 |
|
 |
 |
|
National
Engineers Week Presents the New Faces of Engineering.
US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland (Oregon) District BS Mechanical
Engineering, University of Portland, 2001
George L. Brown, a mechanical engineer in the Hydroelectric Design Center
at the Contact George Brown: George.l.brown@nwp01.usace.army.mil
International
Technical Director BS Mechanical
Engineering, United States Merchant Marine Academy, 1992 Kyle Brownell is International Technical Director for the Greenheck Fan Corporation in Schofield, Wisconsin, where he has worked since 1998 on major research and development projects. One project was the design and building of a facility to test heat recovery devices, only the second of its kind anywhere and the first fully computer controlled in the United States. The company then leveraged the facility's resulting data to improve product performance and market share in its energy recovery ventilator line. For his work, Brownell was granted patent #6,505,502. Brownell also developed a revolutionary grease extraction filtration technology for commercial kitchen exhaust hoods, which Greenheck introduced to the market in April 2002. He is listed as the primary inventor along with three other co-inventors on the pending patent application. In 2002, Brownell became responsible for all of the company's testing and research facilities, bringing computational fluid dynamics to Greenheck and initiating a lab automation program that has produced substantial labor cost savings. In 2003, he became the company's technical director for business outside of the U.S. and Canada, developing and implementing a manufacturing plan to fabricate products in China. Unlike many other companies that manufacture in China, Greenheck plans to use that plant to sell its products within the China market. Contact Kyle Brownell: Kyle.brownell@greenheck.com
Industrial
Printer Development Engineer BSE Mechanical
Engineering, University of Iowa, 1996 Rob Firmature, an industrial printer development engineer at IBM's Printing Systems Division in Boulder, Colorado, has held multiple development positions focusing on new product releases and resolution of difficult customer problems. His considerable experience working on serviceability issues includes being the single point of contact for the maintenance package development of multiple printer families. This background in various printing technologies has allowed him to solve customer site problems across the United States and Europe. He is currently listed on two patent disclosures that are now in the search process. Firmature's activities include three years' involvement with National Engineers Week as a school speaker and creating IBM technology displays for visiting students. He has also served as a volunteer with high school and tribal college students on and around the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana, where Firmature's mother grew up. He was honored with a recognition letter from former IBM CEO Lou Gerstner in 2001 for leadership, dedication, and teamwork during National Engineers Week. Contact Rob Firmature: rjfirmat@us.ibm.com
Engineer-in-Training BS Agricultural
Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1998 Carlos Garza, P.E., P.G.,an engineer at Melden & Hunt, Inc., in Edinburg, Texas, began his career at the USDA's Agricultural Research Services Application Research Team, working with various equipment and aircraft manufacturers on wind tunnel and gas chromatography analyses. He was involved with the preparation of testing equipment, computer modeling for spray drift determination, and plant-spray deposit analysis. While there he also worked on an innovative concept of applying an oral rabies vaccination for wildlife protection using an agricultural aircraft, originated by the Texas Department of Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources of Canada. After the USDA, Garza joined Malcolm Pirnie in Houston, Texas, working on a variety of investigation and remediation projects for industrial, municipal, and federal clients including underground storage tank investigations, soil sediment remediation, groundwater impact studies, and environmental site assessments. He also assisted with the expansion and remediation of various airports in a post-9/11 context, assessing vulnerability in many different circumstances. This led to his involvement with the Texas Engineers Task Force on Homeland Security and related committees of the National Society of Professional Engineers. Garza joined Melden & Hunt in 2002, which brought him back to the Rio Grande Valley near where he grew up. There he has been involved in the design of irrigation and sewer systems, water treatment sludge handling, elevated storage tank design, and hydraulic analysis of pipeline systems. His continued work on environmental site assessment and environmental compliance issues includes extensive contact with such regulatory agencies as the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Historical Commission, Texas Water Development Work, and the North America Development Bank. Contact Carlos Garza: carlos@meldenandhunt.com
Experienced Analyst, Accenture, Reston, Virginia, BS Electrical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2001 Dominique Green, an analyst at Accenture has worked on a wide range of IT Management and business process design projects for entertainment and media clients such as PBS to government clients such as the Transportation Security Administration. His problem-solving ability, communication and team management skills have allowed him to move into new lines of business, planning and development of new business applications, and client-side training. For one recent project for Verizon, Green designed and implemented a customized trouble management ticketing and maintenance application to replace an older system. The documentation he created consisted of Server Query Language, Visual Basic, and C++ syntax to provide direction for an entire Verizon software development team, a task which required extensive provisioning and communication skills. The latter phase of the project consisted of testing to lessen gaps between the ideal finished deliverable and real world applications. The project may also serve as a model for other operating regions within Verizon. Contact Dominique Green: Dominique.l.green@accenture.com
Senior Manufacturing
Engineer BS Chemical
Engineering, University of South Carolina, 2000 Lisa Kay, senior manufacturing engineer for Westinghouse Electric Company's Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina since 2001, is a strong contributor to the company's improvement initiatives. As a process engineer supporting chemical manufacturing operations, Kay has taken the lead on several cost-saving projects, resolved difficult equipment problems and been responsible for coordinating multi-functional teams that have identified and implemented significant area improvements, resulting in company savings of more than $1 million over the next year. Kay also leads a team of engineers and operators from all shifts responsible for equipment and process improvements throughout the facility. Contact Lisa Kay: kayld@westinghouse.com
Assistant
Professor Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999 Jin Liu, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas, is at the forefront of education in analog integrated circuit design, which has a broad impact on semiconductor industries in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Her program at the university currently has an enrollment of approximately 100 graduate students. She is also a thesis advisor to seven students. Professor Liu's research in high-speed adaptive signal processing and sensor systems, with sponsors that include the National Science Foundation, Semiconductor Research Cooperation, Texas Instruments, and Intel, has led to more than 20 published articles in the past four years. Liu's recent projects include low-noise equalization techniques for Gbps data transmission, wide-dynamic range motion detection CMOS imagers, miniaturization of ion and neural vector velocity instrumentations for satellite, and power management circuits for battery-less wireless sensors. Liu has served as the program chair for the Dallas Chapter IEEE Solid-state Circuit Society and as a member of the committee in support of women and minorities at the University of Texas at Dallas. Contact Dr. Liu: jinliu@utdallas.edu
Industrial
Engineer BS Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, 2002 Erin McGinnis, an industrial engineer at Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems in El Segundo, California, plays a key role in supporting the manufacturing design of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, a critical link to U.S. defense, contributing to the composite fabrication development and planning of this next generation aircraft. The JSF program recently honored her for facilitation of the Vitality Team, which contributes to the culture of the workforce. McGinnis first gained technical recognition for her standards development in the fighter contract’s initial phase exit criteria. She is forging new ground by integrating a state-of-the-art machining cell, work measurement software, and developing cutting-edge factory floor simulation. McGinnis spearheads the new Women In Northrop Grumman group, acts as a focal point for the company's young professionals group, and is a major contributor to the People Thrust Team, which supports mentoring and strategic planning. McGinnis also serves as an officer in the Los Angeles Society of Women Engineers. Contact Erin McGinnis: eweek@nspe.org
Machinery
Division Officer BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1999 Lieutenant Lindsay A. Morga, a machinery division officer on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, is a nuclear engineer in the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Her leadership and strong technical abilities in various engineering disciplines has enabled her to effectively and efficiently supervise the operation and maintenance of a Naval nuclear propulsion plant. In a department of more than 400 personnel onboard the Nimitz, Lt. Morga directly leads more than 50 men and women in the operation and maintenance of a nuclear reactor, two main engines, electrical turbine generators, and all the support equipment required to propel a 100,000-ton warship at speeds in excess of 30 knots. In addition to her duties as a division officer, she regularly stands watch as the supervisor of more than 20 propulsion plant operators. Contact Lt. Morga: morgala@aol.com
Chief Executive
Officer BA Mathematics,
University of Chicago, 1993 Brian Nathanson, Chief Executive Officer of OptiStatim, LLC, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, applies industrial engineering -- used by hospitals for decades to enhance facility management -- to improve clinical practice. By using mathematical programming algorithms to create models, his company can better assess a patient’s true condition than by using traditional statistical methods. Nathanson's main focus has been on modeling patients with septic shock and those with head trauma. The number one cause of death in intensive care units in the U.S. is septic shock, the abnormal response to pathogenic organisms or their toxins in the blood. Each year, there are some 450,000 cases of septic shock with about 220,000 deaths. Traumatic brain injury is the number one cause of mortality among American children, and a leading cause of death for people under age 45. Preliminary results from Nathanson’s work indicate that with better assessment of a patient’s condition, targeted therapies will improve outcome and lower treatment costs. His research has been published and presented at medical conferences throughout the United States. Currently, his Small Business Innovative Research grant proposal to procure funding for larger studies is under consideration by the National Institute of Health. Nathanson recently founded OptiStatim to develop commercial software that will enable physicians without training in operations research to use his algorithms. Contact Dr. Nathanson: Brian.h.nathanson@att.net
Project Engineer BS Civil
Engineering, University of Arkansas, 1997 Rachel Stender, project engineer for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority in Texas, is responsible for the design, construction and management of capital and maintenance projects throughout the port. She is the first registered woman engineer in the 77-year history of the port, where she currently serves as project manager for the construction of a new water taxi landing, a $1.9 million project intended to encourage alternate transportation in the arts and museum district of Corpus Christi. Among the numerous other port projects she manages are demolition of more than one million square feet of timber warehouses for future construction of a minor league baseball stadium, dock upgrades, and marine rehabilitation. Through her efforts in the port's stormwater program in 2000, the port received the Cal Hurst Outstanding Achievement Award for Comprehensive Environmental Management. Stender recently completed reserve duty in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineering officer with the 307th Red Horse Unit, a mobile, rapid-response construction unit, and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the local community college. Stender is also a member of the Leadership Corpus Christi Class XXXII, a yearlong program designed to increase awareness and diversity among community leaders, and a student mentor at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi FUSE, which furthers minority interest in science and engineering fields. Contact Rachel Stender: rachel@pocca.com
Engineering
Flight Commander BS Civil
Engineering, Colorado State University, 1998 Captain Rockie Wilson, U.S. Air Force engineering flight commander for the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, has played an instrumental role in several important projects at his base. He led a 45-person team in the implementation of a $130M annual construction program and a $647M host-nation funded program, managed a $260M program to replace four maintenance hangars via host-nation construction funding that helped transform the flight line, and worked on a $66M overlay of Yokota’s primary runway, replacing a 50-year-old pavement and ensuring Yokota’s operational mission for years to come. He also guided Japan’s acceptance of a $140M project to replace all existing airfield pavements including taxiways, parking aprons, and hard stand, and a $12M upgrade of the Yokota Physical Fitness Center. For his efforts he was named to the Army Corps of Engineers Project Delivery Team of the Year for 2002. Capt. Wilson also helped in receiving and executing $13M in anti-terrorism and force projection projects base-wide, safeguarding the installation’s most critical facilities and leading to Yokota's receipt of the Most Innovative Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Plan for the entire Department of Defense. Contact Capt. Wilson: rockie.wilson@yokota.af.mil |
 |
National Engineers Week Foundation
|