Heritage Halls

Last week, with my Construction Management 105 (CM 105 - Construction Documents) class we toured the new student housing development on campus of the new Heritage Halls (formerly known as "DT" - Deseret Towers, and currently known as the "new DT").

It was very informative and helpful to be inside the building, see the construction process, the equipment, some of the decision making processes, and whatnot.

But I think the best part may just have been the part where we got to wear the bright green construction vests, where the legit BYU construction management hard hats, and the humongous safety glasses. I felt legit, I won't lie. Fun experience, and I learned a lot.

I must say: Organization is key. That project is so organized it's ridiculous. I really hope I can keep learning organization skills: cause I'm going to need it!

Provo temple

Due to a little miscommunication, and honest mistakes it turns out I was interviewing at the PROVO temple, not the Draper temple as I originally thought. Here is the story:
I got to the Draper temple where they proceeded to tell me that I in fact did not have an interview there - they had just hired one last week. So they called around and found out from Salt Lake that my interview was actually in Provo! Which honestly I was really happy about: it's way closer and will be much less stressful on me (and my wallet - much less gas!)

So I got to Provo and interviewed there with the temple engineer. I had little of the technical knowledge that he asked about but showed a genuine interest in learning about it. I believe it was ultimately my desire to grow and learn that led him to hire me as the engineering intern! I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn in this capacity and grow as a facility manager!

Internships and BIM

This has been a crazy week as far as progressing through my major goes. Let me tell you all about it.

In Construction Management 105 we have been learning to use Revit, Arquitecture: a BIM (Building Information modeling) software program for the design of buildings. It is all-inclusive software that incorporates all aspects of the building process. Right now we are learning to put in the structure of the building: the beams, footings, foundations, etc. I am so happy for the opportunity to study in the best program in the world! (Literally: 8 out of the last 10 years!) The resources available to me are second to none!

I have also been preparing for an internship. Recently I applied to work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints as an engineering intern at the Draper, Utah temple. I have been called a couple of times and tomorrow I am scheduled to interview with them! I am absolutely thrilled for the opportunity and hope to present myself the very best I can: the opportunity is priceless! I will keep the blog updated!

Student Genius Competition

Last friday here at BYU, we had the student genius competition. The student genius competition is put on every year by the Facility and Property Management (FPM) department. The competition is designed as a chance for the students in the program to interact and correlate with professionals in the field from all across the United States. These professionals serve on the BYU FPM advisory council. They are all very distinguished in the field of FPM, have been very successful, and are so generous with their time to help us out.

The competition this year was for each group to come up with an invention that will help to solve one or more of the problems facing infrastructure and buildings in the next 100 years (such as overpopulation, world wars, increased emphasis on "green" buildings, safety and security issues, etc.)

We students in the Facility and Property Management program were placed in groups. I was placed in the group led by Jim Whittaker, from Fairfax, Virginia. He is the Director of the Board for IFMA (International Facility Management Association), and President of the company Facility Engineering Associates. What I loved about working with him was that he gave us subtle ideas here and there, but overall he just let us take off with our own ideas and do most of the critical thinking.

Our idea was to use Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to turn waste (including human waste) into energy and potable water. These microbial fuel cells have already been discovered and are currently being researched. Their possibilities are being explored and the future looks bright. The MFCs are a bacteria that turn organic and/or inorganic waste into energy by chemically reacting with the waste and releasing the energy. The by-product of the reaction is H2O. This process could change the way the world uses its water supply and could have global effects someday in the future. I don't just say this because it was my group's project; I really feel that within the next 100 years or sooner that this technology could make a huge difference.

My group finished 3rd, likely because of our lack of organization in our presentation and lack of presenting skills. Nonetheless, I feel our project was worthwhile, and I was able to learn a lot. Not just about microbial fuel cells, but about group work, the FPM field, creativity, and the potential of the future.