This was a short but eventful week. We finished contaminating our last batch of samples with PFBA and prepared some diluted samples with PFOA and PFBA. Because we are preparing samples in bulk, it can feel a little overwhelming and tiring sometimes. Nonetheless, all the work to prepare the samples is worth the end result and seeing and comparing how effective they were at adsorbing the various PFAS compounds. can get quite confusing, so it is especially important to go slow and double-check as you go. Since last week, we have been preparing samples to be run in the LC-MS. However, this week, we have also started preparing samples to be run in the TG-MS. I have yet to see this machine, but its purpose is to determine if the copper or iron ion exchange on the zeolites has produced a catalytic effect.

I also got to use the XPS on three zeolite samples and two granulated activated carbon (GAC) samples.

Being back in that room brought me back to the second day of my internship. It made me realize how far I have gotten in my project and just how much time flies. The first time I saw the XPS, I sat with my mentor for her training. I was overwhelmed, but I tried my best to follow along. Although I am not knowledgeable on how to use the machine, I better understood why we were using this machine as part of my research project. Now that I am well-versed in my research project, understanding the once-intimidating machines has gotten much easier.

My internship has slowly taken a turn. I used to be in the office area reading for about 70% of the time and now I am in the lab 90% of the day. In these past couple of weeks, I feel that I learned and gained many valuable lab skills. I may not be doing very complex tasks in the lab, but I am now performing tasks with much more advanced equipment. Additionally, I feel like the experiments I am performing have an actual purpose, which is to ultimately become something that can be used in the real world. I have come to understand and get first-hand experience on how valuable lab work is and how it contributes to innovation. I have also learned so much about environmental engineering, which is something I have not considered studying before starting this internship. I’ve come to realize that my passions partly reside in the field of environmental engineering, and I am considering pursuing PhD in that same field or something very similar.