Sarah Sinclair's Individual Contribution Page

Again as a part of the Water Treatment Technology Selection Guide team, I will work to finalize the implementation of the results page, working closely with an Environmental Engineering teammate to implement coherent recommendation logic. I will finalize the CSS and design of the site, making any changes as necessary according to user feedback. I will enable the sharing of site results, and will work to make improvements in ease of use (e.g. fetching population growth rate based on country name).

Continuing on the Water Treatment Technology Selection Guide team, I worked to design and implement a cohesive results page for the recommendation web tool, translating wireframes into a functional tool. I improved the mechanism by which data is passed between pages of the tool and worked to ensure all included fields were meaningful and fully functional. I contributed to ongoing work in the realms of style and functionality, and configured and deployed the site live to the AguaClara server.

As a part of the Water Treatment Technology Selection Guide team, I contributed to the development of an interactive tool which educates users about the different water treatment technologies available to them. I engaged in preliminary literature review surveying potential treatment options before designing the layout of a clean, modern, multi-page website built to provide treatment recommendations. I coded the stylesheets for the website in CSS, implemented form functionality using PHP and HTML, and worked to improve user interactivity with liberal use of JavaScript. Great consideration was given to minimizing user memory load and to making form inputs accessible to those without technical knowledge. I began preparations to deploy the site live on the AguaClara server, and worked to set up MySQL databases that will be used to log user input. Throughout the semester, I paid special attention to user experience, implementing features like parallax scrolling, maintained scroll position between pages, and pre-populated user inputs when users revisit site pages.

Continuing on the Low Flow Stacked Rapid Sand Filter subteam, I worked to finalize the construction of the 12" (30 cm) diameter filter begun last semester. We succeeded in having the filter up and running by the end of the semester. This involved designing a sand drain, slotted manifolds, and pipe stubs, as well as a method of recycling water through the plant so it could be run continuously. I contributed to the design and machining of the slotted manifolds for the filter, and worked to machine and install valves for the pressure sensors that were inserted into the side of the main filter column. I assembled the backwash pipe for the filter and helped test the column for watertightness. I generated a design for the sand drain and helped the team transition from fabrication into testing by introducing measures like secondary containment. Towards the end of the semester, I assisted in testing the filter, and helped succeed in initiating backwash under substandard conditions.

As a part of the Low Flow Stacked Rapid Sand Filtrer subteam, I contributed to the ongoing construction of a new, 12" diameter filter that will be used to model LFSRSFs currently being built in India. I helped create a simplified, accessible design for the filter hydraulics, and formalized design constraints for the filter through myriad head loss calculations. I helped pioneer a new way of joining filter components using gaskets, stainless steel shim stock, and hose clamps, and applied this method in the construction of a filter column, entrance tank, and exit tank. I led efforts to replace filter inlet and exit piping with flexible PVC, and created a construction method to insert couplings and barbed-to-male adapters through filter column walls. I began construction of the backwash pipe and investigated the uniformity of flow distribution through inlet piping via the flow ratio. I created various schematic diagrams and documented design motivations and procedures that will be helpful when the construction of this filter is eventually replicated.

As a part of the Small Scale Plant Model team, I contributed to the construction of a portable, scaled model of an AguaClara plant that will clearly represent AguaClara treatment processes and can be used for educational and fundraising purposes. I was responsible for the creation of the majority of our team's Rhinoceros templates representing flattened plant components. I contributed to the later optimization of these templates, and I compiled three-dimensional composite shots of our model's components in order to facilitate future construction. I also assembled our model flocculator, filter, and filter inlet, and worked to cut out our model entrance tank from chipboard.

Page tree