Autobiography and poster
Autobiography:
My name is Jasmin Wu, a junior from Emma Willard School. I am really interested in the field of environmental science and environmental justice. I have learned about various cases of environmental injustice issues in my class and I would classify the Bomb Train issue as one of those. It is happening so close to where I live and where my friends live. Yet not enough had been done on the issue except for protests and flyers. I wish to use what I have learned and explore new ways of problem solving. I am also really interested in regional planning and urban dwelling, so I wish to make the place a better dwelling environment for local residents by making an ideal model for the planning of the area.
Timeline:
October: Site visiting, drive off to look at sizes and scales of the train and current situation.
November: Start drawing the current map of the site and add detailed descriptions to the current status.
December: finishing touches to hand drawn map
January: Thinking and writing about what to make to change current status. Make occasional visits to the site to keep track of changes.
February (50% done!): Research ideal planning cases and examples and compare with Albany case.
March: Start making comparison charts and infographic
April: Finalize presentation form etc
My name is Jasmin Wu, a junior from Emma Willard School. I am really interested in the field of environmental science and environmental justice. I have learned about various cases of environmental injustice issues in my class and I would classify the Bomb Train issue as one of those. It is happening so close to where I live and where my friends live. Yet not enough had been done on the issue except for protests and flyers. I wish to use what I have learned and explore new ways of problem solving. I am also really interested in regional planning and urban dwelling, so I wish to make the place a better dwelling environment for local residents by making an ideal model for the planning of the area.
Timeline:
October: Site visiting, drive off to look at sizes and scales of the train and current situation.
November: Start drawing the current map of the site and add detailed descriptions to the current status.
December: finishing touches to hand drawn map
January: Thinking and writing about what to make to change current status. Make occasional visits to the site to keep track of changes.
February (50% done!): Research ideal planning cases and examples and compare with Albany case.
March: Start making comparison charts and infographic
April: Finalize presentation form etc
September post:
I found out about the topic that I am interested in doing, and listed out the timeline and finished an autobiography listed above.
October post:
I made my project poster as posted above. I started researching for more information about the bomb trains. Are they still running? Who is running them? Who are getting affected? Are there any regulations?
The answer is, yes they are still running because they have nowhere else to allocate them, and the local residence who live close by are exposed to explosion risks and toxic fumes.
The answer is, yes they are still running because they have nowhere else to allocate them, and the local residence who live close by are exposed to explosion risks and toxic fumes.
November post:
I spend most of my time this month trying to make a connection with a local governor, Allison Lanes, who is a senator. I got to know her from my sophomore year advisor, Dr. Naeher. I drafted an email with my project manager and sent it. I got an response from Allison Lanes who wish to talk about this on a phone call. We scheduled the phone call for an interview. I listed the following questions as my interview questions:
- What is the current situation like at the Albany Bomb train site? Are they still running? Are there regulations? Are there still people living nearby? (demographics, exact locations, etc)
- In the past, what has already been done to resolve the problem?
- Is this problem considered an environmental injustice issue?
- Have there been regional planning plans schemed on the agenda or being implemented?
- What is the future prospect of the issue? What else needs to be done?(laws, regulations, safety protocols?)
December post:
My main goal in December is to do a site visit and since we have winter break, I was able to organize and analyze the photos and information I have collected on the trip. On December 16th, I went on a trip with Mr. Calos to visit the train site. We first drove to the neighborhood. Then we drove up the hill to get a site of the train. After that we were able to see the train which is located within 50 meters of the closest residence. On our way to get a closer look at the train we spotted children's playground and basketball courts right beside the train. Then we drove into the port and looked at the cargo and ships. Some oil trains are located near the port. During break, I exported the photos I took from the camera and wrote three pieces of analysis regarding three photos. (This will extend to the January post)
January post:
Photo 1:
We went to visit the harbor where the unloading of cargo takes place. Most of the cargo are construction materials, oil and other resources. There are a few (2-3) sites of bomb train spotted at the harbor. Compared to other cargo, crude oil trains carry more potential danger. The use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a method of extracting oil or gas from rock layers, is used at the transportation of oil trains. But fracked crude is highly explosive, making derailments potentially catastrophic. It is also a source of dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, a known carcinogen.
Photo 2:
One of the most impressive discoveries in my field trip was the proximity of the oil trains to the local residence. Since most of the local residents are groups of BIPOC and low income communities, this case is considered as a climate gentrification. The housing near the crude oil trains is the cheapest estate in Albany. The closest residence to the bomb train is only one road away. This is certainly within the potential blast zone and more significantly their respiratory system’s exposure to toxic fumes and potential diseases.
Photo 3:
This is a powerful image of a playground and a basketball court right in front of a rail of bomb train. The kids of the vulnerable communities are unfortunately born to be exposed to the toxic fumes and dangerous rail. Their everyday playgrounds and basketball court, where they should be having fun and leaving childhood memories, were directly exposed. They are unaware of the health issue and if acknowledged, have no way of changing it.
We went to visit the harbor where the unloading of cargo takes place. Most of the cargo are construction materials, oil and other resources. There are a few (2-3) sites of bomb train spotted at the harbor. Compared to other cargo, crude oil trains carry more potential danger. The use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a method of extracting oil or gas from rock layers, is used at the transportation of oil trains. But fracked crude is highly explosive, making derailments potentially catastrophic. It is also a source of dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, a known carcinogen.
Photo 2:
One of the most impressive discoveries in my field trip was the proximity of the oil trains to the local residence. Since most of the local residents are groups of BIPOC and low income communities, this case is considered as a climate gentrification. The housing near the crude oil trains is the cheapest estate in Albany. The closest residence to the bomb train is only one road away. This is certainly within the potential blast zone and more significantly their respiratory system’s exposure to toxic fumes and potential diseases.
Photo 3:
This is a powerful image of a playground and a basketball court right in front of a rail of bomb train. The kids of the vulnerable communities are unfortunately born to be exposed to the toxic fumes and dangerous rail. Their everyday playgrounds and basketball court, where they should be having fun and leaving childhood memories, were directly exposed. They are unaware of the health issue and if acknowledged, have no way of changing it.
Febuary post:
I made a major shift in my plans for this project. Instead of the planning scheme in the original plan, I plan on doing some more related research on places around the world who deals with bomb train issues safely and idealistically. By collecting those information, I can present the final form of ideal planning that is most suitable for Albany Bomb trains in the form of an infographic.
Optimization of oil trains:
1. Bomb proof designs.
"A bomb on a train is always going to be devastating, but what we are trying to do is find a way in which the vehicle itself can help to mitigate the impact of an attack. According train engineers' proposal to safety, they found that a cheap plastic coating on windows could prevent glass showering bystanders after an explosion and flying debris could be reduced by tethering down panels - while lighter, energy-absorbing panels could also reduce a blast's impact. "Preventing flying objects is the key," said Mr O'Neill. "Tethering ceiling panels reduced the risk of fatalities and injury from flying shrapnel and meant the gangways were kept relatively clear of debris, allowing emergency staff quick access to the injured."
2. Regulations on train.
According to Irvin David, the proposition requires that vapor pressure in oil tank cars be reduced. It has been shown that oil from Bakken Shale has a higher pressure. Advocates point to the safety hazard posed by oil tank cars containing highly volatile oil in their ballot argument.
The transportation department is imposing a three year expiration on the older oil trains. After three years of running, there has to be renovations and replacements of the rail to prevent facility deteriorating. "More than two years in the making... (t)he regulations introduce a new tank car standard for oil and ethanol with better protections, and mandate the use of electronically controlled brakes," writes Jad Mouawad of The New York Times. New standards are being published on a three year basis. According to Irvin Dawid, "By 2018, the rule would phase out older tank cars, DOT-111s, long known to be ill suited for transporting flammable material. A newer generation of cars, known as CPC-1232, would have to be retired or refitted to meet the new standard, DOT-117, by 2020."
Optimization of oil trains:
1. Bomb proof designs.
"A bomb on a train is always going to be devastating, but what we are trying to do is find a way in which the vehicle itself can help to mitigate the impact of an attack. According train engineers' proposal to safety, they found that a cheap plastic coating on windows could prevent glass showering bystanders after an explosion and flying debris could be reduced by tethering down panels - while lighter, energy-absorbing panels could also reduce a blast's impact. "Preventing flying objects is the key," said Mr O'Neill. "Tethering ceiling panels reduced the risk of fatalities and injury from flying shrapnel and meant the gangways were kept relatively clear of debris, allowing emergency staff quick access to the injured."
2. Regulations on train.
According to Irvin David, the proposition requires that vapor pressure in oil tank cars be reduced. It has been shown that oil from Bakken Shale has a higher pressure. Advocates point to the safety hazard posed by oil tank cars containing highly volatile oil in their ballot argument.
The transportation department is imposing a three year expiration on the older oil trains. After three years of running, there has to be renovations and replacements of the rail to prevent facility deteriorating. "More than two years in the making... (t)he regulations introduce a new tank car standard for oil and ethanol with better protections, and mandate the use of electronically controlled brakes," writes Jad Mouawad of The New York Times. New standards are being published on a three year basis. According to Irvin Dawid, "By 2018, the rule would phase out older tank cars, DOT-111s, long known to be ill suited for transporting flammable material. A newer generation of cars, known as CPC-1232, would have to be retired or refitted to meet the new standard, DOT-117, by 2020."
March post:
For my interview, I interviewed a professor who writes articles about crude oil train and its issues online. I came across his profile while doing some research and decides to interview him via email. Below is the email for the interview.
Thanks to this very helpful email, I suddenly got inspired by the idea that crude oil trains are "a substitute for pipelines". During spring break, I came up with an idea on my sketchbook that is to make a parking lot design for the bomb train. It is basically looking like a shell that covers the crude oil trains. The parking lot protects the trains from sunshine and rainfall which causes deterioration. Deterioration is the major causation of many of the crude oil train accidents. When trains accidentally collide with each other while parking and transporting, the parking lot prevents the toxic fume from reaching the local residence. With further technology and innovations, the parking lot shell can even collect and purify the fume. The parking lot also prevents debris during explosions. The shell will be made out of concrete which is a material commonly used as bomb proof especially in bomb shelters. The construction of a three-way closed parking lot prevents the oil from leaking and contaminating the waterways. When the oil leakage are all trapped in the lot, the clean up process can take place much faster and much cheaper. To sum up, the design of the parking lot makes derailment partial, saves costs, minimize damage and loss.
Some questions remain for further research:
1) Do explosions occur during transportation on the rail or on the parking lot?
2) What materials are we using on the parking lot construction? Since it needs to fulfill waterproof, oil proof, close fumes, fire proof, debris proof with a safe gas outlet gate.
3) How long is the entire rail? How many of these parking lots should we make?
Some questions remain for further research:
1) Do explosions occur during transportation on the rail or on the parking lot?
2) What materials are we using on the parking lot construction? Since it needs to fulfill waterproof, oil proof, close fumes, fire proof, debris proof with a safe gas outlet gate.
3) How long is the entire rail? How many of these parking lots should we make?
April post:
Above attached is a sketch model of my design which is drawn on procreate. I have also wrote a project summary for my signature showcase.
Project summary: The Bomb trains in Albany have been a long existing issue in the neighborhood nearby. In recent years changes have been made but there are still more to be done. For my project, I have designed a containment system for the dangerous bomb trains parked near the port of Albany. The containment system is mostly made of a shell parking lot which prevents the parked trains from deterioration, leakage of the toxic fumes, blocks debris during explosions, and prevents leakage of the oil which contaminates the water. During my research I have encountered surprising findings. For example, from demographic studies of the nearby community, I realized that they are mostly members of the BIPOC community. During my site visit I realized how the bomb train sites are a big impact on the life of the residence. Overall, my goal for my project is to design an infrastructure that is practical to impose, safe for the community and at a minimal cost in order to protect the community from harm.
Project summary: The Bomb trains in Albany have been a long existing issue in the neighborhood nearby. In recent years changes have been made but there are still more to be done. For my project, I have designed a containment system for the dangerous bomb trains parked near the port of Albany. The containment system is mostly made of a shell parking lot which prevents the parked trains from deterioration, leakage of the toxic fumes, blocks debris during explosions, and prevents leakage of the oil which contaminates the water. During my research I have encountered surprising findings. For example, from demographic studies of the nearby community, I realized that they are mostly members of the BIPOC community. During my site visit I realized how the bomb train sites are a big impact on the life of the residence. Overall, my goal for my project is to design an infrastructure that is practical to impose, safe for the community and at a minimal cost in order to protect the community from harm.
MAy post:
We had our signature showcase on May 24th which marks the end of our signature project. I finally uploaded my final product, a containment system model which makes the crude oil train site safer and cleaner.