wastewater team project proposal · executive summary _____ t he series of settling tanks leading...
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Wastewater Team Project Proposal
Fall 2014 ______________________________________________________________________________
C lient
Education Coordinator, Catheryn Henning
Wild Willow Farm Located in San Diego, CA
A uthors
Team Lead, Kimberly Nguyen
Financial Analyst, Uan Sholanbayev
Solutions Analyst, Yuejia Rachel Wu
Client Liaison, Christine Pinnkathok
Safety Analyst, Howard Chen
A dvisors
Instructor, Brandon Reynante, P.E.
TA, Caitlyn Smith
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Table Of Contents
Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………...3
______________________________________________________________________________
Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………4
Design Specifications …………………………………………………………....5
The Design Process …………………………………………………………..6-11
Project Management …………………………………………………....…..12-13
The Proposed Solution ………………………………………………...…....14-16
Cost Analysis …………………………………………………………….......17-18
Sustainability ……………………………………………………………………19
Team Qualifications ……………………………………………………………20
Design Proposal Contacts ……………………………………………………....21
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Executive Summary ______________________________________________________________________________
T he series of settling tanks leading into a drip irrigation system was designed during efforts
to resolve a regulation issue and attempts to seize a sustainability opportunity.
Our client, Wild Willow Farm needs to abide by government regulations regarding run-off
water; as well, there are 300 gallons of run-on water that lies idle every day in the client’s farm, just
waiting to be tapped into. Ultimately, Wild Willow Farm desires an inexpensive method to process
run-on water for repurposing in order to abide by regulations, conserve water, and educate the public
about sustainable practices.
The primary design specification is that, on average, 300 of gallons of water a day seep into 15
by 15 feet of sand space. From the design specification, we can gather that the design solution must be
able to store and divert 300 gallons of water daily as well as fit within the 15 by 15 feet catchment area.
The idea of the settling tanks and drip hose irrigation was conceived when the team decided
that a hard filter was no longer needed, and that a transportation system was necessary. The passive
drip hose irrigation resolved the problem of finding a low-cost delivery system, and the soft filter
settling tanks resolved the issue of large particles clogging up the hose system.
The plastic used in our design is made from polypropylene which has high tensile strength and
high boiling point. Polypropylene is resistant to chemical reactions such as acid corrosion, making it
the perfect material for outdoor water tank.
Finally, after calculating the safest volume and flow rate requirements needed, we had our final
dimensions determined by common box sizes on the market that were of dimensions equal to or
greater than the safe volume estimates. This was done to lower cost and enable ease of purchase, while
still maintaining design tolerance and functionality.
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Problem Statement ➤ Wild Willow Farm needs an inexpensive and sustainable method to process run-off
water for repurposing in order to abide by regulations and advocate sustainable practices.
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W ild Willow Farm is a four year old, sustainable farm located in the Tijuana river valley
of San Diego . Catheryn Henning was one of the founders of the farm after having worked many years
for the government as an environmental engineer. Cat wanted to create a space where people could
come and learn how to grow healthy, organic food with sustainable and innovative agricultural
methods. The members that help keep the farm running focus on minimizing waste in order to leave a
minimal ecological footprint. Most, if not all, the large agricultural conglomerates in today’s world
damage the climate by producing enormous amounts of CO 2 gas that contribute to global warming,
waste obnoxious amounts of resources as well as produce food that is not organic and heavily
contaminated with various chemicals. Wild Willow Farm, on the other hand, produces home-grown,
healthy, and organic fruits and vegetables that are sold to the local community. They want more
people to eat locally grown foods in order to support small time farmers. By creating a successful,
small-time farm the members of Wild Willow Farm are hoping to inspire others to follow their lead
and continue to spread awareness on how to sustain our planet. Supporting small-scale,
environmentally friendly farms is vital to everyone’s lifestyle because if big businesses continue with
their current method, our earth may not survive.
The neighboring farm grows sprouts and the water run-off flows into Wild Willow Farm. In
order to stay in business, Wild Willow Farm needs to abide by government regulations regarding
run-off water. The farm needs a compact, inexpensive method to clean dirty run-on water so to divert
the water for recycled use. Wild Willow Farm desires a sustainable method to process run-on water
for repurposing in order to advocate and educate about sustainability.
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Design Specifications ➤ On average, 300 of gallons of water a day uselessly seep into 15 by 15 feet of sand space.
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T he neighboring farm grows sprouts in greenhouses. Because Wild Willow Farm is
downhill from the greenhouses, water run-off comes often and plenty. Information provided by Cat
allows us to assume that the water run-on from the neighboring farm is free from harmful chemicals,
due to her knowledge that the neighbor abides by government regulations and does not use pesticides
on the sprouts farm. The only contaminants in the water run-off, then, are assumed to be benign.
Because the water is free from malignant contaminants, it is then imperative that the solution
system not attempt to rigorously filter the water. Strong filters like distillation are not needed and are
even detrimental to the good mineral health of water needed for irrigation. However, no filter is not
an option, since if the water is to be transported for irrigation, it must be free from large particles.
Large particles would only clog the transport system and make for inefficient irrigation.
The solution must also be sustainable and not require expensive future repairs and labor. The
budget is limited. On average, 300 of gallons of water a day uselessly seep into 15 by 15 feet of sand
space. Thus the system needs to be able to handle at minimum 300 gallons a day. The material that the
filter is made out of needs to be durable enough to withstand the flow of water, intense weather, and
also not degrade and contaminate the environment. Cat has a vision to plant fruit trees around the
area, so the filter design needs to include a way to transport the clean water to the trees in a 50 foot
radius. Wild Willow farm needs a compact, innovative way to control the flow of waste water that
comes from the neighboring farm in order to conserve nutrient and mineral rich water to transport to
nearby fruit trees as well as abide by government regulations.
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The Design Process ➤ Empathize, define, feedback I, ideate, feedback II, prototype, feedback II, and test.
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T he process of Human-Centered Design Process consists of a cycle with 8 steps each
leading to the next: empathize, define, input and feedback, ideate, input and feedback, prototype, input
and feedback, and test. First, empathize the project by showing its importance: there is runoff water
constantly going to waste and threatening the legal standing of the farm. Second, define the project:
the project will attempt to reuse the runoff water, either for irrigation or for washing farm tools.
Through brainstorming different systems that may fulfill the client requests, a solution involving a
solar distillation system was chosen. The system is low cost and the resulting filtered water is very
pure. The solar still design was then sent to the client for input and feedback. As it turns out, the
system did not meet the client’s satisfaction. The feedback from
the client was that it was too expensive and that the result was
distilled water. Distilling the water is not good since it takes
minerals away from the water. The client also has informed us
that the water is clean and does not need a hard filter like
distillation. Since the client claimed that the water runoff does
not need filters, the design is indeed rendered useless. From
incorporating the feedback from the client and conducting
further research, the settling tank design was chosen. The
settling tank was then sent to the client for a second round of input
and feedback. The client liked the idea of settling tank as it kept minerals inside the water while
lowering the design cost. Further testing of the settling tank was done to show that the design works.
Image (1) Source: Brandon Reynante’s Powerpoint
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I. Empathize & Define The project began with the idea of wastewater management. A neighboring farm to Wild
Willow Farm was leaking nearly 300 gallons of water onto Wild Willow property daily, with all of the
water essentially going to waste. Thus, a team of members who believes in managing wastewater was
formed. After visiting the site and observing all the water going to waste in this room-sized puddle, it
became imperative for us to find a purpose for the runoff water. During the first week, there was no
information on how dirty or clean the water runoff is, so we simply decided to brainstorm general
wastewater management ideas.
II. Ideation During the first meeting, talk of wastewater management brought to mind the idea of
greywater recycling. Greywater is wastewater that has been lightly used, such as that produced by
baths and basins. While researching greywater recycling methods, we found the mesh filter and sand
filter systems, which are used in all areas of water industry. Although the mesh filter and sand filter are
easy to manufacture and are low in cost, the mesh and sand filter systems need frequent replacement
mesh and sand, respectively. After the second meeting, the team researched and proposed two more
potential solutions: the Tetra-Pond Bio Filter and the solar still. The biofilter seemed super efficient at
first but the team quickly realized that the system is far beyond the team budget. Since the client wants
the budget to be low and we assumed that the water is dirty, we decided on the solar still. The solar still
produces clean, distilled water using purely renewable energy and is easy to assemble, operate, and
maintain.
III. Feedback I We created a physical prototype and a Solidworks prototype. Solidworks is especially
necessary when we can not always show our client
the physical prototype. A prototype by Solidworks
will make our design clear and easy to understand for
our client.
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Feedback I (Continued) The idea of the solar still along with the pictures of the prototype was sent to the client for
feedback. The client did not like our design for two primary reasons. Firstly, as it turns out, the
wastewater is actually clean! Thus the distillation was really just taking away minerals from a water we
could be using to irrigate plants with. In our previous assumption, the water may contain chemicals
such as pesticides, so we were constrained to researching strong filters that often take minerals away
from the water. But since the client has clarified that the water runoff is actually clean, the team now
has plenty of room to brainstorm of ways to repurpose for irrigation. Catheryn envisions that the
farm’s fruit trees to be irrigated through recycling of the run-off.
Table 1. PRO-CON ANALYSIS
Name Image Description Advantages Disadvantages Sand Filter
Sand filters are used intensively in the water industry, producing high quality water without the need for chemical aids.
Sand filters are easy and cheap to make. They’re also sustainable without any chemicals involved.
Frequent replacements (every other day) are required.
Mesh Filter
Mesh Filters are commonly made by stainless steel screen mesh with particular choices of micron sizes and shapes.
Mesh filters are easily shaped and can filter particles efficiently.
Replacements every several weeks are required. Also the filter is not biodegradable, therefore not sustainable.
Biofilter Tetra Pond
Biofilter Tetra Pond produce high quality water efficiently by chemical reactions
Biofilters are super efficient using chemical reactions to eliminate toxics.
They are relatively expensive. In addition, expertise is required for maintenance.
Solar Still Solar stills provides clean water through distilling.
They are easy to make and very sustainable.
The production rates are hard to control, and they rely highly on weather conditions.
Settling Tanks
Settling tanks separate sand and water efficiently.
They are easy and cheap to make.
They take more area than other filters. They also require a tent covering because they are completely open.
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IV. Redesign & Prototype
With the new premise in mind, that the
water is clean, the team went back to the drawing
board. Since the water is assumed to be clean, we
would just need a transport system. We came up
with drip hose system for watering the trees. The
drip hose irrigation system is great because the
small exit areas and consistent low-dosed irrigation
preclude the need for pumps and manual labor. However, to use the hose system, we need to filter out
large particles, else the pipes will clog. From this defined problem, the design of the settling tanks was
conceived. Here are the fundamentals: as the water flows through the series of tanks, heavy particles
like dirt and grime fall to the bottom while trace minerals that are light stay in the water. The settling
filter works because the water is now assumed to not be chemically contaminated and meanwhile it
strips away the large particles that would clog the hose.
V. Feedback II The reaction is positive. The only question is whether the system needs an expensive pump.
The assumption is that we do not need a pump because the system is designed with a pressure gradient
by contracting the flow rate area from the last box, , to the cross sectional area of the hose .16 f t 1 2
entrance, causing the increase in velocity needed to passively exit through the drip .5 0 f t , 5 * 1−5 2
diameters, which are even smaller at 1/10th the entrance flow area.
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VI. Testing
The primary two testing processes the team undertook were the engineering aspect through
the physical prototype testing and the design aspect through presenting CAD and physical prototypes
to the client for feedback.
The physical prototype testing sessions were conducted in order to answer the questions of,
“Does this actually work?” while the design aspect posed questions such as, “Is this what the client
wants?” and “Does this system lend itself well into the landscape it is to be implemented on?” Such
design questions were answered through a presentation of design and data to the client in the form of
e-mail, and results to this testing were in the form of a response from the client.
For the physical testing, we waterproofed the inside of both of the cardboard with aluminum
foil models with tape so that we could attempt a small-scale sediment filtration. We poured water
mixed with tea sediments through the structure – and confirmed that indeed even on a small scale, the
sediment filter is able to filter out large particles from the water before the water reaches and is stored
in the last box for repurposing.
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VII. Materials Analysis The plastic is made from polypropylene which has high tensile strength as well as a high
boiling point. These qualities will keep the water tank intact for a long time to serve its purpose. The
low specific gravity of the substance also makes the boxes lightweight and therefore easy to move and
clean. The plastic is resistant to chemical reactions such as to water, acid, and more, hence resistant to
corrosion, thus making it the perfect material for outdoor water tank.
We chose polypropylene as the material because it is relatively durable, e.g. a camelbak water
bottle can be used for at least a year, and meanwhile is inexpensive and easy to clean. Additionally,
plastic is very simple to replace if ever accidentally broken. We chose a size big enough to
accommodate flow but small enough to be covered by a moderate sized
tent to prevent stormwater infiltrating the system. We also had our finals
dimensions based on plastic boxes available in the market so to lower cost
and enable ease of purchase. With the idea of settling tanks, we tried to
choose a system that would not require daily upkeep and ongoing waste.
Unlike the sand and mesh filter, there is no need to replace the boxes, as
they only need to be cleared on average every 20-30 days, depending on the
amount of soil and dirt coming into the tanks.
Plastic was chosen to keep cost low; size was designed so that cost was kept at a minimum; and
a wasteless design alleviates long-term cost functions.
Image (6) Source: IKEA
Image (7) Source: Wikipedia
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Project Management ➤ Within theWastewaterManagement Team, five teammembers divide and conquer the
research, prototyping, testing, presentation and proposal tasks.
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T he entire project begins with one phase: the research phase. After just one week, the team
had the problem statement defined, potential solutions researched and proposed, and the design phase
began with all of the team members hitting the ground running to design, evaluate, and analyze the
voted system of choice: solar distillation filtration.
The design phase encompassed the financial, engineering, and human-centered analysis of the
feasibility and desirability of our design. Designs, once sufficiently realized, were immediately sent to
the client for evaluation and iterated twice for each design by the Wastewater Management Team. In
addition, physical prototypes were built during periods of academic rest, allowing for full team
cooperation. If the design tests negative for feasibility or desirability, the research phase is revisited to
obtain a re-design. In the case of the Wastewater Management Team, the solar shed design indeed had
to be scrapped. The settling tank with drip irrigation design took its place. The design phase totalled
five weeks from 12 October to 30 November.
The presentation progressed simultaneous with the design phase and revisit of research phase.
Work In Progress presentation round one took place just before we designed the CAD of the solar
shed. Work In Progress presentation round two took place just after we revisited the research phase
and prototyped the settling tanks design. However, unlike the research and design phases, the
presentation phase moves onto the day of the final. The final presentation takes place during week
eleven. The presentation phase lasts six weeks, from 8 November to 18 December.
Lastly, the project proposal phase proceeds two weeks, from the first day we obtained
preliminary guidelines from Brandon to the final day to submit (26 November – 18 December).
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II. Organization Chart and Task Delegation Within the Wastewater Management Team, five team members divide and conquer the
research, prototyping, testing, presentation and proposal tasks. The Client Liaison, Christine
Pinnkathok, is in charge of communications with the client, following up with both parties, and
drafting client background information and problem statement specifications. From the design
specifications, our Solutions Analyst Rachel Wu facilitates the research and ideation process by
keeping summarized notes on the pros and cons of various systems. Meanwhile, Howard Chen the
Safety and Regulations Analyst, checks each system for compliance with government regulations and
general safety concerns. Once a system has been selected, Uan Sholanbayev, our Financial Analyst,
delivers the cost breakdowns and comparisons. Throughout the entire process, Kimberly the Team
Lead organizes all tasks, supplies, and meetings, and conducts testing on prototypes.
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The Proposed Solution ➤ Empathize, define, feedback I, ideate, feedback II, prototype, feedback II, and test.
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S eries of settling tanks, the final iteration to the design, consists of series of settling tanks
with each proceeding tank lower in height. To avoid any leakage, the tanks will be composed of plastic.
The design allows large particles to settle and water to be transported through a drip hose for
irrigation. The settling tanks drip hose system was conceived because the client desires a water
transport system for fruit tree irrigations; filtration is now needed now that the water has been
determined to be clean. The purpose of the settling tank is to act as a soft filter and prevent large
particles from clogging the hose. The final design satisfies the client request while also complying with
technical and regulatory standards.
The final design incorporates both a sediment filter and a drip irrigation system to capture
run-off water from the neighboring farm for soft filtering and divert the filtered water throughout the
property of Wild Willow Farm for a pressure-driven, drip irrigation.
The system was decided based on several assumptions. The
first, the client affirmed that the water is
run-off from a farm whose soil is clean and
lacks pesticides and therefore does not
need intensive filtration. The second, the
water run-off contains large soil particles
that would need to be removed in order to
prevent blockage in the hose drip
irrigation system. The design has to follow
government regulations in order to be
successfully implemented.
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I. The Prototype The WWT Sediment Filter Prototype is made out of easy and accessible materials: cardboard,
aluminum, and masking tape. With the life-sized “Box A” of the Sediment Filter model designed to be
2ft x 2ft x 2ft, the “Box A” of the prototype Sediment Filter is 1/10th of that size, sitting at 3in x 3in x
3in. With the cardboard and aluminum prototype, we tried to obtain an answer to whether the
sediment filter worked on a small-scale.
II. The Rate Equations Given: 300 gallons a day
1 gal = 0.14 ft^3
300 gal * 0.14 = 1.75 t 24 hr f 3/ t hrf 3/
III. The Volume Equations
11669.625” 0.75" × 22.00" × 17.25" V olumebox1 = 3 =
5661.56” 22.50" × 16.50" × 15.25" V olumebox2 = =
3774.38” 22.50" × 15.25" × 11.00" V olumebox3 = =
2762.72” 14.25" × 11.75" × 16.50" V olumebox4 = =
→ 13.81 >> 1.75 um(V olume) (12in) f t 3.81 f t S / 3 / = 1 3 tf 3 t hrf 3/
Conclusion: the volume is more than enough to deal with 300 gallons of water everyday.
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IV. The Manual
First, obtain required materials: 4 different sized plastic tanks from Ikea that meet the design
specification, a knife for cutting flow holes on the plastic tanks, tent from Amazon, sharpie marker,
hose adaptor, and a drip hose. Next, proceed to mark the plastic tanks with the appropriate flow hole
size with the sharpie marker. Once marked, boxes are cut to make the flow hole (note that each hole
will only have three cuts, top and two sides – not the bottom!), after finish cutting, bend the piece of
plastic downward to form a curve that will allow water to drip into the smaller tank without leaking
out on the sides. The settling tanks are now complete.
To attach the transportation system, the drip hose, simply cut
out a hose on the smallest tank and insert the hose adaptor, next attach
the drip hose to the adapter and rout the hose to desired locations.
Finally, set up the tent purchased online and place the settling tank
system inside. The entire settling tank system that will filter out larger
particles then transport to desired locations is now complete.
Box Image Source: IKEA
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Cost Analysis
➤ In about four months, the filter will return its cost.
______________________________________________________________________________ I. Initial-Term Costs
Table 2. TABLE OF MATERIAL COSTS – INITIAL COSTS
Table of Material Costs
Items Description Vendor Part No. Qty Unit
Cost Ext Cost
Delivery
Cost Total
Plastic Box Storage box, white IKEA #2 4 $420 $37 $10 $47
Hose low-density poly tubing
HomeDepot #3 1 $9.97 $9.97 $5.99 $15.96
Tent Scout" Backpack
Tent
Amazon #5 1 $23.44 $23.44 $0
(Amazon Prime)
23.44
Knife Stainless Blade Knifecenter #6 1 $7.96 $7.96 $0 $7.96
Total $94.96
II. Long-Term Costs
Table 3. TABLE OF UPKEEP COSTS – LONG-TERM COSTS
Sediment Filter Expenses vs Saves (in a year)
Maintenance (assume yearly replacement) $47
Saved Money +$626.4
Difference +$579,4
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III. Long-Term Gains
According to the San Diego water rates* 748 gallons of water are equal to $4.34. If the Sediment Filter cleans $300 of water every day, it will save $52,21 each month. In about four months the filter will return its cost.
Source: San Diego Water Rates
Table 4. TABLE OF MONEY SAVED PER MONTH (CUMULATIVE)
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Sustainability ➤ Water will be conserved, and repurposed to provide for fruit trees which will produce
organic, natural fruit.
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O ur proposed solution is environmentally friendly as well as sustainable because we created
a small, compact design that needs minimal maintenance, chose materials that are durable, and found
solutions to reduce future repair costs. Wild Willow Farm will need to buy all the materials needed to
construct the filter but there is no energy needed to keep the filter running. The passive flow of water
is able to filter out the sediment as well as transport the water down the incline through the drip hose
in order to water the surrounding fruit trees. The only added effort is when the user needs to clean out
the settling tanks by rinsing with water. The water used to clean the tanks can be dumped onto the
ground since no harmful chemicals will be used. Also, the system produces no waste. Any water that is
not collected by the filter will just be absorbed into the ground and will not harm the environment.
Since our system, minimizes any waste, there are only positive short term effects. Water will be
conserved, and repurposed to provide for fruit trees which will produce organic, natural fruit. In the
long term, Wild Willow Farm will be able to stay in business because they will abide by government
regulations as well as stay committed to their mission of
producing natural food on a small scale that can be provided
to the community. If Wild Willow Farm stays in business,
they can continue to inspire other agricultural entrepreneurs
and innovators to continue promoting sustainable farming.
In order to maintain the effectiveness of the sediment filter, the filter
should be cleaned on a regular basis and any replacement of materials should be done as soon as
possible.
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Team Qualifications ______________________________________________________________________________ ➤ Christine Pinnkathok is the Client Liason for the Waste Water Team. She has been studying Chemical Engineering at UCSD for the past three years. Also, she has worked at two pharmaceutical companies, BioMarin and Pfizer Inc during the past two years, where she has learned many technical skills. Christine’s backgound helped her to support the team through every step of the design project, aiding in communicating between the group and the client as well as researching possible design solutions. ➤ Howard Chen is the Regulations Analyst for the Waste Water Team. He currently works as a Clean Room Technician at the Calit2 Nano3 Laboratory. Howard studies Biotech Bioengineering and has experience in event coordination. His background has lent him a critical eye toward abiding by standards, codes, and regulations. ➤ Kimberly is the Team Lead of the Waste Water Team. She has worked several summers as office manager at Summa Consulting, LLC, where she gained invaluable leadership experience. Currently, she is an independent research student for the UC San Diego Physics Department. Kimberly’s background has helped her contribute to the solution design as well as allow for members to simultaneously be themselves and accomplish a shared vision. ➤ Rachel is the Solution Analyst of the Waste Water Team. She is taking a Conceptual Structural Design class this quarter. During the class, she learnt to manage Solidworks, a computer aided design tool, which was also used in this wastewater management project. She has also taken many engineering classes that require teamwork, technical analysis, and technical writing. Therefore, Rachel’s teamwork experiences and technical skills helped the group in developing the final design. ➤ Uan is the Financial Analyst. His responsibility is calculating the cost of the project and presenting the details of all expenses. The financial analyst also provides the links which confirm the costs of the materials needed to construct the project. Also, he studies and presents the cost of maintenance and analyzes the approximate amount of money the project might save if implemented. Finally, he explains the main reasons why the team chooses the solution it presents.
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Design Proposal Contact Sheet ______________________________________________________________________________
➤ Catheryn Henning
Educational Coordinator
➤ Christine Pinnkathok
Client Liaison
➤ Howard Chen
Regulations Analyst
➤ Yumi Kimberly Nguyen
Team Lead
➤ Yuejia Rachel Wu
Solution Analyst
➤ Uan Sholanbayev
Financial Analyst
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