Life of an Engineer
Maria Melissa B. Quemada
Process Engineer/Lab Manager
Thermionics Metal Processing, Inc.
Chabot College Fall ’01 – Spring ‘05
Overview
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Life of a student engineer
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How to survive in a 4-year university
Valuable skills
Internships
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My Internship experiences
Senior Project
Life of an engineer
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Industry
Graduate school
Marketable skills
How to survive in a 4-yr university
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Network early
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Go to office hours
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You will need your classmates to help you get through with your
classes…especially HOMEWORKS!
Not only will you find answers to your questions, the TA might also give
you helpful hints
Visibility: Professors will recognize you and may lead to other
opportunities
Attend your classes
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Don’t depend on your classmates’ note-taking, chances are…they’re also
not paying attention to what the professor is saying.
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Valuable Skills
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Technical writing
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Giving presentations
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Modeling/Computer-based software
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Internships
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Apply to as many internship opportunities as you can!
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Go to career fairs
Have someone proof-read your resume
Make sure that you get at least one internship experience to the
industry you want to get into.
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My Internship Experiences
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Summer 2005 – INSET (Internships for Nanosystems,
Science, Engineering and Technology)
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Location: UC Santa Barbara
Project: Making cost-effective fuel cell
Who helped me?
Mr. Mayer
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Pulse-Deposition
Voltage
electrochemical deposition of the Platinum through the hydrophilic
channels or the active sites on to the substrate
0.5V
Carbon cloth
-0.5V
50ms
50ms
Total deposition time
Pt4+ + 4e-
Pt(s)
Eo = -0.5V (approximately)
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My Internship Experiences
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Summer 2006 – SULI (Science Undergraduate
Laboratory Internships)
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Location: LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
Project: ARUBA (Arsenic Removal Using Bottom Ash)
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My Internship Experiences
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Summer 2007 – Phoenix Biosystems (Start-up)
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Industrial internship experience
Project: Fabrication of biosensors to measure glucose
response in continuous flow and single-used systems
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My Internship Experiences
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Senior Project
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Chemical Engineering Senior Project
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Simulate a real production plant using SuperProTM
Use chemical engineering theory and lab applications
Economic evaluation of project proposal
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Senior Project
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Industry
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Applying for a job
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Go to your university career fairs
Talk to career counselor at your university
Attend industry’s info-sessions set up by students
Job Interview tips
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Look up company profiles before interview
Try to sign up for a mock interview (if available) at
your university’s career center
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Industry
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Current Job: Process Engineer/Lab Manager
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TMPI (Thermionics Metal Processing Inc.)
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Responsibilities:
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Work with different type of industries such as semiconductor,
solar and biotech companies to come up with a processes that
will clean different materials used in vacuum systems, etc.
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Control and monitor chemistry of etching baths, etc.
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Graduate School
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Research the graduate programs and schools
you’re interested in
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Study and take GRE (Graduate Record Exam) as
early as possible (especially if you’ve just taken
SAT’s)
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Marketable Skills
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Take E.I.T (Engineering-in-Training) exam
Take P.E. (Professional Engineer) exam
Continuous education
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Science and technology evolves so rapidly (need to
keep up with it)
Learn different software programs, especially
those that are specific to your chosen major
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Conclusion
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Engineers are vital in the advancement of any
technology
Will meet interesting people along the way
Will do interesting and rewarding projects
throughout your career
Be an engineer…Don’t give up along the way
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