Nice to meet you!
Howdy, I am Callum Flemister (they/them), a rising Junior at Rice University. I am working on my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Thermal Fluids and minors in Engineering Design and Environmental Sciences.
After graduating, I plan to continue my education at Rice to obtain my master’s in either applied physics or mechanical engineering in the 5 Masters Program offered by Rice. My career goal is for my work to have a positive impact on others in a collaborative environment. I want to focus on energy efficiency and clean energy production. It has become my mission to aid in the development of a world that allows for long-term sustainable human development.
At Rice, I play the trumpet for the OPB, Campanile, and any theater groups I have a chance to join. When I have time, I also love to play tennis and volleyball. Going into next year, I hope to be able to also join the Rice Wind Club and the Rice Porsche Project!
Fun Facts about myself are that I love making origami, I know a lot about bowling, my birthday is a math problem, and I am obsessed with the color green!
For this trip to Mexico, I want to strengthen my understanding of the engineering design process and to learn about different applications of environmental studies. While at Rice, I have been exposed to so much new information and I have learned that there is so much to learn about the world and humans’ place in it. However, I feel I have not had an opportunity to apply my knowledge and I am hoping this trip helps.
For the sustainable water purification class, I want to first learn in general about what it means to have a water purification system that is sustainable. Does this mean cheap, low maintenance, easy to build? I know it’s probably a mixture of all of these and more, but I hope to gain an understanding of how to prioritize each of these in a given situation and how to maximize them all. My main interest in environmental studies does fall with energy management but I also wonder if there is a way to combine the water treatment and energy production processes. Water is a fantastic resource for both cooling and generating energy, so I am curious about if it’s possible to purify water while also utilizing it for energy production. Maybe one is a by-product of the other or old water is boiled to create steam which is then able to be treated? I plan to keep this in mind as we go through the class.
The needs identification and implantation course we are taking is also fascinating to me. While I can accumulate knowledge, unless I can understand how my ideas and visions affect the people and the world around them, I will not be fulfilling my duties as an engineer. Before coming to college, I was given a few words of wisdom by a retired engineer I met. He told me that the most valued people he worked with were people who could fully understand a design challenge and understand the challenge of implementing that design. I am young and inexperienced so I obviously cannot yet approach a problem presented to me with the same know-how and confidence. However, I think this class is a fantastic chance to start learning some of the ethics and sensitivity needed to be an effective engineer.