Aspect recently welcomed Daniel Chang to our Seattle office and Ryan Mullen to our Bellingham office. Here are Five Questions we asked to get to know them better.
Daniel Chang, Staff Engineer
Yellowstone Grand Prismatic Spring! During my post-graduation road trip in Fall 2020
1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here?
I was born and raised in Johnson City, Tennessee, but I knew that I wanted to explore outside of the Southeast post-college. After spending the summer of 2019 in Seattle for an internship, I knew I had to come back to enjoy the city and all the nature the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
2. What inspired you to pursue water resources engineering? What made you curious about it?
I have always been a swimmer, so I like to think my interest in water came from that experience in the sport. Spending 20+ hours a week swimming is plenty of time to think about where this tank of water is coming from, what is in the water, and the occasional thought of the absurdity of swimming in a massive tank of water in the center of cities facing drought. The interest grew through courses in college learning about global challenges with water access, supply, and quality—all of which I am excited to tackle in my career.
3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated?
I love the general idea of working “behind the scenes” for a resource that the general population takes for granted in our daily lives. We often have the privilege to not think about where our water comes from, or what is in it, so I enjoy investigating all of that under the surface and at the source.
4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
COVID proved to me that I am truly an extrovert. When I am not working, I love to be with friends doing anything from re-watching guilty pleasure movies/TV shows for the 50th time, cooking (and eating!) massive feasts, or exploring nature in my journey to become a true PNWer. For the immediate though, I am currently training for swimming the Olympic trials in June 2021 for a final swan song to my swim career!
5. What five people would be your dream dinner party guests?
To get the perfect balance of conversation, comedy, and cuisine, I present my dream dinner party roster: Gordon Ramsey (to roast/maybe compliment my food), Meryl Streep (for the high class feeling), Adele (for some giggles and maybe live performance), Bill Nye (for the fun facts), and Mindy Kaling (for great laughs).
Ryan Mulllen, Staff Geologist
Mountain biking the 100-mile White Rim loop in Canyonlands National Park, UT
1. Where are you from? If you’re not from the Pacific Northwest, what brought you here?
I am a Pacific Northwest native. I moved away from Washington after high school and spent the last seven years in southwest Colorado. I recently moved back here to be closer to family, water, and bigger mountains.
2. What inspired you to pursue hydrogeology? What made you curious about it?
I grew up spending summers swimming on Lake Washington and skiing down the glaciers of Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. Spending time on water was always a big part of my life. It was not until I moved to Colorado that I began to understand how important (and scarce) water can be.
I studied physical and historical geology during my undergraduate degree and was fortunate to have gone to school in a unique geographic environment where 500 million years of geologic time was on display in the cliffs and valleys across from campus. I witnessed the distribution and movement of water across these landscapes and saw how seasons of extreme drought and catastrophic flooding impacted the community.
3. What do you like best about your area of expertise? What excites you and keeps you motivated?
The work is always interesting and varied, allowing me to be involved in many different types of projects. Hydrogeology encompasses a range of disciplines and each project has its own set of challenges that require innovative solutions.
4. What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
Generally, just about anything besides relaxing. I typically try to pack in as many adventures as I can after work hours and on the weekends. Lately I have been pursuing trail running, climbing, paragliding, skiing, and mountain biking. My wife and dog often get persuaded into joining my overambitious exploits. When I do find some downtime, I enjoy cooking, photography, reading, and sipping on a tasty sour beer while planning for the next adventure.
5. Where in the world would you like to travel next?
My wife and I dream of touring Europe by paraglider someday. On the more practical side, we are looking forward to exploring the mountains of the North Cascades, BC, and Alaska, hopefully this summer.