#ce197

[halanailog]

All’s Well That Ends Well

We finally presented our findings and recommendations from the Marikina River fieldwork!

The semester was not perfect for us, but our final presentation went well <3

I would like to thank Sir Augie, Sir O, and Sir Reygie for this great learning experience :D

[halanailog]

I lab Class C Water

We measured the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of our sample from the Marikina River using expired COD vials lol

[halanailog]

arrrrrggghhhGIS

We were taught in class how to use ArcGIS, however our laptops are not very cooperative lol

These maps are products of 8472983 ArcGIS crashes HAHAHA

[halanailog]

A Monday in Marikina

After being postponed, we finally got to go to Marikina for our fieldwork! We performed SVAP as well as collect water samples and measure in situ parameters.

P.S. OUR GROUP’S CALL TIME IS 7:00 AM AND I AM COMING FROM PAMPANGA HAHAHAHAHAHA

[halanailog]

Envizeng’g Race

No, this is not an Eng’g Week Day Game, but rather a super fun activity in CE 197. We performed a series of tasks related to Environmental Engineering in different stations, and the first group to complete them all would be declared the winner. I had a great time <3

[halanailog]

Tara, Lagoon tayo.

For our very first fieldwork, the class was set to meet at the very far away land of UP Lagoon. We were to perform a Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP) of the UP Lagoon. Not only that, we were also asked to vlog (yes, very millennial) the process. WALANG ALARM, WALANG ANYTHING.

Anyway, here’s our group’s vlog. Enjoy! XD

[halanailog]

The Birth of the Wildcard

During our very first meeting in CE 197, we were assigned to our groups for the semester. I was placed in Group 3, with Clarice Ecarma, Roblee Malapira, Noel Rosario, Jr., and Miro Viñas. Although they were familiar faces from my previous CE subjects, I never really had the chance to work with them closely before. Right then and there, I knew that this semester would surely be interesting.

For our assignment, we were tasked to read the water quality standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) because there would be a quiz the following meeting. As it turned it out, the aforementioned quiz was actually a quiz bee.

First, Sir Augie discussed the mechanics of the quiz bee: The groups should write their answers on the papers provided and raise them after the allotted time. After a specified number of questions, the bottom group in the standings would be eliminated until only two groups remain for the final round. Incentives and a pizza from Sir O await the winning group.

The quiz bee went off to a good start as we were able to answer the first few questions correctly. But then, the questions began to become more and more difficult—some questions even asked for the exact value of a parameter limit as stated on the standard. Even though we read the documents, we did not anticipate that the questions would nitpick on trivial details written on them. Needless to say, everyone in our group was shookt.

As our dismal performance continued, we eventually became the first group to be eliminated. Even though this quiz bee does not, in any way, define my self-worth, I would be lying if I said that I was not affected by this unfortunate outcome HAHA.

For the rest of the quiz bee, we sat and watched silently like pitiful children who were excluded in a game of ice ice water. Just when all hope was lost, a miracle happened.

Apparently, there was a Wildcard Round, wherein the first group to answer a question correctly will automatically advance to the final round with the remaining top 2 teams. The question was along the lines of “What do you call the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break down organic material present in a given water sample at certain temperature over a specific time period?” Anyone who had taken CE 131 can answer this question; it’s Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). The question was so simple that it made me hesitate and overthink. Surely, they wouldn’t put a question as basic as this in the Wildcard Round, right? Nevertheless, I raised our answer and it was correct LOL.

Due to that exciting turn of events, our kulelat group suddenly found itself back in the running in the Final Round. However, our return to the game was sadly short-lived. But it didn’t matter, we won the Wildcard Round and no one can ever take that away from us HAHAHAHA.

And to immortalize our Wildcard Round victory, we henceforth called ourselves as The Wildcard Group.

[rrheurrhon-blog]

Final Presentation

Our class had a Final Presentation where groups were asked to present what they have obtained and tested during their fieldwork in Marikina River. Our group analyzed our water samples and measured the pH, Electrical Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, and Copper content. An SVAP analysis was also made regarding the Marikina River on site, and it obtained an average score of 3.2. This means that the river has a poor type of water body, which is kind of apparent just by looking (and smelling) the river. With that, I hope that necessary actions must be taken seriously by the government and its people, including us, regarding the worsening state of our river systems here in the Philippines. Quantifying the problems is one thing, but being able to be a part of the solution is another. This class has certainly sparked something in me that I’ll forever take with me for the rest of my life, as an engineer in the future and as a decent human being (charot). I would also like to have this opportunity to thank my groupmates for being so active and responsible. I would have never passed this subject (claiming it haha) without their tireless persistence in doing all the activities. Thank you so much.