Chiara Biondi, Class of 2023, Mathematical Computational Science
This summer, I’ve been working with Pepe Bolorinos in Professor Mauter’s WE3 Lab. Our research aims to build a data-driven model to optimize the energy usage of wastewater treatment plants. In order to build an effective model, the project will acquire large quantities of sensor data from several wastewater treatment plants across the country. Treatment plants vary in their construction and configuration, which is reflected in the raw data we collect. My work this summer was to help streamline the data ingestion and cleaning processes to programmatically account for such differences. One output of this effort was a tool that visualized different aspects of the data cleaning process, from cleaning to imputation (pictured below).
Going into the summer, I was looking forward to the opportunity to work with sensor data, which is known to be a complex and noisy data collection method. I hoped the challenge would equip me with valuable skills for a data scientist. Not only did this turn out to be true, but the project also inspired an interest in leveraging data to make improvements in the energy sector.
Given that I had no prior knowledge of wastewater treatment plants, I was lucky to work with a wonderful team of patient and passionate people who were willing to answer all my questions and fast-track my understanding of the topic. I enjoyed working with a small team and the sense of both responsibility and accomplishment that comes with it.
Given that I had no prior knowledge of wastewater treatment plants, I was lucky to work with a wonderful team of patient and passionate people who were willing to answer all my questions and fast-track my understanding of the topic. I enjoyed working with a small team and the sense of both responsibility and accomplishment that comes with it.
