Ivan Estevez, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering at CCNY, is one of eight students nationally selected Department of the Interior (DOI) Student Ambassadors.
For ten weeks last summer, Ivan Estevez, a sophomore majoring in civil engineering in the Grove School of Engineering at The City College of New York, interned at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) near San Francisco. His assignment was to study 3D scans of the geological damage done by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in the spring and to help generate figures for the USGS’ report on the disaster.
For his work, Mr. Estevez, a Bronx native born of immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, has been selected a Department of the Interior (DOI) Student Ambassador for the 2011-12 academic year. He is one of only eight ambassadors selected nationally by DOI to represent their respective institutions in the program.
The program is co-sponsored by DOI, which is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the Partnership for Public Service. The latter is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to revitalize the federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.
Mr. Estevez’ primary responsibility will be to encourage students at City College to pursue careers in the DOI, particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. He is already planning events and presentations. In addition, he is coordinating activities with CCNY’s Career Center and holding office hours to share his internship experience and knowledge of DOI with his peers.
“The program works to inspire students to make a difference through public service and pursue job and internship opportunities at DOI,” said Amanda Davis, associate manager, education and outreach, at the Partnership for Public Service. “Ambassadors educate their peers about the mission and work of DOI, raise awareness of the incredible opportunities that exist at the agency, and develop innovative approaches to increasing students’ interest in DOI jobs and internships.”
“This is a position that is bestowed on just a few people around the country so I’m extremely happy,” said Mr. Estevez, who plans to become a structural engineer. “I’m glad to be a representative for the Department of Interior. I had a great experience at the USGS and would like to pass on the information to others.”
Much of his time as an intern under the supervision of Dr. Robert Kayen was spent generating figures for USGS’ report on the earthquake. They did this by looking at 3D scans of the affected areas and producing measurements of such features as landslides, lateral and vertical spreads, cavities, and other noticeable features or damages resulting from the earthquake.
In addition, Mr. Estevez collected ambient wave (micro tremors) data throughout the San Francisco Bay area. This involved very sensitive sensors to be placed in a two-dimensional array.
An active member of CCNY’s LAESA-SHPE chapter (Latin American Engineering Student Association – Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), he credits the club for helping him prepare for the internship.