Staff Spotlight: Grace Sun, EIT
Welcome to our team Grace Sun, EIT. Grace joined our Monrovia crew almost a year ago as a staff engineer. Since then she has assisted on projects for a range of clients and communities through Southern California including but not limited to Los Angeles, Burbank, Whittier, Pasadena, and Pomona. Let’s check in to learn more about this engineer!
What did you do before joining Civiltec? (Work/School)
I received my bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Engineering from Shandong University, China, and my master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining Civiltec, I was a youth mentor in the Church in San Gabriel for over four years for activity planning and meeting hosting.
You’re Published! Can you tell us a bit about your paper and maybe dive into the process of accomplishing this?
It was teamwork by the whole lab team and I was lucky to be part of it. I spent a year working in a professor’s lab in school. Her passion and love for science inspired me the most. The part I did was to discover the antibiotic resistance genes (these genes would possibly mitigate the effectiveness of antibiotics) in the soils, using the qPCR method to quantify these genes.
What made you decide to engineer and what discipline you feel drawn to (water/waste/drainage/roadway/civil etc)?
With a heart to improve the environment, I chose environmental science and engineering as my focus. I am interested in drainage and water/wastewater engineering.
Can you describe what your patent is used for?
It turns a waste, lignin from papermaking sludge, into a useful resource, flocculant for water/wastewater treatment.
How does your team collaborate on projects?
I am working with David Song and Omner Meza mainly for pipeline replacement work right now. David assigns projects for Omner and I. Omner then sets up the base for me to work on, teaches me and answers my questions. David checks our work and also teach me the basics. I am thankful to be in a place where help is easily and readily accessible.
What do you enjoy about your day-to-day here at Civiltec?
A friendly atmosphere, practical projects to work on, various learning resources (a library with standards and engineering books, all the previous projects on the server, coworkers in the office who are willing to share and teach), and lots of fruit and snacks.
What has been one highlight or memorable project of the past few months? (A favorite project or day?)
I would say that the San Bernardino project is by far my favorite. After this project, things started to make sense. I became confident in drawing pipe connection details, sections, and etc.. We also had a site visit, which helped me to understand the HDPE pipe more thoroughly.
What excites you most about the future of your field?
We can do different kinds of projects in Civiltec, like wells, booster pumps, and reservoirs. I am looking forward to learning them one by one.
What is the number one thing on your workplace or personal bucket list?
To pass my PE test.
What are you passionate about outside of work?
I love to spend time with my family. I am also a volunteer as a main coordinator for children’s meetings in the church.
