Swanson School of Engineering Co-op Program Spring 2011 Newsletter

University of Pittsburgh

Swanson School of Engineering School of Arts and Sciences Engineering Technology, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Cooperative Education Spring 2011

Seniors Recognized at 2010 Co-op Reception and Dinner The Cooperative Education Program held its annual reception and dinner at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association in Oakland on December 10, 2010 for students who successfully completed the co-op program requirements.

More than 260 students, family, faculty, staff, and employers were present at the annual event and enjoyed a festive evening of celebration. Dr. Larry Shuman, Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of the Swanson School of Engineering, presented each student with a certificate of completion.

Co-op students Zachary Parker (computer engineering), Samantha Kuhn (computer engineering) and Bin Gao (computer science) at the 2010 co-op dinner.

Jacob Denson accepts his Co-op Certificate from Dr. Shuman.

Alissa M. Fry, industrial engineering, Eaton Corporation

Amanda Buono receives her award from Dr. Shuman.

Graduating students and their families enjoy the dinner celebration.

Joseph L. Rendemonti, bioengineering, Westinghouse

Sean C. DeHarde, computer engineering, Aerotech, Inc.

Co-op Student of the Year Honorable Mention

Matthew R. Hussey, mechanical engineering, Eaton Corporation

were Joseph Lesik, (manager, electrical and compliance engineering), Michael Churma (senior manager, engineering customer response), David Hardek (lead software engineer, speech recognition) and Angie Woods (senior human resources generalist).

Acknowledging their achievements, Co-op Director Maureen Barcic and Dr. Shuman awarded plaques to the Co-op Student of the Year, Student Finalists, Honorable Mentions and Co-op Employer of the Year:

Co-op Student of the Year

Jared J. O’Connell, chemical engineering, was awarded the University of Pittsburgh’s Co-op Student of the Year for 2010. His co-op was with The Hershey Company.

Co-op Student of the Year Finalists

Dane S. Bandurak, electrical engineering, Advanced Integration Group Jason MacDonald Bennett, materials science engineering, GE Aviation Jessica M. Burger, electrical engineering, FedEx Ground Amanda L. Buono, industrial engineering, UPS Professional Services

Samantha L. Kuhn, computer engineering, FedEx Ground Louis Joseph Seidel, civil and environmental engineering, Brayman Construction

Co-op Employer of the Year

The 2010 Co-op Employer of the Year Award was presented to Vocollect, Inc., and proudly accepted by Dr. Rakesh Thapar, Vice President of Engineering. Also in attendance for Vocollect

It was a wonderful event where students and families, faculty and staff could mingle and enjoy a bountiful banquet in honor of all of the co-op students’ hard work. We take pride in our students and use this opportunity to thank them for representing the school and the program, and our supportive co-op employer partners.

Cooperative Education Jared O’Connell Receives 2010 Co-op Student of the Year Award Jared applied to co-op in September of 2007, which was the first term of his sophomore year, and the earliest he could apply. His objective on his resume stated that he was seeking a co-op that “relates to and builds upon my chemical engineering and Spanish knowledge and utilizes my technical, analytical, and interpersonal skills.”

In retrospect, I would tell Jared to be careful what he wishes for!

Jared is the very first co-op in the history of The Hershey Company who was sent abroad.

In our experience, companies typically do not send students abroad on their first term, particularly as sophomore level students. Luckily for us and all the other co-ops at Hershey, Jared performed exceptionally, and since his debut as an international co-op, about 10 other Hershey students have had opportunities to co-op abroad at some point during their co-op experience.

At the Mexico site, Jared was the ONLY Hershey employee fluent in Spanish; this meant that he interacted with human resources, shipping, security, the folks on the manufacturing lines, and the

Greg Lockwood (The Hershey Company), Jared O’Connell, Maureen Barcic and Sam Kelly (The Hershey Company) attend the 2010 Co-op Reception and Dinner.

engineers. He was the interpreter, liaison, and problem solver. When Jared arrived in Monterrey, the plant had three walls. When he left, it was a full scale operation with two production lines. His typical day lasted from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Jared kept up this pace for 11 weeks and he told me he had never had so much fun in his life.

Jared also said that his Spanish skills went from “pretty good” to “very good”. Although a young co-op, Jared sensed the importance of his assignment and really helped his company succeed beyond U.S. borders.

During Jared’s second assignment, Hershey’s VP of Manufacturing North America asked the VP of Engineering if Jared could work on a special project in Virginia in the capacity of a full-time engineer. Jared helped redesign a machine with the vendor that had not been working correctly, with the result that his redesign was successfully used. During Jared’s third term, he performed research testing and worked in a warehouse facility for an upcoming auction. He also went back to Mexico for five weeks of this rotation to stabilize four production lines. When Jared’s boss went to India, he put him in charge. Jared earned a $500 bonus for doing such a great job.

Jared O’Connell accepts the Co-op Student of the Year award from Dr. Larry Shuman

Jared’s fourth rotation was in Lancaster, Pa., with Twizzler, a division of Hershey. Within six weeks, his team was able to increase production by 10 percent. He was also able to rebuild an extruder that decreased the daily candy rejects from 3 percent to 1.5 percent. The plant engineer told him that he would have expected this quality of work from someone with three to five years of full-time experience.

At school, Jared found time to exceed academically, but also have some fun. He played men’s volleyball for Pitt and also acted as the assistant volleyball coach for the Pitt women’s team. This year he is the head coach for the women’s team. Jared is a Dean’s List student, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and was recipient of the ‘Most Valuable Intern for 2008’ at Hershey.

Jared not only exemplified all of the characteristics we seek in a Co-op Student of the Year, but he also opened doors for future co-ops who want an international co-op experience.

Because of his excellent attitude, aptitude, willingness to learn, and tenacity, both in the classroom and at the job site, others have and will continue to benefit. If Jared had even been an average student in Monterrey, Mexico, one wonders if Hershey would have continued to send students internationally. Jared’s leadership skills are evident in both his work experience at Hershey, but also at Pitt with the women’s volleyball team.

In Jared’s statement, he indicated that one of the reasons he chose Pitt was because of our co-op program. In the end, I think he has done much more for co-op that we did for Jared.

Laura Chessa Honored as Takacs Award Winner Laura Chessa, Procurement Americas Sourcing Lead for McNeil Consumer Healthcare, and former Pitt co-op, has been named the 2010 winner of the Lou Takacs Award.

The Cooperative Education and Experiential Division of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) may present this award each year to a co-op employer who has made significant, honorable, and meritorious contributions to the promotion of the philosophy and practice of cooperative in engineering and technology.

Officially begun in 2003, this award honors Lou Takacs, who was a long time employer of co-op

students with E. I. DuPont and after his retirement there, held a brief career at the University of Kentucky as a co-op advisor until his death in 2003.

Laura was our first co-op at McNeil Consumer Healthcare. Upon her graduation from the Swanson School of Engineering with a chemical engineering degree, Laura accepted full-time employment with McNeil, and also became the liaison to Pitt’s co-op program.

In June of 2010, with the recall of Tylenol products, the plant at Fort Washington ceased production. We had at least eight current co-ops with McNeil at this

time and Laura Chessa made certain that not one student was furloughed. In some cases, students moved to other J & J sites and others were still able to remain with the plant. Laura worked extraordinarily hard, even when her own future was in jeopardy, to make certain that all Pitt co-ops were not only exempt from layoff, but also received quality experiences.

The committee unanimously decided to select Laura Chessa, and McNeil Consumer Healthcare, for the Lou Takacs Award. She will be presented with the award at the Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, in early February.

Vocollect, Inc. Awarded 2010 Co-op Employer of the Year Vocollect, Inc. has been named as the Swanson School of Engineering’s Outstanding Cooperative Education Employer for 2010.

We began our program with Vocollect back in May of 1996 with our first co-op. Since that time, over forty co-op students have been hired by Vocollect, and many of those students have gone on to become fulltime employees.

There are a few different reasons why Vocollect has been chosen this year. One, of course, is the sustainability and true partnership the company has shared with the University of Pittsburgh. Another is the true commitment Vocollect has made to our program, even when times were lean, as over these past couple

of years. Vocollect kept all of the co-ops working, even through periods of layoff. Our students had meaningful work and thrived professionally. Vocollect has also shown their interest in the University of Pittsburgh through collaboration with our Excel Program, which assists underrepresented students.

Accepting the award on behalf of Vocollect at our annual dinner held on December 10, 2010 at the PAA in Oakland was Dr. Rakesh Thapar, Vice President of Engineering. Also in attendance from Vocollect were: Joseph Lesik, Michael Churma, David Hardek, and Angie Woods. Thank you to Vocollect for your continued commitment to the co-op program at the University of Pittsburgh.

could not imagine getting a better “Iexperience anywhere else than the one I am currently receiving here at Vocollect, Inc. [M]y assignment is going better than expected because I am learning what it is like to be out in the field of engineering.

”

Chris Owens, mechanical engineering co-op Vocollect, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

rotation has been more “ Each challenging than the last and I’m gaining more responsibilities each time. I would recommend Curtiss Wright to anyone looking for a great co-op opportunity!

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Dan Westover, Mechanical Engineering co-op Curtiss Wright APSD, Mt. Pleasant PA

Vocollect representatives Michael Churma, Angie Woods, Dr. Rakesh Thapar, Joseph Lesik and Dave Hardek display the Co-op Employer of the Year award.

Dr. Rakesh Thapar, of Vocollect, accepts the 2010 Employer of the Year award from Dr. Larry Shuman

Alumni Hall of Fame: A Word with Bill Newmeyer I graduated from the EE department in August of 2010, and I am currently working for the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate of the U.S. Army in the Washington, DC area. I work in a research and development prototyping division geared towards creating innovative technology for soldiers home and abroad, especially to aid the war on terror in the Middle East. The job is extremely rewarding and I enjoy going to work every day.

My co-op was a great chance for me to gain valuable work experience, to be independent, to learn about government contracting, and most importantly, to network with other experienced engineers. The co-op position that I had was extremely oriented towards computer programming which I thought I wished to pursue.

However, after three full co-op rotations and a year of experience with the same company, I realized that I did not want to sit behind a

computer screen every day typing code. My co-op prepared me for my current position by gaining an understanding of how a company, corporation, or industry operates on a daily basis. I was able to realize what will be expected of me once I enter the work force, and how I will play a key role in the field.

By choosing to co-op, I was able to gain work experience and to figure out which career path I wanted to pursue. If I had not co-oped, I would probably be sitting behind a computer screen miserable because I chose the wrong field. Most importantly, the co-op was something that every job interviewer I spoke to was extremely interested in. In the end, experience means so much more to the job market than GPA ever could. I was fortunate enough to receive five job offers upon graduation, and I owe a lot of that to my co-op experience. I secured a final job offer in January of 2010 before I graduated seven months later in August of 2010.

If I could give some words or wisdom I would say to obtain as much work experience as possible!

Every job that you pursue will want to know what you have learned, what you have accomplished, what professional experience you have, and what potential you have. Grades are not enough in a competitive field like engineering. Whether you pursue research under a professor, an internship, or in my case a co-op, take advantage of all of the resources the University of Pittsburgh has to offer.

I walked into the co-op office, said that I wanted to work for a government contractor, and in about two weeks I had two interviews set up and job offers to come. Co-op is a great way to alternate school and work, and to get acquainted with the rest of your life. If you would like to talk to me further or ask me any questions about co-op, the engineering program, or work in general, please contact the co-op office for my email address.

Cooperative Education 2010 Co-op Certificate Recipients Bioengineering Nicholas V. Apollo Joseph L. Rendemonti

Civil and Environmental Engineering Allison L. Ackerman Matthew T. Brody Brian B. Budny Jared E. Carlson Jacob L. Denson Anthony W. Deramo Robert W. Durso Samuel P. Friedman Mathew T. Harris Lindsay A. Hohn Stephen R. Hovick Alex J. Ludinich Alexander T. Misiti Lisa J. Monahan Edward J. Mullen Lindsay M. Myers Donald M. Osinski Anthony R. Pinto Christopher M. Pugliesi Joseph Rais Stephen D. Scheerer Joseph W. Schultz Louis Joseph Seidel Douglas P. Templeton Andrew M. Timbrook Matthew B. Turko Parker R. Webb John W. Zacheiss

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Logan S. Baker Ashley N. Capco Michael Degenhart Nicholas J. DiSanti Lucas A. Duvall Jerod J. King Benjamin J. Koches Stephen M. Lamm Daniel T. Metelsky Richard J. Morales

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Jared J. O’Connell Stephen R. Pachuta Jenna M. Pribanich Carmen D. Teolis Daniel K. Thomas William O. Tuttle Ian M. Wlodarczyk

Chemistry Alexander A. Lash

Computer Engineering Jeffrey Brinkhus Donald E. Campbell Daniel J. Campo David A. Cotts Sean C. DeHarde Daniel S. Fitzpatrick Thomas P. Hare Ryan M.D. Holzapfel Arsean Hooman David A. Hynek Alexander P. Ingoglia Jeffrey Koenig Samantha L. Kuhn Alexander M. Mercer Ryan P. Niemic Zachary I. Parker Joshua A. Pogoersckey Brian T. Schmalzried Marissa A. Spencer Michael E. Starke Jeremy S. Sutton Albert J. Vento Bradley M. Vukich

Computer Science Nathaniel J. Buck Bin Gao Shane M. Korman

Electrical Engineering Daniel A. August Dane S. Bandurak Jessica M. Burger Eric M. Chontos Stephen P. Churilla Michelle M. Clogan Tyler M. Dorsner

Jason T. Dusch Joseph P. Farmer Jonathan R. Fike Bryan J. Gielarowski Nathan D. Gremba Sean C. Hartley Adam M. Krug Christopher Joseph Lee Paul McGowan Jr. Patrick J. McKibben Matthew L. Rehder Daniel A. Rosenberry Zachary A. Satira Jessica L. Stein William D. Thompson Sossena C. Wood Eric S. Workman

Industrial Engineering Taylor W. Blackman Chad M. Bruns Amanda L. Buono Alissa M. Fry Timothy Michael Gallo Adam F. Gogolski Andrew D. Hope Matthew R. Kaminski Caitlin E. Keen Matthew W. Koller Jonathan W. Loadman Joseph D. Mateer Elizabeth A. Nabasny Ryan D. Nath Matthew H. Orochena John W. Orr Ryan K. Parker Natalie A. Rozum Mark D. Sabatini Katherine M. Shesko Julie L. Solar

Mechanical Engineering Michael P. Barry John C. Berry Maria C. Brooks Nicholas C. Caffas David D. Cimino

Michael J. Clark Jeffrey T. Davis Jonathan A. Duvall James M. Eliou Ross B. English Forrest D. Gardner Jonathan P. Graziano Christopher Jason Gutierrez Andrew J. Hickman Michael S. Hribik Christopher J. Hughes Adam M. Hughey Matthew R. Hussey Mark J. Iaboni Derrick A. Kirton Michael J. Kopke Charles S. Kovach Neven E. Kurjakovic William T.F. Lusk Ryan A. Mesiano Amanda L. Miller Michael A. Mouser Kelsey L. Ondras Michael C. Oyler James T. Pennington Andrew W. Perkins Spencer J. Samstag Benjamin R. Schneider Travis Hunter Sefzik Andrew J. Seitz Lydia S. Simonsen Adam P. Walker Will F. Weissberg Daniel C. Westover Alan Yu Michael C. Zellers Michael B. Zimmerman

Materials Science Engineering Jason MacDonald Bennett Emily P. Ross

Mechanical Engineering Technology Jeffrey D. Thomas

I really did not know what to expect when I first came to LMI. I knew that they were a great company and I found out quickly that they treat their employees extremely well. The tasks involved with the job are challenging enough that they are teaching me new lessons, but not incredibly difficult that I am not able to complete them.

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Seán Glenn, Industrial Engineering co-op Logistics Management Institute (LMI), McLean VA

Fall 2011 Co-op Job Fair!

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 27, 2011 William Pitt Union 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. – Recruiting Event 1– 5 p.m. – Optional Interviews This unique fair allows our co-op candidates an opportunity to meet employers and even interview with them. Companies interested in hiring computer science, information science, chemistry, and all engineering majors will be in attendance. Dress professionally, bring plenty resume copies, and take advantage of interacting directly with co-op employers!

Co-op Job Fair information and online registration can be accessed through our Web site www.engineering.pitt.edu/coop.

assignment is going much “ My better than expected. They give me plenty of work to do and none of it is too challenging and none of it is too easy either.

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Timothy Olczak, electrical engineering co-op Mine Safety Appliances Company, Cranberry Township, Pa.

University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program 152D Benedum Hall 412-624-9826 www.engineering.pitt.edu/coop Co-Op Staff Maureen Barcic Director paub2m@pitt.edu Chris Frankovic Associate Director caf54@pitt.edu Tracy Severson Program Administrator trs57@pitt.edu The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Department of University Marketing Communications. UMC76659-0111