REU Reflection Paper

UT Arlington REU 2012: Reflection Paper

The Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU 2012) at the University of Texas Arlington (UTA) has definitely been educational and satisfying for me.  It was a great opportunity or probably the best engineering experience I have had so far. As a student from a small school with limited resources, I was able to get a taste, for the first time, of how highly advanced geotechnical tests are conducted. My research at UTA has gone beyond the expectations I had before the actual program. Initially, I thought we would only spend most of the time reading engineering textbooks and conducting tests, but I was surprised to see more events I never expected before. My major expectations for the REU program included the interaction with knowledgeable faculty staff, real world application of engineering and science, preparation of high-level studies such graduate school, and so on. Also, I was looking forward to working with students from other schools and make connections. 

At the beginning of the REU program, I did not know exactly what to expect for my new life at UTA. On the orientation day, we had an opportunity to hear from Dr. Yazdani who gave an overall overview of what was to come ahead. He briefly explained each project to us and introduced us to the different supervisors and mentors we were to work with. He also described, for a short moment, the UTA on-campus life and talked about some big achievements of the university. According to Dr. Yazdani, some of the activities that were planned for us included hands-on lab work, one-on–one meetings with engineering faculty, lectures, seminars, and social events such as a Cowboys Stadium tour. After Dr. Yazdani’s presentation, it was time to hear from other faculties or Graduate students who presented the objectives, tasks and overall schedule of each of the five REU projects. Initially, I had made my decision to be part of the “Mitigation of Expansive Soils Damages and Earthquake Research” project. This is because this project is related to my ultimate future goal of becoming a civil engineer who can design highway and road pavements or airport pavements. But, after the presentation about “Effect of Extreme Event Wind Loads on Structures” project, I was about to change my mind. Luckily, I decided to join the geotechnical project.

The REU at UT Arlington was an amazing experience for me. At beginning of the first week, we had a workshop about Ethics. Dr. Weatherton, a faculty member from the environmental engineering department, talked about difference between research Ethics and professional Ethics.  She taught us some dos and don’ts to be aware of when conduct a research. She also talked about fundamental canons of the four main engineering conducts: NSPE, ASCE, ASME and IEEE. For the second part of the first week, we were introduced to our project and were given different assignments such as the research on the causes and remedies behind the Leaning Tower story. We also started the actual soil stabilization project. We used a soil sample from Austin, Texas.  For the second week, we carried out the basic tests on the Austin’s soil including Atterberg limits test. After that, we learned from Justin Thomey, a geotechnical graduate student, how to determine the sulfate content in a soil sample. This was to be used in our project. During this same week, we conducted the sulfate content test on Austin’s expansive soil; the test took four days to finish. During the third week we prepared four different soil samples with different lime percentages ranging from 0% to 6 %. These soil samples were compacted, and tested after seven days to obtain their unconfined compressive strength. This was done during the fourth week. In this same week, we carried out the one-dimensional swell test to evaluate the swell potential of lime-treated and non-treated Austin’s soil. The fifth week was all about evaluating the performance of various lime percentages and deciding the most effective one that can be used to stabilize Austin’s clayey soil.  During this REU, our team was fortunate because we had a chance to help UTA geotechnical graduate and PhD students in their projects. The most interesting project was the Reduction of Slope and Embankment Failures at Grape Vine and Joe Pool lakes. This project was field stabilization work. From this project, we were able to understand the importance all the testing and soil stabilization we conducted on Austin’s soil. Another interesting project we worked on, is Burleson’s soil Three-Dimensional Swell test using double Inundation. This was a very interesting project because we were able to use some equipment is that are not easily accessed by undergraduate students. This is the case of the Gyratory Compactor which was used for a quick compaction of the soil specimen. We also learned how to conduct the hydrometer test which is used to analyze the size distribution of clay and silt particles.  During this REU, we were also able to meet Dr. Anand Puppala for a lecture about the soil stabilization of sulfate and non-sulfate expansive soils.  Even if we did not interact with him sufficiently, he always made sure we had something to do by talking to his Research Assistant, Mr. Pedarla Aravind.  At the end of all tests, we learned the basic concept behind the liquefaction of soil. Aravind used a short demonstration of liquefaction on sandy soil to help us understand this phenomenon.

  Half way of the REU, we also had a workshop about graduate studies, publication and graduate research. On this day, different presenters talked about the graduate studies in general and the application process to get accepted in UTA graduate program. Additionally, we heard from some graduate students who shared with us the life experience in post-undergraduate studies.  On the same day, Dr. Puppala and Dr. Sattler gave us presentations on how to conduct a research in graduate school and how to publish research findings. Apart from experimental program or testing and interaction with graduate students, I spent most of my time reading different materials related to my project. The main two books I enjoyed reading were:             Expansive Soils: Problems and Practice in Foundation and Pavement Engineering and Expansive Soils: Recent Advances in Characterization and Treatment. Furthermore, I read some articles talking about expansive soils such as case studies of different expansive soil scenarios. Through this program, I was able to learn how to develop a poster and make blog as well. It was my first time to make both of these two publications and I can definitely see myself using the same skills in my future career.

The REU experience was not only about reading and testing, but also socializing and enjoying the UTA environment. The moment we had a campus tour, I was sure my life experience at UTA was going to be fun. There were so many extra-curricular activities to be part of throughout the entire program. My favorite part of social life was working out in the Mavericks Activities Center (MAC) which is one of the best Sports Center facilities I have seen so far. They had all kind of gym equipments, indoor track and basketball courts, table tennis, and so forth. Another social event that stuck in my mind is the Cowboy Stadium tour. This trip was a great adventure because I got to see the beauty of engineering and architecture. One more social event I really loved is the Bowling night. This night was a blast since we had barbecue dinner before the actual bowling time and spent all two hours bowling.  

This research experience was definitely beneficial and it prepared me to become a real professional engineer. I had never had a chance to use most of the equipments we used in our project since the engineering program, at my school, is still new. As a senior civil engineering major, I was able to apply some of the geotechnical subjects I learned in my sophomore and junior year. Furthermore, the field work experience helped me to understand why geotechnical engineering is vital. Before the REU, I used to hear people talking about slope stabilization, but now I can say that I observed and learned how it is done. Lime stabilization technique is used everywhere around the world and I am pretty sure the experience I gained during this six-week internship will help me to be part of this new  geotechnical work.  During this program, I also learned how to work in a team. I was fortunate to have two partners, Richard Benda and Robert Sargent, who are seniors civil engineering as well. This same level of education sped up our project since we all had taken soil mechanics classes. In other words, there was no need to explain to each other what was going on. The publication and Graduate Studies workshop helped me to understand how well I can prepare myself for graduate studies.  Also, my interaction with different geotechnical graduate students gave me a taste of how my future graduate school life will be.  The REU was also an opportunity of making connections. I had a chance to talk to some of engineering faculty members and I am looking forward to ask them recommendations letters I can use during the application process for graduate school. Additionally, I met nine other students who were parts of this program working on other projects.  

In overall, my research experience at UT Arlington was phenomenal. It was the best engineering experience I have ever had so far. Through this program, I was able to understand how the Mitigation of Hazards such as expansive soils damages is necessary in today’s society. I can imagine how this program will make a huge impact on the future engineering world and equip several young engineers with tools necessary for the protection of human lives. For future improvement of the program, I would suggest more interaction between REU participants and faculty mentors. As I heard from some of my REU colleagues, they did not sufficiently get to talk to their mentors or had enough meetings together. This was also the same case for my team. Furthermore, it would be better to select people who have a strong background related to the projects. I say this because I heard some of my friends complaining about how the materials they were being offered were advanced. To solve this problem, the selection panel should ensure that the academic background of each REU participant matches his project. My plan, after this program, is to present my work at my university and help my fellow engineering students learn about the treatment of expansive soils. Also, I am looking forward to attending different conferences to present my work as well. This research experience is like a debut of my future career.   Last but not least, I want to thank all folks who made this research experience possible, especially Dr. Nur Yazdani, Dr. Yvette Weatherton and Dr. Stephanie Daza who all gave me a chance of being part of this REU at their esteemed university.