Creative Projects
§08 Creative Projects & Technical Portfolio
Aisha, your environmental engineering ambitions need a tangible portfolio that admissions readers can see, click through, and remember. The committee noted two high-value assets already in your profile — your water filtration system work and your Lake Michigan microplastics research with an AGU presentation — but neither appears to be documented as a portfolio-ready engineering project yet. That's the gap this section closes. Below are concrete project plans, tech stacks, and a GitHub strategy designed to transform your existing work into admissions-grade deliverables and add one new build project that rounds out your engineering identity.
Project 1: Water Filtration System — Engineering Case Study
Your water filtration installations are exactly the kind of hands-on engineering work that Northwestern and Michigan want to see from environmental engineering applicants. The goal here is to retroactively document this work as a formal engineering portfolio piece.
| Element | Deliverable | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Design Specs | Technical write-up (PDF + GitHub README) | Document the filtration mechanism, materials chosen, flow rate calculations, and any water quality metrics you collected before/after installation. If you didn't collect quantitative data, consider running tests on a prototype unit now using a TDS meter (~$15) and turbidity measurements. |
| Visual Documentation | Photo series + annotated diagrams | Photograph each stage of assembly. Use Canva or Figma to create annotated cutaway diagrams showing how water moves through the system. Label filtration stages clearly. |
| Impact Metrics | Data table + bar chart | Number of units installed, households served, measurable water quality improvement (PPM reduction, turbidity change). Use Python (matplotlib) or even Google Sheets to generate clean charts. |
| Failure Log | "What Went Wrong" section | Admissions readers at top engineering programs love seeing iteration. Document at least 2-3 design problems you encountered and how you solved them. |
Tech stack: Python (matplotlib/pandas) for data visualization, Figma for diagrams, GitHub for version-controlled documentation.
Project 2: Lake Michigan Microplastics — Research Portfolio Piece
Your AGU presentation is a significant credential, Aisha. Now package it as a standalone research portfolio item that demonstrates quantitative and scientific methodology skills — the kind environmental engineering programs specifically look for.
| Element | Deliverable | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Research Summary | 2-page technical brief | Abstract, methodology, key findings, and implications — written for a technical audience. This is distinct from your AGU poster; it should read like a mini journal article. |
| Data Repository | GitHub repo with cleaned dataset | Upload anonymized/cleaned data with a Jupyter Notebook showing your analysis pipeline. Include sampling methodology notes. Use Python (pandas, seaborn) for statistical visualizations. |
| Visualization | Interactive map or chart | Consider building a simple Streamlit or Plotly dashboard showing microplastic concentration by sampling location along Lake Michigan. This transforms static research into a living, clickable project. |
| Presentation Artifact | AGU poster PDF + reflection | Include the poster itself plus a 300-word reflection on what you learned presenting to professional scientists. |
Tech stack: Python (pandas, seaborn, plotly), Jupyter Notebooks, Streamlit for interactive dashboard, GitHub for hosting.
Project 3: New Build — Environmental Sensor Network (IoT)
This is a new project to demonstrate that you can design and build from scratch — not just document past work. An IoT environmental sensor network ties directly to environmental engineering and shows the technical builder mindset that top programs value.
| Component | Specification | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Raspberry Pi Pico W or ESP32 microcontroller | Low-cost, WiFi-enabled board for data collection (~$8-15 per unit) |
| Sensors | Water temperature (DS18B20), pH (analog pH sensor), turbidity (TSW-30) | Measure water quality parameters relevant to your environmental focus |
| Data Pipeline | MicroPython → MQTT → cloud dashboard | Sensors push readings every 15 minutes to a free ThingSpeak or Adafruit IO dashboard |
| Visualization | Web dashboard (Streamlit or Flask) | Real-time and historical water quality data viewable by anyone with the link |
| Documentation | Full GitHub repo with wiring diagrams, code, BOM, and setup guide | Reproducibility — another student could build this from your docs |
Budget: ~$40-60 total. Tech stack: MicroPython, MQTT protocol, Python (Flask or Streamlit), ThingSpeak API, GitHub.
Why this matters: This project bridges hardware and software, shows you can work with real-world data collection (not just analysis), and directly connects to environmental engineering. Deploy even one unit near a local water source and you have a live, demonstrable project to link in your applications.
GitHub & Portfolio Strategy
Aisha, you need a public GitHub profile that admissions readers (and recommenders) can visit. Here's the structure:
- Profile README: A pinned README.md introducing yourself as an aspiring environmental engineer. Include a one-line bio and links to your top 3 repos.
- Repository structure: One repo per project —
water-filtration-system,lake-michigan-microplastics,env-sensor-network. Each with a detailed README, photos/diagrams, and code. - Commit history: Start now and commit regularly. Admissions reviewers notice a steady commit graph over months — it signals sustained effort, not a last-minute sprint.
- License & polish: Add an MIT license and clean folder structure to each repo. This signals engineering professionalism.
If you do not yet have a GitHub account, create one immediately — your username should be professional (e.g., aisha-robinson-env or similar).
Consider also creating a simple personal portfolio site using GitHub Pages (free). A single-page site with project summaries, photos, and links to each repo gives you a URL to include in the "Additional Information" section of your applications.
Build Timeline — Creative Projects Calendar
| Month | Actions | Target Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | • Set up GitHub profile + 3 empty repos with README stubs • Begin documenting water filtration project (photos, specs, data) | GitHub live; filtration write-up 50% drafted |
| May 2026 | • Complete water filtration portfolio piece with charts and failure log • Format microplastics research as technical brief; upload AGU poster | 2 of 3 repos populated with substantive content |
| June 2026 | • Order ESP32 + sensors; begin IoT sensor network prototype • Build Jupyter Notebook for microplastics data; push to GitHub | Hardware in hand; microplastics repo complete |
| July 2026 | • Wire sensors, write MicroPython data collection code • Deploy prototype unit; begin collecting real data | Working prototype collecting live readings |
| August 2026 | • Build web dashboard for sensor data • Launch GitHub Pages portfolio site linking all 3 projects | All 3 projects portfolio-ready; personal site live |
| September 2026 | • Polish all repos (README edits, diagram cleanup) • Gather portfolio URL for Early Action applications (see §10 for EA/ED strategy) | Portfolio finalized for application season |
How This Connects to Your Target Schools
- Northwestern: Their environmental engineering program emphasizes interdisciplinary problem-solving. The IoT sensor project shows you can bridge hardware, software, and environmental science — exactly the profile their McCormick School values.
- University of Michigan–Ann Arbor: Michigan's College of Engineering looks for students with demonstrated research ability. Your microplastics research with AGU-level presentation, combined with a live data project, signals research readiness.
- Spelman College: Spelman's growing STEM programs value community-oriented science. Your water filtration work — especially if you emphasize households served and community impact — aligns powerfully with their mission.
Bottom line, Aisha: You already have the raw material for a compelling engineering portfolio. The work now is packaging, documenting, and adding one new build project that shows you can go from idea to working prototype. Start your GitHub this week — every commit from now through September builds your case.