During the summer of 2018, I was selected out of 350 applicants to work as a paid intern for the LA Sanitation SITES program (Summer Introduction To Engineering and Science). I worked in EMD (Environmental Monitoring Division) at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant. Here, I assisted lab technicians in performing tests on wastewater traveling through the plant and along the Santa Monica Bay shoreline to ensure that the water met regulation standards. During my time in EMD, I rotated through three professional laboratories: Process Control, Microbiology, and Semi Volatile Organic Chemistry. I gained exposure to advanced chemistry and biology, and became very familiar with SOP’s of tests such as BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) concentration, fecal indicator bacteria, and GC/MS extractions. I also went on sample runs by car along the shoreline and out in the ocean by boat to collect water samples, observed a study on a CEC (constituent of emerging concern), and designed an informational poster (attached below) about sample locations for the public and plant. Outside of Hyperion, I attended biweekly seminars from companies affiliated with LA Sanitation, such as Zero Waste and OneWater LA, and wrote for the SITES Newsletter (attached below). Overall, my experience at Hyperion confirmed my interest in environmental conservation, while I gained competent lab skills along with networking skills.
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Informational Poster - Where Do the Samples Come From? | |
File Size: | 1758 kb |
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2018 SITES Newsletter | |
File Size: | 2127 kb |
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