath with it. I really enjoy inducting engineers into the Order.  It's a great society to belong to!
• Last Friday night was the Graduate Students Awards Banquet.  One of my professors, Jon Miller, came with me. There was a cocktail hour in the library, and the dinner was in the Canavan Arena.  The Provost, George Korfiatis, spoke, and graduate awards were given out.  I received an award... the ASCE Student Chapter Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant!!! I was so happy! I am the teaching assistant (TA) for two undergraduate classes in the civil, environmental and ocean engineering cirriculum: fluid mechanics and water resources enginering. Being recognized with the award means so much to me! I love being a TA. I really enjoy helping students with their homework and reviewing for their exams with them. It's very rewarding.  Here is a picture of me, my professor Jon Miller, and another ocean engineering Master's student, Minglu Gao at the cocktail hour of the dinner.

• Saturday and Sunday, my professor Jon and I represented Stevens at Ocean Fun Day! Saturday's Ocean Fun Day was at Island Beach State Park, and Sunday was at Sandy Hook. Ocean Fun Day is a chance for kids to come learn about the ocean and environment.  We have a wave tank we show kids, that has a wave maker, and an aritificial beach with sand. We show them the effects of big waves in the winter that erode the beach, and how the beach is naturally replenished in the summer from the smaller, lower energy waves.  It's fun to explain the beach to children, and see them understand the natural processes taking place.
• Monday night was a senior ball for the undergraduate senior class of 2009.  One of the professors I TA for, Leslie Brunell, asked if I wanted to go with her... so I did!! It was at the Liberty House in Jersey City, that over looks NYC. It is absolutely gorgeous there! There was a cocktail hour and a buffet dinner.  Here are some pictures from the ball.  The first is of me with my two good friends, Wynne Lewis and Gus Rath, both seniors.  The second is of the graduating class of civil engineers!!!

• Wednesday afternoon was the final meeting for the senior class of 2009.  At the end of the meeting, I helped in yet another Order of the Engineer ceremony.  We inducted about 52 graduating seniors into the Order of the Engineer!  We conducted a ceremony at the civil engineering holiday party two years ago, but we didn't induct nearly as many people.  I hope they continue to induct seniors during senior week.  Next year, I think the plan is to induct the seniors at Convocation in September, so the underclassman can see the ceremony and have something to look forward to when they graduate.
• And graduation was Thursday at 4:30!! There were about 900 graduate students graduating, so the ceremony lasted a while. Our ocean engineering department had the most graduates ever... 6 Ph.D candidates, and about 7 or 8 Master's students! Graduation was on the athletic field this year, and the weather was beautiful! You couldn't ask for a more perfect day. My parents came, along with my Aunt Judy, and my Great Aunts Margaret and Theresa. We took pictures after the ceremony with my professors, and then headed back to my apartment for dinner.  It was such a nice day...

So I have two graduations down, and one to go! But that won't be for another three years. But that's the BIG one... Ph.D!! I won't believe it til I see it!   :)

Wrapping up... finals, FE exam, research day...

Well, the semester is just about over.  Friday was the last day of classes, and now we move into final exam week.  Luckily for me, I only have one class to take, so I am not nearly as stressed out as I have been in previous years.  Last year when I was a senior, I had 24 credits, including senior design. So at the end of the semester, I had about 4 finals to take, plus to finish senior design. Stressful!!! But this semester is a nice change... I'm not used to it actually. Since freshman year, I would be looking forward to summer as a relief from classes and schoolwork.  But graduate school is no where near as stressful as my undergraduate years.  I usually take 9 credits a semester as a graduate students, and only 3 credits right now!  So the workload is much less than usual.  I have much more time to myself, which is fantastic.  I am still involved in choir, but do not have all the meetings and events I had the past few years. 

And for the first time since high school, I am NOT taking any classes this summer.  I need a break... I plan on auditioning for a couple musicals in a few weeks with a local theater company, so that will keep me occupied for the majority of the summer.  I performed with them when I was in high school, so I figured this summer would be the perfect opportunity to be involved in something I love doing... performing!!!

On April 25th, I took the Fundamental of Engineering (FE) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) exam.  It is a state run exam, which many engineers take upon graduation with their bachelor's degree.  I applied a few years ago to sit for the exam, but something happened with my application so I couldn't take it.  Most engineers who take the exam are civil and environmental engineers, but there are some mechanicals who take it too.  Basically, any engineer who wants their professional engineering (PE) license in the future has to pass this exam first.  The exam is 8 hours long... yes... I did just say 8 hours.  There is a 4 hour morning session, and a 4 hour afternoon session.  The morning session has 120 multiple choice questions on the following subject matter: mathematics, statics, dynamics, chemistry, physics, materials engineering, engineering economics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, ethics, and my favorite... fluid mechanics (I may have missed one...).  You can chose to sit for a diciplined exam in the afternoon (civil, environmental, chemical, mechanical, industrial) or you can take the general exam (which asks more in depth questions on math, statics, dynamics, materials, economics, thermo, fluids, and biology). There are only 60 questions in the afternoon session, but the questions are more involved than the morning session.  There is an hour lunch break between the two exams.  I finished an hour early in the morning session, and an hour and a half early in the afternoon session.  It didn't help that it was GORGOUS out, and about 75 degrees.  Taking that exam was the last place I wanted to be on such a beautiful day. But I'm glad I took it, and even more glad it's over! I'm fairly certain I passed.  It takes 12 weeks to get the results back... so keep your fingers crossed!

Friday May 8th is Technogenesis(R) Research and Entrepreneurship Day at Stevens.  Different departments present posters of the research they have been working on over the year.  Also, several senior design projects are showcased as well.  We have a poster we are presenting from the Center for Maritime Systems, discussing our project in Long Branch, NJ and our jetski surveying system.  Below is the poster we presented at R&E Day in 2008!

Senior Design, Wind Power, and a Greener Stevens!

In the engineering curriculum at Stevens, senior engineers must complete a senior design project.  Last year, my senior design project was to design a water treatment plant with two design alternatives: membrane filtration and granular filtration.  Our project was sponsored by Hazen and Sawyer, an environmental engineering firm.  Many projects have outside sponsors.  I worked with one other environmental engineer, and four civil engineers, who were responsible for the geotechnical design, swale design (water resources), site access design, and cost analysis.  Senior design projects span the entire year, from fall through spring.  Intermittent progress presentations are given to advisers, and a final report and presentation are given at the end of both the fall and spring semesters.  In the last week of April, Stevens holds Senior Design Day in the gym, where all engineering senior design groups create posters of their project for the rest of the school and sponsors (and possible employers) to see.  It's a pretty big deal... many of the design projects are manufacturable, and sometimes apply for patents of their design!

This year, of my sorority sisters (and fellow environmental engineer), Dawn Herring, was involved in a great, innovative, and green senior design project.  She, along with fellow environmental engineer Christine Couzo, and mechanical engineer Kate Vaupel, aimed to install a wind turbine on top of the Babio Center to generate wind power.  The trio determined that the average wind speed on top of the Babio Center was 11.2 miles per hour, which was sufficient for generation of wind power. 

The team researched the micro-turbine Whisper-200.  This unit has 3 blades, a 9-foot wingspan, is approximately 12 feet tall, and weighs only 87 pounds!  The team decided to use this micro-turbine to achieve their goal: they wanted to prove that a wind turbine on top of the Babio Center could produce 200 kilowatt hours per month (which is enough to power a small home).  The team would eventually like to see 20 of these micro-turbine units lined on top of the building to help generate energy for Stevens.  Below is a picture of the one Whisper-200 unit installed on the top of the Babio Center.

The team presented their design project on Monday, April 20th at Fairleigh Dickinson University for Green Day.  They will also be presenting at Senior Design Day, which is Wednesday April 29 in the Canavan Arena.  The team  received some press this past week when a press release was written about their project.  You can view the press release by clicking on the following link (Press Release). 

Stevens has been making strides toward greener practices.  Solar panels have been installed in the 8th street parking lot, and on the back slope toward the Davidson Laboratory.  Also, Stevens is involved in Recyclemania this semester.  A group of Business and Technology seniors organized Stevens involvement this year.  Recyclemania is a competition between schools to see which school can accumulate the most recycleables.  For the 2009 school year, 512 schools worldwide are involved.  The Stevens newspaper, The Stute, ran an article about Recyclemania.  You can view the article by clicking the following link (Recyclemania).  

Hopefully, Stevens continues to make progress toward being a more environmentally aware campus and university.  The new addition of the Green Engineering Minor is a wonderful example of how Stevens is incoorporating sustainable engineering and energy and green design alternatives into the engineering cirriculum.  Plus, many more student clubs and organizations have been emerging that are pushing for a greener Stevens, such as SAVE (Students Against Violating the Environment) and the Recycling Club. If you are a prospective student and want to be involved in these clubs when you attend, be sure to check them out at the Club Fair during orientation!

Spring Voice Recitals

On March 27, the Ondrick Music Room in the Howe Center was transformed into a performance studio.  Approximately 17 students of the Voice Studio of Bethany Reeves performed pieces of music they have been working on for several weeks to months. All levels of students performed, from those just beginning voice lessons, to graduating seniors who have been in the studio and the Stevens choirs for a number of years.  The voice studio has two graduate students (myself included), one of whom performed on Friday night.  Musical selections also ranged from Broadway selections, to English art-songs, to Italian opera arias. 

I, myself, did not perfrom on Friday night because I performed on Opera Night in February. It was a different experiece sitting in the audience watching the performers, and not having to think about my upcoming performance. I was very impressed with the talent of the students.  The majority of the performers are also in choir with me, but I never get to hear them sing solo.  I hope these students continue taking voice lessons... voice helps you not only become a better vocalist, but helps you develop your musicianship and learn about various composers and eras of musical development throughout history.

On Saturday night, my voice teacher, Bethany Reeves, performed in the Artist-in-Residence concert in the Stevens Library, as part of the Library and Concert Series. The concert also featured the artist-in-residence for piano, Phillip Diekow, and the artist-in-residence for viola and violin, Martin Anderson.  Each artist-in-residence performed approximately three pieces of music.  Phillip Diekow opened the program with the Amazing Grace Fantasy composed by Christian McLeer (b. 1978) who composed the piece when he was only 21 years old.  This fantasy was based on the hymn "Amazing Grace," and was absolutely beautiful.  Martin Anderson on viola was unbelieveable.  Mr. Anderson was accompanied on the piano by Yi-Fang Huang.  I think violin and viola are my favorite instruments to listen to.  The sound is so fluid, eloquent, and soothing... I just closed my eyes and listened to the music resonate throughout the library.  Simply beautiful. And finally, Bethany Reeves performed three settings of Ophelias's Songs from Shakespeare's "Hamlet."  Bethany performed these pieces on her doctoral recital at Rutgers University.  My favorite of the three pieces was Ophelia's Lament, which opens with the piano playing a version of the children's song "Rockabye Baby."  This is used to foreshadow her death when she falls out of a willow tree into a stream.  The concert was phenominal... and the Stevens Library is a great location for the concert. 

The Samuel C. Williams Library has a wealth of art, artifacts, and historic collections.  The original construction drawings for the U.S.S. Monitor are in the collection, along with a wealth of manuscripts and drawings pertaining to Leonardo da Vinci.  In addition, the Frederick Winslow Taylor collection, the Father of Scientific Management, is quite unique and is the only collection of its type in the world.  Thanks to a gift by Karen Kalajian and the family of Antonin Dostal, a concert grand piano was added to the collection at the Library.  Because of this gift, concerts, recitals, and special receptions have been in the Great Hall for decades.  Open to the third floor, the acoustics allow the listener to enjoy the full breadth and depth of the music, while enjoying the art and beauty of the space.  Since a recent resoration of the instrument, a concert series was re-established to bring music to the Great Hall, the Stevens community, and the public at large on a regular basis, featuring Stevens' students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Stewart Nelson and the Sir Hubert Wilkins - Ellsworth Trans Arctic Submarine Expedition of 1931

On March 25, 2009, as part of the Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering Departmental Seminar Series, Dr. Stewart B. Nelson gave the talk "Sir Hubert Wilkins - Ellsworth Trans Arctic Submarine Expedition of 1931". 

The following is an abstract of his talk:

Many considered it foolhardy but Australia-born explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins was determined to be the first to use a submarine to cross the Arctic Ocean by way of the North Pole. At the Pole, he planned to drill up and rendezvous with the airship Graf Zeppelin. A decommissioned U.S. Navy WW I submarine was leased in 1930 and extensively modified for under-ice operation. Christened the Nautilus, the submarine reached the icepack but sabotage forced a return to Bergen, Norway and there the world’s first Arctic submarine was scuttled in a fjord in late 1931.

In September 2005, Dr. Stewart B. Nelson led an Explorers Club Flag Expedition that re-discovered the mostly forgotten Nautilus. The Wilkins-Ellsworth Trans Arctic Submarine Expedition of 1931 is certainly worthy of being remembered. Among the civilian crew of his submarine Nautilus was diver Frank Crilley, a holder of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and scientist Harald Sverdrup who would later become director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.

Dr. Nelson’s talk is especially timely as 2008 was the 50th anniversary of the nuclear submarine Nautilus making the first submerged transit of the Arctic Ocean by way of the North Pole – the very thing that Sir Hubert attempted to do in his submarine Nautilus back in 1931. 2008 was also the 50th anniversary of Sir Hubert’s death. Additionally, 2008 marked the death of the last surviving crew member of Sir Hubert’s submarine Nautilus.

Stewart B. Nelson has been involved in a wide variety of ocean-related activities. He earned a masters degree from The University of Rhode Island and a doctorate from the University of Southern California. The former president of the American Oceanic Organization, he has numerous awards and honors including Congressional Fellow and Marine Technology Society Fellow. He is listed in American Men and Women in Science and Who's Who in Frontier Science and Technology.

I had the pleasure of spending the day with Dr. Nelson prior to his lecture.  Dr. Nelson was born in the Bronx, and had never crossed the Hudson to visit Hoboken or Stevens before. He was very interested in the history of Stevens, and we took a tour of the Davidson Laboratory.  He found our towing tank (Tank 3) very impressive.

Following his presentation, I bought his book entitled, "Sabotage in the Arctic: Fate of the Submarine Nautilus," and he graciously signed my copy.  Prior to his talk, the only Nautilus I had ever heard of was the 1958 nuclear submarine Nautilus, which ventured to the arctic. I was amazed to find there was a prior submarine Nautilus who attempted the feat in 1931. I am looking forward to learning more about the mission of the 1931 Nautilus, as well as Dr. Nelson's 2005 underwater expedition to find the sunken submarine, in his book.

The moto "Mobilis in Mobili" can be seen on the cover of Dr. Nelson's book, as a blue seal with the capital letter N for Nautilus.  "Mobilis in Mobili" is the motto of Captain Nemo in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne.  It actually means “Moving in a Moving thing." 

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

It's that time... Application for Candidacy forms are due! All graduate students graduating in May must fill out an Application for Candidacy form which outlines all the courses taken to fulfill the degree requirements. This form must be approved by the registrar in order to officially become a degree candidate for graduation.  The Application for Candidacy forms for undergraduates were due in October 2008 for May commencement.  The names of all official degree candidates who have their Application for Candidacy forms approved are listed on the registrar's webpage (Stevens Registrar) on the left hand side of the page under "Degree Candidates."

This past Friday, my sorority Delta Phi Epsilon hosted the annual Castle Point King (CPK). CPK is a male talent show open to any males on campus, where they compete to be crowned Castle Point King. All the proceeds from the event benefit our philanthropies, Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) or Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation (CFF).   Delta Phi Epsilon also hosts an event in the Fall semester called Battle of the Sexes, which is a game show between males and females. All the proceeds from this event also benefits our philanthropies.

The Luck of the Irish!

The first Saturday of March is an unofficial holiday for those living in the tri-state area... Hoboken St. Patrick's Day! Thousands pack into Hoboken for the weekend to celebrate. Washington Street is standing room only, a sea of green waiting for the parade at 1pm.

I love Hoboken St. Patrick's Day because hundreds of Stevens alumnae come to town. No matter where you go, you are bound to bump into an old friend. I went to an alumn's apartment, and saw about 30 Stevens grads I was friends with over the years.

This upcoming weekend, there's St. Patrick's Day in Morristown. Lots of towns in the area have their own parades. Belmar's parade was last weekend. The month of March is packed with St. Patrick's Day celebrations!

This week is spring break, and campus is pretty dead. We have to go surveying in Long Branch on Thursday and Friday, so I am working all week. Speaking of surveying, the New York Times wrote an article about the beach nourishment project in Long Branch... check it out! The Stevens newspaper, The Stute, also covered the story a few weeks ago (Stute article).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Hurray for winter coastal storms! Hoboken received about 7.5 inches of snow Sunday night into Monday, closing school on Monday. We are having record low temperatures for this time of the year, so take that global warming!

Coastal communities got even more snow than we did up in Hoboken. Long Branch, NJ received about a foot of snow, and we were right back out surveying Wednesday and Thursday. Surveying in the snow is pretty intense. There were snow drifts on the beach, and when we stepped in them, we sunk into the drift to about our knees, and once to our waists! Our benchmark on the seawall was covered with snow, so we had to dig around to find it.

Here are some pictures from our surveying adventure on Wednesday. We set up our base station on the seawall, next to the boardwalk. Look how much snow there is on the beach!

This Saturday is the infamous Hoboken St. Patrick's Day parade. Thousands of people come to Hoboken to see the parade. This town is like a mad house! Hoboken has the parade about two weeks before the New York parade. A lot of my friends are coming in to see the parade, so I am really looking forward to it!

And next week is Spring Break! A few sorority sisters of mine are going to the Bahamas. One friend is going to Europe with his class... that's an awesome spring break trip. I am not doing anything for Spring Break this year. Last year, I visited a friend in Miami, which was amazing. I can't believe it's Spring Break already. The semester is almost over! Graduation is slowly approaching....

Surveying and Opera Night!!!

Currently, I am finishing up my Master's in Ocean Engineering, and will begin my Ph.D. studies in May 2009.  I am working full time at the Center for Maritime Systems (CMS) which is a research facility associated with Stevens Institute of Technology. I am a graduate research assistant there, and work on lots of interesting projects!

The main project we are working on right now is developing a GPS-jetski survey system to survey beaches. We have been developing this system since the summer of 2008. Before we employed our GPS-jetski survey system at the project site in Long Branch, NJ, our field operations (Field Ops) team conducted many tests at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ.  Now that the beach replenishment is complete in Long Branch, NJ, our Field Ops team conducts weekly surveys of the Long Branch beach.  We typically do two surveys a week: one using the GPS-jetski to survey offshore, and one using a backpack with GPS to survey the dry beach.  Here are some pictures from recent survey excursions!

We have many people on our Field Ops team that help with this project. First, we have one person set up the base station on the boardwalk.  This base station is set up over a known position (USGS benchmark), and will tell the rover (GPS-jetski or backpack GPS) what it's position and elevation are at any point in time. So one person mans the base station the whole day. Two poeple are on safety patrol on the beach, in case the person on the jetski happens to fall off. One person rides the jetski, surveying half of the project area.  Another person surveys the second half of the project area.  We also have a research vessel offshore for emergencies. On the day when we survery the dry beach, again, there is one person at the base station.  One person carries the GPS on their back with the antenna sticking out, while a second person walks along side of them, taking down any notes in our field notebook.  Here is a picture of me surveying with the GPS-backpack on!

This is why I love my job! I get to go to the beach twice a week! And in the summer time, it's going to be even better. It's been a little cold out there these past few weeks, but it's not unbearable. The water isn't even that cold. When we are surveying the dry beach, we have to wade into the surf zone up to our knees, so the offshore and dry beach surveys overlap. But the water has been fairly warm. It would definitely feel much colder if I wasn't wearing a 5mm wetsuit!

Tonight is Opera Night!!! Several students from the voice studio of Bethany Reeves (myself included) are singing opera arias tonight at 7pm, in the Music Room (4th floor Howe Building).  We have been working on these arias for several months, and are ready to perform them! Check out the flier below!