Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year, so I’m definitely sad winter break is over. I had a wonderful time snowboarding with my friends and family at couple different mountains (Copper, Breck and good ol’ Loveland if you’re reading this as a fellow Coloradan). I also got to pond skating at Evergreen Lake, which is something I’ve wanted to do since starting to play hockey last year. Finally, I had not one, but TWO celebrity sightings over break. First of all I got to meet Nathan MacKinnon, my favorite player on the Avalanche. Second, Elijah Wood next to me on the plane on the way to LA. If you’re like me and are a huge Lord of the Rings fan, you’ll know that he plays Frodo in the LOTR trilogy. Both Nathan and Elijah were really cool.

 

 

Now that I’m back school, there are lots of exciting things to look forward to this semester. My course load is filled up; I’m taking Organic Chemistry, Viscous Flow (fluid mechanics for chemical engineers), Intro to Separations (more ChemE), Communication for Engineers (mostly technical writing and presentations), The Historical Jesus (a general education class), and, my favorite class, Weight Training. Weight Training is one-unit course in physical education that teaches you how to lift weights. Since I live about a minute away from our gym, the Lyon Center, but somehow never actually work out, I thought this would be a great way to keep fit and get some stress relief!

 

My kind of gnarly looking schedule

My kind of gnarly looking schedule

 

Outside of class, I’m excited to get back into all my activities. Judo practices started last week, and hockey starts this week. I always enjoy the start of the semester because there are new members to meet and teach. Spring semester brings our hockey team’s biggest tournament of the year in Las Vegas in April. We’re getting training hard and getting pumped up.

 

Missed my teammates over break

Missed my teammates over break

 

I’m also diving more into my research this semester. I’m using software to model oil fields in order to show that the Hall Plot, a tool that has been used in industry for many years, isn’t useful for many, even most, types of fields. It’s an exciting project for me because I’m learning how to use this advanced modeling software, and I’m continuing the work I did from my internship last summer.

Spring is here again, and I’m looking forward to my classes, sports and activities this semester!

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Sophie

Sophie

Chemical Engineering (Petroleum), Class of 2018, Learn more on her profile here!