iUTAH Team - Undergraduate iFellows
Darianne Willey
Utah State University
Mentors:
Faculty: Ryan Dupont, USU
Graduate: Trixie Rife, USU
Research Focus:
Research Focus Area 2
Major:
Environmental Engineering and Watershed and Earth Systems
Biography:
Darianne is currently working on her two majors, Environmental Engineering and Watershed and Earth Systems. She is a team member of Engineers Without Borders and recently traveled to Mexico to educate about and build arsenic-removing biosand filters in La Salitrera. After graduating from Utah State University, she plans on joining the Peace Corps to gain unique engineering experience and then returning home to complete her Masters in Wetland Engineering. She looks forward to a career filled with diversity and progress, and is taking the first steps.
iFellow Presentation
Quantifying Pollutant Loading of Urban Stormwater on the Jordan River
Presented by: Darianne Willey
July 2015
Weekly Recap:
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11
Week 1: May 18-22, 2015
Research began this week with plenty of report reading to get my bearings on the project. In addition, I traveled to the field sites to become familiar with their location and began developing an updated standard operating procedure for the sampling process and analysis.
Week 2: May 25-29, 2015
My graduate mentor, Trixie and I sat on the floor together to play with our new Teledyne Isco Autosamplers to determine how they work. Next week, we will begin lab trials before installing them in the field sites.
Week 3: June 1-6, 2015
Ryan Dupont and I took our visiting Blanding students, Ashley and Ty, to collect samples at various sites within one stormwater treatment area in Salt Lake City along the Jordan River. The samples will be analyzed to develop baseline information to compare to any changes implemented in the system.
Week 4: June 8-12, 2015
After gathering samples of Salt Lake City stormwater, I have been learning about and completing water quality analysis in the lab.
Week 5: June 15-19, 2015
I set out to compare different parameters of water quality to determine how to best program an autosampler in an active storm drain. I also began helping Trixie develop and design stormwater collection and flow measurement apparatus for her bioswales.
Week 6: June 22-26, 2015
After comparing water quality data, I found strong correlations between fDOM, specific conductance and turbidity. Now I can use these parameters to program an autrosampler at the 1300 S stormwater drain in Salt Lake.
Week 7: June 29-July 3, 2015
Trixie taught me how to set up a weather station so that we can install one at the bioswales' location for reliable precipitation data. I also polished my presentation and am learning more about my project with Dr. Dupont.
Week 8: July 6-10, 2015
I have been thrust unceremoniously into the world of coding as I am now attempting to program our autosampler via a CR800 data logger. This has lead to meeting with many new people in the lab and learning to face fears associated with intimidating technology.
Week 9: July 13-17, 2015
No Entry
Week 10: July 20-24, 2015
No Entry
Week 11: July 27-31, 2015
The program is over but my research is not! Giving my presentation at the iUTAH Symposium was such a fun way to show people what I have done. There is still so much to do and I am excited to keep moving forward.
