Field Technician, Shannon & Wilson, Inc. Ingrid Backstrom Department of Geology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA 99362      I interned at Shannon & Wilson, Inc., a geotechnical engineering and environmental consulting firm. My title was "Field Technician," but most of the work I did was as a lab technician, performing limits testing and other lab tests, as well as data entry, on soils obtained from drill cores throughout Seattle. The drilling for the main project I worked on was for the RTA project in Seattle, a new rapid transportation system that is going in. Besides lab work and data entry, I went out in the field several times, mostly as a drilling inspector. That involved mainly observing the drillers' procedures, and confirming that the proper depths were drilled, and proper fill materials used. I filled out the drilling log and wrote memos to the contractors detailing the progress and specifications of the project. One day I went to Bainbridge Island with Senior Geologist and V.P. Bill Laprade, where we obtained samples and mapped an area for a proposed gully fill and road. I also did work on the drafting illustrations for this and another project (editing CAD illustrations). Return to Geology Department Homepage Return to Whitman College Homepage