Unusual Portfolio
“No, What are you really?”: Musings from an International Adoptee
https://www.musingsfromaninternationaladoptee.com/
This is currently the only blog written from a male international adoptee perspective. What it does is provide a perspective focused on the more amusing aspects of this situation. While there are many profoundly emotional and heart-wrenching contributions related to this very sensitive topic, I prefer to bastardize Jean Anouilh’s line in Antigone: sometimes there is nothing left to do but laugh.
PSU ENGL 420 Things Your Dad Never Taught You
https://sites.psu.edu/english420fisher/
Created for PSU 420 Writing for the Web, this blog provided insights to the Millennial and Gen Z demographic on how to become a gentleman. This blog was the first 100 grade given by the instructor and is currently being discussed for continuation outside the classroom for the general public.
“Absolutely well done, Derek. It’s not just that these are well-written posts. It’s not just that they are witty and smart. It’s that you practice what you preach. Empathy is at the core of your vision of what it means to be a gentleman. And you can feel the empathy all throughout these posts. Though you take a very tough tone, it’s clear at all times that you’re serious about helping others. It comes through in the content and style. I don’t really know what else to say except excellent work. Oh, and this is the first 100 I’ve given in at least 15 years.” – Daniel Tripp, Apr 29 at 11:53am
PSU GEOG 469 Final Presentation
This presentation heavily features ArcGIS programming skills and also demonstrates Canva, Powerpoint, Zoom, and presentation abilities.
“The best presentation I have viewed in my nine years teaching this course, congrats!; presentation graphics throughout were consistent & professional; You have an outstanding grasp of the project and go into great detail telling a great story about why the transmission line is needed, how the routes were selected, explaining the route statistical process and involving the public so that the average citizen can understand the process. You went beyond the max time, but the information you presented far outweighs the timing concern; the budget for communications was above and beyond the task at had, but it is great because you took this project made it your own and included information that would make this truly a presentation model that could be used in a rel-life situation.” – Ronald Allan Santini , Apr 28 at 6:16pm
PSU ENGL 202 Business Writing Final Project: Orchestrating Successful Birth Family Searches for Korean American Adoptees
ENGL 202D Project 5 Final Draft REV 4
PSU EMSC 240N Energy & Sustainability in Contemporary Culture Blog
https://sites.psu.edu/derekfa2018emsc240n/
Penn State’s EMSC 240N Energy & Sustainability in Contemporary Culture class required the creation of a blog journaling our thoughts on each lesson. Just because a blog is a requirement does not mean that it can’t be simultaneously entertaining as well.
PSU GEOG 432 Energy Policy Paper: Technological Agnosticism – Flaws in the Renewable Fuel Standard and the Path Forward & Supporting Brochure- Spring 2019
GEOG 432 RESEARCH PROJECT REV 4 (1)
GEOG 432 L11 BROCHURE REV 2.1 (1)
I enjoyed writing this paper because I think it highlights the perils of becoming pot-committed to one particular technology. One of the aspects that I enjoyed the most was becoming highly competent in the construction of the RFS and the perfection of hindsight in that what seemed ideal decades ago now is a political albatross for both sides of the aisle.
PSU EGEE 401 Energy in a Changing World Capstone Paper: Application of Human Kinetic Energy in Achieving Partial Electrical Independence for Residential and Small Business Environments
This was a really fun paper to write because I was able to approach a smaller niche in the renewable energy portfolio and consider the viability of its scalability. I believe so strongly in the potential of human kinetic energy that one of my concepts for my Capstone Project was to work with the PSU Athletic department and explore the viability of utilizing student athletes and determining the best pathways for compensation of their efforts in the form of green credits redeemable for various expenses ranging from food, textbooks, to athletic supplies.
PSU EME 466 Energy and Sustainability in Society Capstone Project: Borough of State College, PA 2016 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Portfolio
My Senior year Capstone Project ended up to be something I never dreamed could happen. Being a World Campus student, sometimes State College and University Park seem galaxies away. I actually got to work directly with the Borough of State College and create their most current Greenhouse Gas Inventory. State College is strongly committed to reducing their GHG emissions, and this was the first year that the Borough integrated a new reporting software called ClearPath™ to create the most accurate and comprehensive inventory to date. This project culminated in a presentation to the Sustainability Committee of the Borough and a third-place award in the PSU Sustainability Expo.
