A Day in Los Angeles with Geologist Yuri Kawashima

Yuri Kawashima is a Los Angeles-based Project Geologist with Partner Engineering & Science, where she is one of two female members of her department. Yuri focuses on field analysis and evaluation for various building sites before they are to be developed, with experience in geologic field mapping, geophysical field investigations, geotechnical drilling, geotechnical materials testing, settlement analyses, fault studies, and environmental site assessments. Her day involves geotechnical field work, observational forensic work, a visit to Santa Monica Brew Works, and a round of video games to wind down.

5:40am: I wake up to my alarm and gentle light coming through the blinds. My Wi-Fi lights turn on in case the sun isn’t quite out. My morning almost always starts with coffee. Depending on if I’m in the office or if I’m working from home, the form in which I enjoy my coffee changes (AeroPress at the office, a pour-over at home, etc.), but I cherish these brief moments every morning as it helps me set the day’s intentions. I tend to have a breakfast prepared from the day before—I recently discovered baked oats which has been a perfect quick breakfast for me to take to-go or enjoy at home. This week I made some Snicker’s-inspired ones I will heat up before starting up my laptop.

While COVID has forever changed our communities in many ways, I like to think of the silver linings it has created like the ability for many to go remote and work with hybrid schedules. I have really come to appreciate this positive influence in my work life. I have a site visit today, but since I’m working from home this morning, I have some time to check emails and work on reports for a short amount of time.

8:00am: After starting my day at home with emails and prepping documents for the day, I leave for my site visit. While I would say most of our standard field work involves geotechnical drilling and sampling, I have recently been getting involved with more forensic projects that involve mostly observational work with little to no soil sampling.

I have really been enjoying these types of investigations where I can interact with clients and hear about their concerns regarding the property they own or are looking to develop. I really like that geotechnical work can cover so many aspects of property development from before the transaction of property to years after structure or structures have been built. These types of projects combined with drilling, soils testing, and assisting with environmental assessments has greatly expanded my knowledge of the impacts subsurface materials have on a site and its proposed construction.

10:00am: Today’s short site visit consists of observing potential signs of settlement in and around the building as well as mapping areas of distress in the pavement. Google aerials are great when supplementing desktop reviews of properties, but onsite observations and measurements can give so much more insight into potential issues onsite. While the client takes me around the property, they point out specific areas they are concerned with. I mark the site plans and aerials I prepared earlier in the day and take pictures of distress. This will help us map out affected areas and potential causes of failure.

12:30pm: I return home in time to break for a quick lunch. When in the office, I will occasionally get lunch as a treat with some coworkers, but I will usually have something prepared. Today, I heat up some confit tandoori chickpeas that I had prepped as well as a protein smoothie. (I have recently been loving this variation of Antoni Porowski’s protein smoothie)

2:00pm: We have our weekly meetings that cover the deliverables of that week as well as projects we need to focus on. The cold brew in my smoothie starts to kick in for a much-needed boost and I focus on working on figures for a report—my last task of the day.

5:00pm: I close my laptop and get ready to go to my workout class. The class incorporates both strength training and cardio exercises. Getting regular exercise each week has become so important to me especially in regulating stress. I like to mix up the types of exercises, but I have been consistently going to these classes and adding on some more strength training or a pilates or yoga class sometime during the week. When I have the energy, I love doing a short hike on the weekends. We have great local hikes in Los Angeles, and I’m hoping to go more frequently in the near future.

6:30pm: A visit to our local brewery with friends! I love Santa Monica Brew Works—the staff is always super friendly and they have fantastic beers on tap. My favorite is their Head in the Clouds DIPA, but I feel that they have something for everyone. They also have rotating food trucks every day, so we all order something to munch on to go with our drinks. I take a moment to feel gratitude in being able to enjoy a refreshing beer (or two) with great company.

8:30pm: Before starting my night-time routine, I will put my headset on and turn on my PC. I have been either playing some video games with friends or going through some books to relearn Python. Tonight, I play a round or two of games with friends. Since the beginning of the pandemic, several of my good friends have moved away from LA to different areas of the country but playing games and scheduling Facetimes have been a great way to stay connected.

10:00pm: I start to wind down and get my nighttime routine going. I find it helpful to take a little time to stretch and go through my skincare after games as it tends to get my heart rate up. After the last of my stretches, my lights go off in great timing as I cozy up in bed.