Profiles of Engineers
and Engineering
Students
Introduction
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Brief overview of engineering professionals and
students ordered alphabetically
Each engineer addresses 3 areas
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Why or how they became an engineer
Their current professional activities
Their life outside of work
More info in text
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Search out your own professional engineer and interview
him or her!
Biomedical Engineer:
Sue H. Abreu, Ft. Bragg, NC
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Occupation:
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Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps,
U.S. Army
Medical Director, Quality
Assurance, Womack Army
Medical Center
Lt.Col. Sue H. Abreu (ret.)
Education:
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IDE (BSE, Biomedical
Engineering), 1978
MD, Uniformed Services
University of the Health
Sciences, 1982
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~omcc/
Studying Engineering
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Started with teaching classes
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Minor in Athletic Training
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Studied aeronautical engineering for lightweight artificial
limbs and protective equipment
Specialized in nuclear medicine after medical
school
Ended up in a field never knew existed
Follow your dreams, find something you love and
earn a living doing it
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You will be much happier in the end
Life Outside of Work
U.S. Army Parachute Team
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Enjoys skydiving
Volunteers as team doctor
for U.S. Parachute Team
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Lives in large house on 6
acres of country land
No children
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www.arnold.af.mil/aedc/highmach/stories/goldenknights.html
Travels world with them
Dog
Cats
Sr. Electrical Engineer:
Joseph Buffington, Atlanta, Ga.
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Occupation:
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Draftsman
Test Engineer
Research Engineer
Education:
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Georgia Institute of
Technology
Southern Polytechnical
State University
Senior Electrical Engineer(ret.)
Studying Engineering
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Excelled in Math and Physics
Enrolled at Georgia Tech
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Pursued a dual degree in electrical engineering
Work on the electric car while studying engineering
Transferred to Southern Polytechnicaal State
University Wanted to learn more about electronics
 Continued to work on the electric car
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Built my first Ham Radio
Graduated with an Associated Degree in Electronic &
Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering
Life Inside/Outside of Work
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Hovercraft Racing
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Enjoys Playing Piano
Hunting
Fishing
Roller Skating
Playing Ping Pong
Amateur Inventor
Coin Collector
Stamp collector
Biomedical Engineer:
Sue H. Abreu, Ft. Bragg, NC
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Occupation:
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Lt. Colonel, Medical Corps,
U.S. Army
Medical Director, Quality
Assurance, Womack Army
Medical Center
Lt.Col. Sue H. Abreu (ret.)
Education:
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IDE (BSE, Biomedical
Engineering), 1978
MD, Uniformed Services
University of the Health
Sciences, 1982
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~omcc/
Computer Engineer:
Moyosola O. Ajaja, Chandler, AZ
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Occupation:
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Education:
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Software Engineer at Intel
Corporation
BS, Computer and
Electrical Engineering,
1997
Career Life
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Challenged to learn new
things and remain at
leading edge of computer
technology
www.zen26266.zen.co.uk/ Intel.htm
Studying Engineering
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Excelled in Math and Physics
Enrolled at Purdue University
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Pursued a dual degree in computer and electrical
engineering (option no longer available)
Wanted to seek fortune and learn more about
computers (moved from Lagos, Nigeria)
First year, sought after Internships and
Scholarships to fund education
Attended many resume and interview prep shops
Awarded Intel Foundation Scholarship (full ride)
Life Outside of Work
Camelback Mountain
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Camelback Mountain hike
Loves travel
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Interested in Photography,
Theology, and dog
obedience training
Engineering is a discipline
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www.nightskyworkshop.com/ june03.htm
Fueled by job and school
Qualities of an engineer
are apparent in everything
she does
Aerospace Engineer:
Patrick Rivera Antony
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Occupation:
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Education
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Project Manager, Boeing Space Beach
BS, Aerospace Engineering
Career Life
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Develops and maintains management system
used for organizational oversight, planning and
operational assessment
Studying Engineering
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Math and science favorite subjects
Fascinated by space travel, rockets and airplanes
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Earned pilot’s license
Would put more emphasis on non-engineering
classes
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Be able to communicate effectively, work in teams, and
know different aspects of business
More English, Business, and Social Science classes to
become a more rounded and more valuable employee
Life Outside of Work
Horizons Golf Course
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www.horizons.com
Spends time with wife
and two children
Studying for a
Doctorate degree in
Organizational
Psychology with
emphasis in Change
Management.
Enjoys golf, hiking,
fishing and biking
Electrical Engineer:
Bob Feldmann, St. Louis, MO
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Occupation:
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Bob Feldmann
Director, Tactical Aircraft
Mission Systems, The
Boeing Co.
Education:
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BSEE, 1976
MS, Computer Science,
1980
MBA, 1999
www.boeing.com
Studying Engineering
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Interested in Science, Math was not biggest
ambition in life
First programming class in college hooked him on
hardware and software for computers
Designed software for flight simulators during
college coop
Leads teams of over 800 engineers in design and
production of Mission Systems (avionics)
Life Outside of Work
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Centers on outdoor activities with wife and
three sons
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Coached sons in soccer and baseball
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Enjoys golf and bike riding (to name a few)
Mechanical Engineer:
Dr. Adel A. Zakaria, Waterloo, IA
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Occupation:
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Dr. Adel A. Zakaria
Senior VP, Engineering
and Manufacturing,
Worldwide Agricultural
Equipment Division
Education
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BSME, Egypt, 1967
MSIE, 1971
PhD, Industrial
Engineering, 1973
www.ecn.purdue.edu
Studying Engineering
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Grew up in a developing country
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Engineering was an instrument for making
genuine progress
Interested in how things were made
Coop or summer jobs helpful in getting
early exposure and making studies more
meaningful and interesting
Life Outside of Work
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Hobbies are racquetball and photography
Traveled with family to over 30 countries
Active in a number of national engineering
societies and community volunteer groups
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Hospital board
United Way
Boys and Girls Club
Engineering Student:
Emery Sanford
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Major:
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Mechanical Engineering
College:
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University of CaliforniaBerkeley
University of SydneyAustralia (study abroad)
Helpful High School Prep Classes
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Math, especially calculus
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Prepared for University-level math and
engineering courses
Principles of Engineering courses and
hands-on case studies
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Helped choose the college major
College Experiences
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Freshmen classes are tough, “A slap in the face”
Figure out own learning style to be comfortable in
university classes
Find something to get involved in besides school
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Focus only on school will drive you crazy
Find study partners to help solve tough
engineering problems
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Help you study for exams as well
Engineering Student:
Colin Quinn
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Major:
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College:
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Mechanical Engineering
University of WisconsinMadison
Work Experiences
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Coop at Wolf Appliances
in Madison, WI with
R&D projects
Helpful High School Prep Classes
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Engineering classes put him ahead up to
two years above classmates his first year
Learning and applying the theory in realworld situations is great experience
Composite materials (Materials Science)
helped with extracurricular activities in
college
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Carbon fiber Formula 1 style race cars
College Experiences
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Hands-on experiences are important
Getting involved with projects is just as
important as earning the good grades
Member of the UW Formula SAE team
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Has learned many skills not taught in classroom
Engineering Student
Mike Kahan
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Major:
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B.S. Computer Science
(2003)
M.Eng Computer
Science
College
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Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT)
Helpful High School Prep Classes
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Calculus I and II
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Chemistry and Physics
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Prepare for college equivalents
Engineering I, II, and Independent Study
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Good background for Electrical Engineering Intro
Hands-on tinkering and opened door for wide-range of
occupations
High Mileage Vehicle competition
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First team exposure dealing with planning, and
mechanical engineering
College Experiences
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Freshmen
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Sophomore
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Lots of boring work, slept average 4 hours
Junior
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Took a lot of catch up time for classes to classmates
Enjoyed better classes and more sleep
Senior
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Earned first 4.0 of college career and applied for the
Master’s Degree
Engineering Student:
Gideon Sorkin
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Major:
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Engineering
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No specialization
selected as of yet
College:
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Brown University
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Providence, RI
College Experiences
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Engineering classes are very insightful
Math and physics applied quickly to
engineering curricula
Leaves engineering lectures feeling like he
understands the world better than before