Benjamin L. Johnson
Contact
Information
14502 HWY 83
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Voice: (956) 248-6020
E-mail: bebjohns@mines.edu
Job/Research
Interests
Applied optimization: Energy, scheduling
Education
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado, USA
Ph.D Operations Research with Engineering, In Progress
Minor: Nuclear Engineering
Specialty: Nuclear Waste Disposal Optimization
M.S. Engineering and Technology Management, December 2012, GPA: 3.427
Specialties: Operations Research, Management
B.S. Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, May 2011, GPA: 2.966
Minors: Biological Engineering and Life Sciences, Economics and Business
Research
Experience
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado, USA
Graduate Research
January 2012 - Present
Develop a generalized model to optimize the sequencing of nuclear waste disposal. Tailor the
model for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada or other potential repositories.
The goal is to determine the best disposal plan to minimize the time, cost, heat load, and radiation
exposure to dispose of the waste.
January 2010 - May 2011
Undergraduate Research
Fabricated microfluidic devices in the lab of Microintegrated Optics for Advanced Bioimaging
and Control. The labs goal is to develop portable health care devices using microfluidic systems
and integrated optics.
Publications
Johnson. B, J. King, and A. Newman, 2013. ”Optimizing Nuclear Waste Disposal: A Yucca
Mountain Case Study,” Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, 109: 380-383.
Presentations
2013 Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences Annual Meeting, Minneapolis,
MN, USA: Nuclear Waste Disposal Optimization: Yucca Mountain Case Study
2013 American Nuclear Society Winter Meeting, Washington, DC, USA: Nuclear Waste Disposal
Optimization: Yucca Mountain Case Study
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Academic
Experience
Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado, USA
Graduate Projects
August 2011 - Present
- Won the Capstone Business Simulation against other graduate level CSM teams. The complex,
8 year simulation consisted of making R&D, marketing, finance, production, and investment
decisions for a company while focusing on strategy, competitive analysis, finance, cross-functional
alignment, and the selection of tactics.
- Industrial simulation and analysis of foot traffic in Denver International Airport
- Decision analysis for the valuation of a pharmaceutical company (Agouron)
- Market analysis of an electric aircraft manufacturer (AeroVironment)
- Optimization for wedding purchases based on minimizing cost and maximizing preference and
people
- Recommendation to the U.S. Justice Department for a merger between two small companies
based on a simulation that included HHI, price, quantity, and efficiency
August 2007 - May 2011
Undergraduate Projects
-
Designed a gasification/pyrolysis process that converted biological waste material into electricity
Designed a biodiesel production process that used canola oil as a feedstock
Designed a process that improved the efficiency of penicillin production
Designed a miniature car prototype powered by a hydrogen fuel cell
Designed and conducted experiments to achieve specified objectives involving a distillation column, pumps, heat exchangers, gas absorber, and synthetic semi-permeable polymer membrane
Made recommendations to the EPA for greenhouse gas emissions from gasification facilities that
utilize biowaste
Analyzed various investment strategies for Amazon.com Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., Medtronic
Inc., and General Mills Inc.
Made beer using a miniature production process
Analyzed business strategies and financial outlook for Rockey Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc.
Analyzed a process that incorporated a complex piping network and multiple pumps
Determined kinetic properties for a reversible reaction
Prepared a monthly operating budget for Woodruff Manufacturing
Recommended adjustments to increase efficiency of a distillation column
Fabricated and analyzed a hydrodynamic focusing device
Analyzed positive and negative aspects of vitamin D, vitamin E, creatine, and multi-nutrients
Determined the rotational partition functions and thermal propulsion for HCL
Analyzed various aspects of ratio control
Multiple labs in chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and thermodynamics
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Work
Experience
Colorado School of Mines
Teaching Assistant
August 2012 - December 2012
Helped the undergraduate and graduate linear programming class. Responsibilities included grading
homework, holding offices hours, and occasionally teaching class.
- Applicable skills include hard work, leadership, and attention to detail
Shamrock Ranch
Rancher
Summers 2006 - Present
Operated and maintained all the equipment and facilities on the ranch during the summer in high
school and college. Worked to improve the quality of the land and animals on the ranch.
- Applicable skills include hard work, leadership, efficiency, and teamwork
CSM Recreation Center
Student Recreation Supervisor
August 2008 - May 2011
Supervised the building and the occupants which included working at the front desk, the gear
check-in/out station, and the fitness lab.
- Applicable skills include crises management, customer service, and teamwork
CSM Oredigger Newspaper
Staff Writer
August 2008 - December 2009
Wrote articles for the campus paper including interviews with the CSM President, Executive Vice
President, Provost, Associate Provost, Director of the McBride Honors Program, and the Director
of Engineering. Wrote a blog that explored all aspects of health and fitness.
- Applicable skills include oral and written communication, and creativity
Nor’Wood Development Inc.
Landscaper
Summers 2005 - 2006
Performed landscape duties including lawn maintenance, irrigation control, street maintenance, and
various other tasks during summer in high school.
- Applicable skills include hard work, leadership, efficiency, and teamwork
Computer Skills
-
ASPEN Plus Chemical Engineering Simulation
AMPL, GAMS
C++, Visual Basic, Java
Mathematica, Polymath, Spartan, Athena
AutoCad, MiniTab, MatLab, PrecisionTree, CrystalBall, Solidworks, ARENA
LaTeX, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio
Operating Systems: Windows, Macintosh, Unix/Linux
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