What's it like being a Project Associate on Hydrologic?

Hey guys! My name is Andy and I'm a junior studying Computer Science at UIUC and also a Project Associate(PA) on Hydrologic this semester(FA 21). Today I wanted to demystify the work that PAs do and talk about some typical workstreams we have been working on! 

Starting from myself, one of my main workstreams this semester has been building and refining this website! I spent a couple of weeks bringing design ideas I brainstormed into life through this website into what it looks like today. Of course, the construction is still ongoing and much work will be done in the future(possibly by other PAs)! One of the things I really enjoyed in the website building process is the autonomy I got from ideation to implementation. In every stage, I had a lot of say in the design choices and implementation details; it truly gave me a feeling of ownership on this workstream!

This type of autonomy and ownership also extends to many other workstreams done by other PAs as well. For example, Sammy spearheaded the workstream for social media outreach this semester, and she was able to freely come up with ideas from scheduling to the content for posts on our official Instagram. Check us out using the link to see more cool posts!

One of the other cool things about being a project associate on Hydrologic is that you know all your hard work is contributing to a greater cause that will benefit our planet! Even if the work may get tough sometimes, it's extremely motivating and gratifying for me to think about the larger mission we have as a project. That is by far my favorite part of working as a PA on Hydrologic!

The experience as a PA is also equally beneficial for me as well! Aside from the gratification, I learned valuable skills such as translating workstream goals into tangible deliverables, collaborating and communicating with others in tackling complex problems, and even navigating through the creation of our website. All of these skills are crucial and applicable to my future careers.