My favorite part of the day was Skyping with Ignacio Esquivel's 9th and 10th grade biology class at Arandú High School in Costa Rica. The students asked excellent questions, such as "How has your perspective changed about everything that is happening in the ocean with the technology you are creating?" (from Juan Manuel Badilla). I was impressed that they had already watched nearly all the Mission 31 videos and read my main blog, so they knew all the basics. Kudos to their excellent teacher Ignacio, whom I met through his brother Manuel at MIT several months ago. Ignacio said his goal was to "get them to open their minds and start aiming high with their dreams. I want them to know that, whatever they become (lawyers, doctors, marine biologists or mechanical engineers (hopefully), etc.), they are capable of changing this world and that there is no age established for this, that they may start NOW." I certainly support that! I realize this isn't a super suitable topic for the "technical blog" so I'll also post about this on my main blog when I get a chance.
Earlier in the day I was at my office, reading Section 3: Steady Seepage Through Soils from the text of a soil mechanics course. It's easy to go zombie when reading on your computer for long hours. Fortunately my reading session was broken up by compulsory induction sessions for new graduate students, the first on how to use library resources and the second on health and safety. Most of the second talk was geared towards graduates using chemicals in their laboratory work (some chemicals can burn through your bone and blind you... yikes, thankfully I'm not a chemical engineer!). After the sessions I finished two exam problems that tested my (newly gained) understanding of flow nets, which are used to solve seepage problems in soil. Feeling good about finishing these problems, I headed to the Maths building (in England they say "maths" not "math") for a welcoming reception for new graduate students in Mathematical, Physical, and Social Sciences (i.e., several hundred students). It was lovely but somewhat overwhelming meeting so many people. I ran out early to attend a salsa dancing class with another member of my college. After salsa we got a totally delicious pizza from food truck by Pembroke College that (amazingly...) had a wood-burning oven inside the truck.
Earlier in the day I was at my office, reading Section 3: Steady Seepage Through Soils from the text of a soil mechanics course. It's easy to go zombie when reading on your computer for long hours. Fortunately my reading session was broken up by compulsory induction sessions for new graduate students, the first on how to use library resources and the second on health and safety. Most of the second talk was geared towards graduates using chemicals in their laboratory work (some chemicals can burn through your bone and blind you... yikes, thankfully I'm not a chemical engineer!). After the sessions I finished two exam problems that tested my (newly gained) understanding of flow nets, which are used to solve seepage problems in soil. Feeling good about finishing these problems, I headed to the Maths building (in England they say "maths" not "math") for a welcoming reception for new graduate students in Mathematical, Physical, and Social Sciences (i.e., several hundred students). It was lovely but somewhat overwhelming meeting so many people. I ran out early to attend a salsa dancing class with another member of my college. After salsa we got a totally delicious pizza from food truck by Pembroke College that (amazingly...) had a wood-burning oven inside the truck.
Today in a nutshell
  Flow nets! |  Highlight of the day: Skyping with talented students in Costa Rica! |  Totally amazing pizza. |
