Senior Year Stories by Stephanie

Even though there are only 26 days until graduation, I feel like there is still so much more I need to do.

First thing on the to do list is my Writing 340 (Advanced Writing for Engineers) final project. The assignment is to choose of the National Academy of Engineers' Grand Challenges and propose a solution from the standpoint of "student expertise." My group - all civil engineering, building science majors - chose to address "restore and improve urban infrastructure" by tackling the public transportation system in Los Angeles. It's really interesting, but also very time consuming. We're going to be presenting our proposal to USC Transportation administrators on Thursday - wish us luck! Then, the report is due the following Thursday.

I also have to finish up my final project for Building Science. My capstone project is to redesign the Chicago Spire for seismic loads in Los Angeles. There are several teams of 3-4 people in the class, and we are each using a different structural system. On presentation day, we will all compare the costs of our designs. It should be fun.

And if those two projects weren't enough, I also have 4 final exams: Advanced Steel Structures, Engineering Analytical Methods, Prestressed Concrete, and Construction Engineering.

Finally, I have my Writing 340 portfolio, which is where you resubmit two papers from earlier in the semester with revisions and they get graded again. It's not as much work as writing a paper from scratch, but it's annoying to have to deal with.

At least I have some fun planned - I'm about to take residents to Rodeo Drive and Sprinkles, and I'll be going to Six Flags after finals but before graduation for my friend's birthday.

It has been almost two weeks since we left for the American Society of Civil Engineers' annual Pacific Southwest Regional Conference (or PSWRC, for short). Here's a rundown of how it went:

Wednesday, April 1:

We met at Kaprielian Hall (very appropriate meeting spot, it's the home of the Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering), got our team t-shirts, and headed to LAX. Since we were such a big group, the airline wanted to do an additional background check on us or something, so we ended up hanging out in the check in area for a while. To pass the time, a couple friends and I busted out some cards and played "BS" - good times. After checking in bags and getting through security, we hung out at the different restaurants in the terminal until it was time for our flight. Once aboard, I can't say much of what happened because I slept through most of it. Once we arrived in Hawaii, my hotel roommates and I got picked up by one of my alumni friends (to avoid paying for a taxi or shuttle) and made our way to the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani.

Thursday, April 2:

Luckily we were still on Pacific Time, because we had to wake up pretty early. We all met in the lobby and walked from the hotel to the University of Hawaii at Manoa - geographically, it isn't very far, but because of a canal that we had to cross, it was about 3 miles of walking. The environmental team took a taxi because they had to bring their equipment and get set up for their competition. The rest of us were tasked with unloading the concrete canoe and steel bridge supplies that we had mailed (yes, we mailed a concrete canoe across the Pacific Ocean) to Hawaii and setting it up for the aesthetic judging.

After the bridge and canoe displays were set up, I went exploring for some breakfast. Since I was in Hawaii, I decided that I wanted a loco moco and/or some spam. Quite conveniently, both of the cafeterias I found offered those options. I ordered a loco moco and also bought a spam musubi to go for later in the day. The next few hours were basically spent waiting for the judges to come around, so I walked around and explored the campus a bit more. The University of Hawaii students were on their spring break, so I mostly met other civil engineers that were also attending the conference.

UH fed us a teriyaki chicken bento box for lunch. My favorite part, though, was the different juices they had to choose from.

After lunch, there were canoe presentations, the impromptu design competition, and quiz bowl. The canoe presentations are when the captain(s) of each concrete canoe team explain their design and construction process and answer the questions asked by the judges. Impromptu is exactly as it's named - impromptu. The assignment is not announced prior to the competition. Traditionally, each team is given a set of supplies and is asked to build an object with a desired function. This year, the teams were given a plastic garbage bag, chopsticks, blank CDs, some cardboard, and a roll of tape and they were asked to build a wind-powered car that would travel a certain distance faster than any other team's car. USC won this event by a landslide, and it was pretty amazing.

The quiz bowl competition is a head-to-head question-based competition. I was assigned to this event, along with three fellow students. We won the first round against CSULA, but fell in the second round to the University of Hawaii. Because the questions included both civil engineering-related questions and "Hawaii in general" questions, they had a slight advantage over us. They ended up winning second place overall, so it wasn't so bad that we lost to them.

At around 3pm, we walked back to the hotel, changed, and walked across the street to the beach. I was surprised by how crowded it was on a Thursday at the beginning of April, but we were still able to claim a decent amount of space for ourselves.

After a few hours of sunbathing, we went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. Since it's pretty difficult to seat 40 people together at a restaurant, we split up and found what we wanted. I was in a group of about 11 or 12, and we settled on Cheeseburger in Paradise because it had a fun vibe and an affordable price tag.

We sat a table shaped like a ukelele and enjoyed our food. After dinner, as we were paying the cashier, we bumped into a USC alum and chatted for a bit. It was random, but pretty cool.

Before going to up to bed, we stopped at one of the many "ABC Stores" to get water bottles for the next couple days. I also bought a keychain with my Hawaiian name as a souvenir.

Friday, April 3:

The Friday of PSWRC consists of the steel bridge competition and some sporting events. We had the first steel bridge construction slot, so we all got up early to support our team. Before we could compete, though, we had to get the bridge pieces from the shipping crate to the UH basketball stadium where construction took place.

Brief overview of the steel bridge competition: each team constructs a 20' long bridge of steel in sections of 3' or less. At the competition, the teams put the pieces together as quickly as they can, within the restraints given by the rules for that year. The rules will specify where you can or cannot stand, how many pieces you can carry at a time, and what can or cannot be placed on the ground. It gets really complicated as you get into the details, but usually it's for a good reason (safety or applicability to real life). After the bridges are fully constructed, they are lateral tested with 50 lbs to verify the "sideways strength" of the bridge before it is vertically loaded. Then, the lateral load is removed, and a pre-load of 100 lbs is placed on top of the bridge. This zeroes out the deflection so that teams are not penalized for the initial "settling" of the bridge. The deflection thereafter is a reflection of the bridge's strength, not whether they did the fabrication themselves or had it professionally done. An additional 2400 lbs (as in, two thousand, four hundred additional pounds) of weight are added, and the final deflection is recorded. The final score is based on some combination of aesthetics, construction time, deflection, construction "cost," and a couple other factors. "Cost" is based on the weight of the steel used, construction methods (using temporary piers or barges, for example), and any penalties for dropping bolts or tools in the "river."

Last year I was one of two co-captains of the steel bridge team, but I didn't have enough time to dedicate to the project this year. It was a little sad watching from the sidelines, but still fun to support my school.

After steel bridge, we went to get some breakfast (I had a sausage, spam, and rice combo) and then watch the volleyball competition. We lost in a close game to Arizona State University, but they went on to win second place overall -- seems to be a theme...

For lunch, we were given the same thing as the previous day, except with teriyaki beef instead of chicken. We had a little bit of free time after lunch, so a few of us went to lay in the grass and relax.

The last scheduled event of the day was "Concrete Ulu Maika" which is sort of similar to croquet except the ball is cylindrical instead of spherical and you roll it with your hands rather than hitting it with a mallot. We had to make the 'Ulu maika ahead of time and bring them with us to the competition. I liked that we cast ours in a mold that made the SC logo stand out.

A few of us had to leave before the event was over to transfer the concrete canoe from the shipping crate to a Penske truck that would take it to the lagoon the following day. We were sharing the truck with another university, so we had to make sure neither canoe would be damaged in transport.

Once we finished moving the canoe, we called a taxi to take us back to the hotel. It only ended up being $2-3 per person if we shared a van taxi, so it was worth it.

We went back to the beach, and decided to rent surfboards. I had never surfed before, but figured it would be cool that my first time could be in Hawaii. I got up a couple times, but I realized afterwards that I probably should have taken a lesson. I am actually considering taking a lesson or two here before and/or after graduation because it was really fun. Now I know to get a rash guard first because my skin got rubbed raw in just an hour and a half.

After surfing, my alumni friend Ashley was planning to take me out to dinner to catch up and celebrate my birthday (which was a week prior). We got drinks at Hard Rock Cafe and then went to Zippy's to grab some food.

Saturday, April 4:

Concrete canoe race day!

We got up really early to head to Ke'ehi Lagoon. The canoe teams had to pass their swamp tests and get ready for the races. The swamp test is when the canoes are filled full of water, but still have to float. I would guess that it is a safety precaution, but it always makes the teams nervous. Luckily, we passed.

The races consist of five sets of pre-races, three sets of petite finals, and three sets of grand finals. The pre-races are men's slalom, women's slalom, men's sprint, women's sprint, and co-ed sprint. Neither finals includes the slalom races. Because there are so many teams, the process takes a long time, so there is a lot of waiting around in between your school's races.

My friend Ashley came to watch the races and keep me company, which was fun and helped pass the time.

We ended up winning 6th place in the co-ed sprints, but didn't place in any others.

After the races, we had to put the canoe back in the shipping crate, get cleaned up, and drive to Sea Life Park for the conference banquet.

It was pretty cool - they did a dolphin show, presented the awards, and treated us to a full-on luau right on the ocean. It was absolutely gorgeous, and a great way to close out the trip. Check out the photos:

Sunday, April 5:

Another early morning - we had to get up, get packed, and get to our 8am flight. Because of the time difference, we basically lost the whole day. I didn't end up back in my room until 6pm, but luckily I don't have class until 5pm on Mondays. =) 

I spent my last full day in Mexico touring the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. We got on the huge tour bus at around 8am, picked up some more people from different hotels, and then we were on our way. I napped a little bit on the bus, but I spent most of the ride admiring the different sites. They also played a National Geographic special on the Mayan civilization, so I watched that for a bit.

We made a stop at Ik Kil, where they had vendors of custom silver and gold Mayan jewelry. They also had a huge sinkhole, and a lot of people from our bus and other buses jumped it to swim. It was absolutely gorgeous.

After about an hour there, we got back on the bus to go to the buffet lunch. I was surprised by how organized it was. They had different rooms for different buses, all with the same food. They had people dancing and singing, which made it exciting.

Lunch was delicious. They had salad, bread, pasta, different meat dishes, a lot of fruit, rice, and beans, etc. I thought it was interesting that they not only did not include drinks, but they also prohibited people from bringing in their own drinks. I guess they have to make money somehow.

Once we finished lunch, the bus took us to Chichen Itza. On the way, we were told that we came on a great day, because the pyramid is oriented such that the shadows align in a special way for the vernal equinox. So, we planned to congregate at 4:30pm to watch it.

We had a tour guide on the bus who gave us some history of the Mayans and told us about the symbolic significance of the different structures at the site. It was really interesting, but we were all having trouble focusing because it was so hot. To make matters worse, it was really dusty so we were constantly thirsty.

After the guided tour, we had some time on our own before it was time to watch the equinox. I explored the site some more, checked out the different souvenir stands, and bought some more water.

The equinox was pretty cool. There were so many people there and it had been a long, hot day, so I didn't appreciate it as much as I otherwise might have. I'm glad I got to see it though.

On the way back, the movie "Rebound" was shown on the bus, so I watched that before falling asleep. We got back to our hotel around 7:30pm and took a quick nap before our last night out.

We purchased the Grupo Dady'O "Dinner and Party Adventure" online when we booked our hotel and flight, but ended up "saving" it for the last night. It included an all you can eat dinner, but you could order food you wanted instead of serving yourself from a buffet.

The "Party Adventure" part of the deal was unlimited back and forth between the different Dady'O clubs. The venues had different vibes, so it was nice to be able to change our setting throughout the night. And they are all al literally in one plaza, so we didn't have to travel very far.

It ended up being a really fun way to end the trip. I would have loved to stay and enjoy the white sand beach and beautiful blue water, but unfortunately spring break isn't infinite.

The next morning, I walked around the flea market to get some souvenirs before it was time for our shuttle to pick us up and take us back to the airport.

When we got to the airport, we were upgraded to a direct flight (originally we were supposed to have a fairly long stopover in Mexico City) for free because our flight had been overbooked. We also ended up getting home sooner as a result.

The flight home was relaxing. I had the window seat and watched the gorgeous, seemingly endless sunset (because we were chasing it, it lasted for a long time).

And just like that, it was time to get back into school mode.

Next up: Hawaii!

On our second day in Cancun, my friend and I lined up a boat trip to Isla Mujeres during the day and a "Party Hopper Tour" at night.

We had to be at the dock by 10:30, but we ended up arriving much earlier. We didn't realize how quick it would be to take the bus (runs about every 2-5 minutes, and only costs $0.50), and we definitely didn't want to be late and get left behind.

To pass the time, we sat on the coast under some palm trees and enjoyed the sunshine. There were some little crabs (about 1-2" across) that creeped me out a little bit, but I managed. Slowly, the other people who were on our trip started to show up. And before we knew it, it was time to board the trimaran (like a catamaran, but with three hulls instead of two). We got "prime" seats at the front of the boat, I guess because we got there so early. 

After crew member introductions, we were on our way to Isla Mujeres. The water was unbelievably blue, and the weather was amazing.

Our first activity of the day was snorkeling. We got flippers, masks, snorkels, and floatation belts and jumped into the Caribbean Sea. We followed one of our crew members and saw the coral reefs. My favorite site, though, was the "Dory" fish from "Finding Nemo." After spending 30-45 minutes in the water, we got back on the boat and finished the journey to the island. 

Waiting at the dock for us was a shark that we got to take turns holding and petting. Although it looked smooth, its "skin" was very rough. As we were holding it, it squirmed out of our arms, which freaked me out. Luckily, there was a trainer with us to keep it under control. 

After that adventure, it was time for the buffet lunch. They had fresh fruit, salad, rice, beans, fish, beef, chicken, and tortillas, among other things. There were also some small shops nearby, so after lunch I bought a puka shell bracelet and then relaxed on the beach.

Once everyone had finished eating, we got back on the boat to head to the downtown area. They had a lot of different shops and restaurants. After exploring for a while, we went back to the dock and hung out until it was time to get back on board.

By this point, I was feeling a little sick from being in the sun all day. Plus, because we weren't allowed to wear sunscreen in the water (it is harmful to the coral reefs), I hadn't put any on and I didn't think ahead of time to bring some for after the snorkeling. Needless to say, I was pretty scorched at the end of the day. 

We were supposed to ride a spinnaker but the wind conditions weren't right. They let us jump back into the sea for a few minutes to swim, but then we had to make our way back to Cancun.

After taking a nap, we got ready for our night out. The first stop was the Corona Bar, where we met at 8:45pm. It was basically a huge circus tent with a bar in the middle and tables surrounding it. They also had a raised dance floor on one side. We spent a couple hours there and met people from everywhere - literally, from Illinois to Israel.

The second stop on the tour was Señor Frogs. We got a table on the back patio (which overlooked the lagoon, and had a view of our hotel) and relaxed. It was cool because they had a water slide that ended in the lagoon, and we were sitting right next to it. Before leaving, we went back inside to the dance floor in time to see some of the staff dancing to "Soulja Boy" on the stage.

The final stop was The City. This was particularly awesome because Sean Paul was there to perform live. And we got our own VIP space on the balcony. 

The next day was our planned "relax" day. We went and got free gifts from a jewelry store in the Plaza La Isla Shopping Center (they had a coupon in the map our travel agent gave us), then spent the afternoon on the beach.

It was fun, yet peaceful. I went to bed early on Thursday because we had another big day on Friday -- Chichen Itza and Grupo Dady'O. Stay tuned!

The last three years, I have always gone home for spring break but this year I wanted to take at least one spring break to go somewhere more exciting. So when my friend asked if I would go with her to Cancun, I gladly accepted the invitation. Finally, those six years of Spanish I took in middle and high school pay off!

I still went home, just for a couple of days. I took my "winter clothes" and some non-essential things home so that I can avoid renting a huge U-Haul in May after graduation. I also conveniently timed my laundry to coincide with my trip home .

I went home on Thursday, 3/12 and got back to USC on Monday, 3/16, packed, and spent the night at my friend's apartment before waking up at 5am to be picked up by the airport shuttle at 5:20am. It was a little hectic, but I got to go back to sleep in the airport terminal...after having some Burger King french toast sticks.

The flight was just over 4 hours, which wasn't too bad. It was fun because it was St. Patrick's Day and all of the flight attendants were dressed up in green accesories.

We arrived in Cancun at about 1pm their time (one hour ahead of Los Angeles) and it was HUMID! Since we had left my friend's apartment so early, I was in sweatpants and a hoodie -- bad idea on my part. 

We arranged for round trip shuttle transportation when we booked the flight and hotel. It didn't take very long to get to our hotel, the Cancun Clipper Club. It was a really nice resort on the lagoon with a pool (with a volleyball net), basketball court, poolside restaurant, playground for kids, and a computer room. The staff members were all very helpful and friendly, too.

 Our room had two twin size beds, a kitchen, a nook-style eating area, a safe, air-conditioning, and a decent-sized bathroom.

 

After settling down a little bit, we went and had lunch at a restaurant called Mextreme. I had a very delicious "enchiladas verdes" entree (green enchiladas). We walked around a little bit to familiarize ourselves with the area. We also stopped at the supermarket to get some bottled water to keep at the hotel.

After taking a nap by the lagoon, we had an appointment to meet our travel agent. We knew we wanted to do a couple day trips, so he helped us figure out when and where would best fit our needs. Then, we showered and got ready for our first night out -- Coco Bongo.

Coco Bongo is one of the top rated discos in Cancun, and for good reason. Rather the everyday super-cramped, ridiculously sweaty dance floor where you dance to the same 20 hip hop songs blasted over the speakers, they actually have a live performance with a wide variety of songs. Everyone there, young and old, was singing along the whole night. They had imitators of Elvis, Beyonce, Madonna, and some Cirque du Soleil style acrobatics. At a couple points, the bartenders were even a part of the show.

It was definitely an amazing start to the week. More to come soon!