Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Pumpkin Carving!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Don't Panic Just Yet
I promise I haven't fallen into the ocean and been eaten by a shark, been attacked by a swarm of killer bees, or been kidnapped in Tijuana. I've just been busy!
More to come soon, I hope!
Peace, love, and banana pudding.
More to come soon, I hope!
Peace, love, and banana pudding.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tsunami Advisory
I've had four days of graduate classes and I think I just might make it through this program without getting too stressed, too overwhelmed, or too busy... Which is fine by me!
Thursday and Friday of last week were really not much in the way of barometer days as to how the semester, err, quarter will likely go. Yesterday and today, however, have been more like my schedule will likely turn out to resemble. I've now attended all my classes (which have changed since I posted my schedule previously - see below for the updated scoop) and have held my first session of office hours as a TA, which went very well. All in all I think that if I can stay current on my assignments (I have two already) that I should be just fine!
Here's a low-down on my classes for those who are interested:
SE201 - Structural Analysis - Very similar to the structural analysis classes I took at State as it will employ matrix methods, though it sounds like we will be employing a bit more computer programming to solve problems, which will be cool. The professor, Dr. Shing, seems to be very knowledgeable though doesn't do nearly as good a job presenting the material as Dr. Matzen did for me the last 2 years. Nonetheless, because most of the class should be a review, I'm looking forward to a new perspective on the topic.
SE212 - Steel Design - This class should be excellent. Dr. Uang (pronounced "Wang") is combining steel and seismic design methods into one class, two of the things I was most looking forward to learning about during this program. I had my first lecture with him today and I think, so far, that he's an excellent teacher - he did a great job of helping the class to visualize and conceptualize the essential design procedure, and I'm eager to really get things going in the class.
Thursday and Friday of last week were really not much in the way of barometer days as to how the semester, err, quarter will likely go. Yesterday and today, however, have been more like my schedule will likely turn out to resemble. I've now attended all my classes (which have changed since I posted my schedule previously - see below for the updated scoop) and have held my first session of office hours as a TA, which went very well. All in all I think that if I can stay current on my assignments (I have two already) that I should be just fine!
Here's a low-down on my classes for those who are interested:
SE201 - Structural Analysis - Very similar to the structural analysis classes I took at State as it will employ matrix methods, though it sounds like we will be employing a bit more computer programming to solve problems, which will be cool. The professor, Dr. Shing, seems to be very knowledgeable though doesn't do nearly as good a job presenting the material as Dr. Matzen did for me the last 2 years. Nonetheless, because most of the class should be a review, I'm looking forward to a new perspective on the topic.
SE212 - Steel Design - This class should be excellent. Dr. Uang (pronounced "Wang") is combining steel and seismic design methods into one class, two of the things I was most looking forward to learning about during this program. I had my first lecture with him today and I think, so far, that he's an excellent teacher - he did a great job of helping the class to visualize and conceptualize the essential design procedure, and I'm eager to really get things going in the class.
SE271 - Solid Mechanics - I was originally doubting the necessity of another solid mechanics class (after having seemingly more than enough experience in undergrad) but that all changed after attending just one lecture with Dr. Lubarda. The class uses tensor calculus, a branch of math I've never employed, so I'm very excited to pick up that new skill while applying it to mechanics problems. He also seems to be a fantastic professor, and I've heard good things from students that had him during their undergrad at UCSD, so it should be another great class!
SE290 - Graduate Seminar/Invited Speakers - I guess I lied about having been to all my classes - I've not yet attended this one, because it doesn't start until next week! However, the first presenter is supposed to be Ronald Eguchi from ImageCat, Inc., speaking on the topic of "Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Other Disasters: A View from Space." It sounds very intriguing - I'm looking forward to it!
SE101A - Statics - This is the class I'm TAing along with 2 other graduate students. It should be very straightforward, though it may provide the majority of my work during the week, as the TAs are required to complete the homework sets (which are optional for students enrolled in the class - homework isn't graded) in order to be helpful in office hours. It's all stuff I've seen before, though, so it should be relatively easy!
SE290 - Graduate Seminar/Invited Speakers - I guess I lied about having been to all my classes - I've not yet attended this one, because it doesn't start until next week! However, the first presenter is supposed to be Ronald Eguchi from ImageCat, Inc., speaking on the topic of "Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Other Disasters: A View from Space." It sounds very intriguing - I'm looking forward to it!
SE101A - Statics - This is the class I'm TAing along with 2 other graduate students. It should be very straightforward, though it may provide the majority of my work during the week, as the TAs are required to complete the homework sets (which are optional for students enrolled in the class - homework isn't graded) in order to be helpful in office hours. It's all stuff I've seen before, though, so it should be relatively easy!
Believe it or not the West Coast is under a Tsunami Advisory after today's magnitude-8.0 earthquake near Samoa. Here's an excerpt from the Union-Tribune article about the advisory:
Coastal areas of California and Oregon, including San Diego County's shoreline, are under a tsunami advisory from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning after a powerful earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa.I guess I should add 6" tsunamis to the list of earthquakes, sharks, wildfires, and poor drivers as things to avoid in California. (Not to make light of the serious situations that tsunamis like today's cause in the Pacific realm - it is sobering to hear news of the deaths caused by this force of nature.) Anyway, there's always something to look out for!Significant, widespread inundation is not expected, and estimates are that the tsunami will likely add no more than 6 inches to expected wave height locally.
Still, Ron Lane, director of the San Diego County Office of Emergency Service, issued this advisory Tuesday night:
“We recommend that coastal residents stay out of the water and boaters stay docked tonight due to the strong currents and choppy waters.
“While we do not expect any damaging waves or inundation, for safety purposes we are discouraging people from going to the beach or harbors and marinas to view the event."
That's about all for now - more to come later this week or during the weekend! Love to everyone at home!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
38-31
What a huge win for the 'Pack! Just wrapped up watching the game versus Pitt, trying to figure out what's next for my day. Ryan and Gil are cleaning out a fish tank they got for FREE, so we'll have some new, fishy additions to our household in the coming days.
Anyway, that's what's going on in my world currently. More to come about school, etc., in the near future.
Go State!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Statics, Snorkeling, and Water Polo
This is the story of my (quasi) first day of graduate school.
This morning I got up, showered, grabbed some breakfast, and headed for the bus. I started freaking out when the first bus, around 8:30, passed by because it was full. Having to be in class at 9:30 I was worried that if the next bus passed by that I'd have to try and drive to campus, try for a parking spot, and dash off to class. Needless to say, the 15-minute wait between the first and second buses was a bit uneasy. Thankfully the 8:45 bus was not full and I was able to get on board!
Statics, the class I'm TA-ing for, met from 9:30 to 10:50 in Pepper Canyon Hall. The class itself went really well, as Michael (another TA) and myself were introduced to the 100 or so students, then Dr. Van Den Einde covered some basic material. All-in-all it went smoothly, though we didn't really do much. After class I headed to the bookstore to grab my textbooks before grabbing the bus back down to La Jolla. Upon arriving at home I made a sandwich and then took a nice nap until mid-afternoon.
Ryan and I headed down to the Cove to do a little snorkeling once I woke up. As he had described it, it's kind of like swimming in a big fish tank with all the aquatic life you can see. There were lots of Garibaldi (bright orange, and the official marine state fish of CA), yellowtails, and rockfish, and you could see very well in the clear water - I really enjoyed it! It was my first time to try out my new gear that I'd picked up at Play It Again Sports, and most of it worked great except that the mask I got let in some water around my nose. I'm going to try and re-fit the mask before going out again. I'm also thinking about grabbing a disposable underwater camera so I can show you all how much there is to see!
After we got back, Ryan, Keri, Jon, and myself headed up the street a block to La Jolla High School where the UCSD water polo team was playing Loyola Marymount University. The match had been moved from the UCSD on-campus arena to the school because of some sort of mechanical issue in the on-campus facility, but it worked out really nicely for us since we could walk up there! Unfortunately we lost the match 7-4, but it was a good time and there was a surprising amount of fan support for the team, making a really fun environment.
We just got home and I'm probably going to make it an early night since I have to be on campus by 9 tomorrow for my first real class as a graduate student. I've posted a copy of my schedule so that everyone can have know what my days are like. Here's what each of the classes are:
SE201 - Structural Analysis
SE253A - Mechanics of Composites & Laminates
SE271 - Solid Mechanics
SE290 - Graduate Student Seminar Series
SE101A - Statics
More to come soon!
This morning I got up, showered, grabbed some breakfast, and headed for the bus. I started freaking out when the first bus, around 8:30, passed by because it was full. Having to be in class at 9:30 I was worried that if the next bus passed by that I'd have to try and drive to campus, try for a parking spot, and dash off to class. Needless to say, the 15-minute wait between the first and second buses was a bit uneasy. Thankfully the 8:45 bus was not full and I was able to get on board!
Statics, the class I'm TA-ing for, met from 9:30 to 10:50 in Pepper Canyon Hall. The class itself went really well, as Michael (another TA) and myself were introduced to the 100 or so students, then Dr. Van Den Einde covered some basic material. All-in-all it went smoothly, though we didn't really do much. After class I headed to the bookstore to grab my textbooks before grabbing the bus back down to La Jolla. Upon arriving at home I made a sandwich and then took a nice nap until mid-afternoon.
Ryan and I headed down to the Cove to do a little snorkeling once I woke up. As he had described it, it's kind of like swimming in a big fish tank with all the aquatic life you can see. There were lots of Garibaldi (bright orange, and the official marine state fish of CA), yellowtails, and rockfish, and you could see very well in the clear water - I really enjoyed it! It was my first time to try out my new gear that I'd picked up at Play It Again Sports, and most of it worked great except that the mask I got let in some water around my nose. I'm going to try and re-fit the mask before going out again. I'm also thinking about grabbing a disposable underwater camera so I can show you all how much there is to see!
After we got back, Ryan, Keri, Jon, and myself headed up the street a block to La Jolla High School where the UCSD water polo team was playing Loyola Marymount University. The match had been moved from the UCSD on-campus arena to the school because of some sort of mechanical issue in the on-campus facility, but it worked out really nicely for us since we could walk up there! Unfortunately we lost the match 7-4, but it was a good time and there was a surprising amount of fan support for the team, making a really fun environment.
We just got home and I'm probably going to make it an early night since I have to be on campus by 9 tomorrow for my first real class as a graduate student. I've posted a copy of my schedule so that everyone can have know what my days are like. Here's what each of the classes are:
SE201 - Structural Analysis
SE253A - Mechanics of Composites & Laminates
SE271 - Solid Mechanics
SE290 - Graduate Student Seminar Series
SE101A - Statics
More to come soon!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
On the Eve of Graduate School
Sort of.
Classes start tomorrow on campus, though technically not for me. It's worked out that I only have class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, though I do have to be on campus Tuesday and Thursday for the class that I'm TA-ing. So, tomorrow is the first day in that respect, as I'll be introducing myself to the 100 or so undergraduates who are taking Dr. Van Den Einde's section of SE101A, Statics.
So far this week I've attended two days of orientation and training for Teaching Assistants, as well as Structural Engineering departmental orientation and welcome events, all while still finding time to go to the beach - imagine that. I'll take my camera down there next time I go so I can snap some photos for you all so you'll know where I've been spending my time. Actually, something quite fun I've found, is that there's a large rock in the surf that you can dive off of (don't worry, the water is 8+ feet deep around it) when the tide is right. It's fun!
Everything is going very smoothly and I think that's partially to blame for not having much to write about recently. Perhaps more to come tomorrow once I can say more about this whole graduate school thing!
Late-day sun looking toward the ocean one street down.
Classes start tomorrow on campus, though technically not for me. It's worked out that I only have class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, though I do have to be on campus Tuesday and Thursday for the class that I'm TA-ing. So, tomorrow is the first day in that respect, as I'll be introducing myself to the 100 or so undergraduates who are taking Dr. Van Den Einde's section of SE101A, Statics.
So far this week I've attended two days of orientation and training for Teaching Assistants, as well as Structural Engineering departmental orientation and welcome events, all while still finding time to go to the beach - imagine that. I'll take my camera down there next time I go so I can snap some photos for you all so you'll know where I've been spending my time. Actually, something quite fun I've found, is that there's a large rock in the surf that you can dive off of (don't worry, the water is 8+ feet deep around it) when the tide is right. It's fun!
Everything is going very smoothly and I think that's partially to blame for not having much to write about recently. Perhaps more to come tomorrow once I can say more about this whole graduate school thing!
Late-day sun looking toward the ocean one street down.
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