I am originally from Valparaiso, IN which is about an hour east of Chicago. Although I suppose I am actually originally from Southport, England where I was born and lived until I was three. So I'm British right? Not quite. My parents are actually from the Netherlands, where my siblings were born before my family moved first to England, and then to good ol' Indiana. Another interesting fact: I am not a citizen of the United States, I am still a citizen of the Netherlands. And just in case you're curious (because many people seem to ask) the Netherlands is the same as Holland, and they speak Dutch not Hollandish :). Also, I can understand Dutch but I can't speak it, sorry.
I have been in Taekwando since I was in 1st grade and I have swam competitively since the 4th grade--until I left for school that is. I miss both of these activities here at Pitt, but I still manage to at least swim a few days a week when classes aren't too overwhelming. I also love photography, you can usually find me with a camera in hand. Once each summer I make a trip with a few friends to Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. We spend two weeks canoeing, hiking, and camping with no technology or extra amenities. I wouldn't trade the time I have spent in that park for anything.
I have never been sure about what I wanted to do with my life. All I have known is that I love math and physics...and I really want to help people in any way possible. It was in my Physics class junior year that I first starting to think that engineering may be a good choice for me. As of now, I am very happy in engineering, although I am still unsure exactly what field I want to go into. I initially was leaning towards Civil Environmental, because I have a deep rooted interest in the enviroment and I would love to help however I could. But I am not sure if that major is where I would fit best.
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) is concerned with the preservation, enhancement, and restoration of the Pittsburgh parks. The organization hopes to manage invasive plant species and restore native plants to the parks, without alterings each park's historical landscape. They also aim to increase the recreational benefits of the parks.
Our goal is to help the PPC work towards restoring the Pantehr Hollow Lake in Schenley Park. We will be contining the work started by Team 9 of last year's Spring term. We plan to validate the methods used by this previous group and continue the data collection in order to help trace the movement of soil through the watershed. We will also be working with old Topographic surveys and orthophotographs in order to estimate how much erosion has occured in the park throughout the past decades.