Entry #3 Work Atmosphere

Dates: 6/21 - 6/23
Activities: HDS Literature Review,
Technical Information: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe PDF
Reflection: In the Highway Systems Group, there are around 20 different research projects being conducted at once, so effective communication within the team is key. There are 15 people that are members of the Highway Systems Group, ranging from people with their PHDs, PEs (Professional Engineers), to interns who are still in graduate school at NC State. In order to facilitate communication between all team members, every Monday morning we have a mini staff meeting where we discuss current project statuses and make decisions on what next steps should be taken.

The entirety of the work atmosphere is pretty relaxed. The dress code is business casual, and because all of our offices are relatively close to each other, it's easy to pop into my supervisor's or coworker's office and ask questions. Everyone that works there really has an interest in getting to know each other and playing to people's strengths. Even though there is a clear "boss," everyone works together to produce high-quality research reports and meet deadlines.

These past few days I have been working with one of my supervisors, Daniel, with the HDS project in looking up information on a new technology called LiDAR. Even though the actual project kick-off day isn't until August, it's been neat learning about this innovative scanning system and informing my supervisors about it. Most of my tasks throughout the day involve using Adobe Print to keep my internet information sources organized and putting them all into a Word Document.