Day1

How do you rate yourself on each of the software applications listed on the syllabus? On a scale of 0 to 10 -

Please prepare a table in Word placing each software title listed in the syllabus in one column and your self-appraisal of competence in the second column. Attach your Word document (with all of today's tasks completed) to e-mail message from your UTAD account and send it to me. If you do NOT receive a reply please check with me - this week I will respond to each message just to let you know that communications have been established. Please note that you are not being evaluated on your "score" based on numbers you assign yourself, but if everyone claims to be a 9 or 10 on everything we can go directly to Final Project and forget the rest of the semester. I need to know where to set the bar - if you know the software we can learn something new, if you haven't heard of it we can start at the beginning.

I've discovered that most students have only begun to scratch the surface of Excel's capabilities. Tell me if you use Excel's Visual Basic tools - no, we won't go there but the possibilities are enormous for those who can master powerful tools for managing, processing, interpreting and displaying enormous quantities of data.

All assignments are to be sent as e-mail attachments - it is important to have your e-mail account up and running from this laboratory (some of the software might not be available for you to use on your personal computer). Final Projects must be submitted from BO 3051 computers, so please get used to sending from these computers.

Every declared ENST, ENSC or GEOL major has his or her own personal departmental mailbox in BO 3049 and check it at least once a week. You should also periodically check out the bulletin boards on the 3rd floor for a variety of useful information. Finally, you should check with your departmental academic adviser from time to time---if you don't know who your adviser is, or they are not sure if you have an adviser, check with Dr. Phillips (BO 3040).

Background: rip currents undercut concrete block walls despite protection by gabions: Cedeño, south coast of Honduras, September of 2002 (photo by Dr.D.).