Cornell Engineering Career Conversations

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Navigating the Intersection of Healthcare, Data, and Sustainability: Allie Gaines ‘14 Jan 29, 2024

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Allie Gaines ‘14 discusses her educational and career journey from graduating with a degree in Information Science Systems and Technology to working as a Product Manager in Healthcare and Business Strategy at XponentL Data. She describes her transition from a technical role in data interoperability at Athenahealth to focusing on healthcare clinical solutions, particularly in cancer registries, which sparked her interest in using healthcare data to make a difference. She pursued a Master's degree in Global Health and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford, followed by a Ph.D. in Public Health and Epidemiology at Imperial College London focusing on nutrition, public health, and climate change impacts on the food system. Allie highlights her work in creating a method to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from packaged foods based on ingredients. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 She recommends: Marion Nestle’s newsletter- Food Politics: https://www.foodpolitics.com/ The George Institute for Global Health: https://www.georgeinstitute.org/ XponentL Data: https://xponentl.ai/ The Blue Zone on Netflix Allie can be found on LinkedIn. Melissa Bazley, Editor

Exploring Mars: An Insider’s Perspective: Nathan Williams ‘11 Jan 19, 2024

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Nathan Williams ‘11 completed an engineering bachelor's degree in earth and atmospheric sciences, earned a PhD studying the Moon and Mars at Arizona State University in 2016, and now works as a Science Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His work primarily involves Mars exploration, including missions with Mars Rover Perseverance, Mars Ingenuity helicopter, and Mars Sample Return. He discusses the importance of staying nimble and flexible in his role, acting as a bridge between scientists and engineers to ensure effective communication and collaboration. Nathan also shares insights and advice for students interested in pursuing careers in engineering and scientific exploration, emphasizing the value of networking, staying informed, and maintaining a work-life balance. The interview concludes with a discussion about Mars time, the unique work schedule aligned with Martian days during critical mission phases. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 He recommends following NASA and JPL on social media. Melissa Bazley, Editor

Revolutionizing Recycling: Stwart Peña Feliz ‘17 Sep 25, 2023

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Stwart Peña Feliz recently completed his MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management where he is the 2023 winner of the MIT Climate Energy Prize. He is the co-founder and CEO of MacroCycle, a startup focused on recycling plastic using an innovative and highly efficient process with minimal carbon emissions. He discusses his journey from being a chemical engineering student at Cornell to an entrepreneur with a mission to address plastic waste and climate change. You can connect with Stwart on Linkedin, and as he says, “If you spell my name correctly, I’m the only one who comes up.” Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 He can be found on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stwart-pena-feliz/ Instagram: Stwart530 A resource he shares is: https://www.plasticsnews.com Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

Focused on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies: Dr. Xiangkun Elvis Cao ‘21 Sep 17, 2023

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Dr. Xiangkun Elvis Cao is a Schmidt Science Fellow at MIT, working at the intersection of technology, business, and policy for carbon dioxide removal. He discusses the need for incentives to support investigators with interdisciplinary academic identities to perform their research and hasten scientific breakthroughs. Elvis also describes his journey from a small village in China to completing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell. He is passionate about mentoring other early career researchers and empowering individuals from historically under-represented groups in science and engineering. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 He can be found: https://www.elviscao.com/ https://www.elviscao.com/publications under 4.4 Op-eds https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiangkun-elvis-cao/ https://twitter.com/Elvis_Cao Elvis highly recommends, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

Innovating Sizing and Digital Fit Systems: Nathan Ghabour ‘13 Sep 08, 2023

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Nathan Ghabour, who currently works at Nike, is an experienced product leader in the computer software industry, skilled in computer-aided design (CAD), biomechanics, surface modeling, and product design. Nathan’s career launched with a Bachelor of Science focused in BioMechanical Engineering. Nathan discusses how his various experiences and interest led him to his current role as well as how he focuses on data ethics in his work. He also discusses the power of communication skills and the ability to distill ideas effectively to help teams perform well across an organization. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Nathan shares the following resources: MPI - for data ethics Max Planck Institute https://www.mpi-sp.org/ CVPR - for future of computer vision https://www.thecvf.com/ Modeling SIGGRAPH https://www.siggraph.org/ Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

A Mechanical Engineer Unbound by Conventional Career Paths: Dr. Malika Grayson ‘14, ‘16 Sep 03, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Malika Grayson completed a master’s degree and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell with a focus on wind energy, computational fluid dynamics, modeling and simulation, and wind tunnel experimentation. After graduation, Malika participated in a rotational program through Northrop Grumman and currently works there as a Program Manager. Malika discusses the importance of mentorship and building a community to be successful. She is a Fortune 100 global keynote speaker, best-selling author, and founder of STEMinist Empowered LLC, an organization focused on supporting women of color who are pursuing graduate degrees. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 You can find Malika on: IG: @drmalikagrayson Linkedin: Dr Malika Grayson Twitter: MalikaGrayson She shares the following books: Hooded: A Black Girl's Guide to the Ph.D. by Malika Grayson Lessons Learned: Stories from Women Leaders in STEM Paperback by Deborah M Shlian (Editor) Wall of Wonder: Cornell Women Leading the Way in Science, Technology, and Engineering by Madeline Dubelier, Catherine Gurecky, et al. Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

A Serial Tech Entrepreneur who Empowers Others to Grow: Debbie Madden ‘96 Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

As a graduate of the operations research in engineering major, Debbie Madden describes herself as a “serial technology entrepreneur, CEO, founder, board member, thought leader, author and advisor.” Debbie is the founder, owner, and Chairwoman of Stride, a national technology services firm leading agile digital transformation at brands ranging from Series A startups through Fortune 100. Her company partners with the world's best tech teams like Peloton, Spotify, Warby Parker, Disney, NBC Universal, to deliver high quality software products to market and model engineering and product best practices that upskill and enable teams. She shares leadership lessons she has gained through both professional and personal experiences including as a breast cancer survivor. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 You can find Debbie on: LinkedIn - Debbie Madden Twitter - debbiemadden200 Stridenyc.com Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

A Mechanical Engineer who Embraces Entrepreneurship- Ilayda Samilgil ‘19 Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Ilayda Samilgil is CEO/Co Founder of LLUME (Organic Robotics) and a graduate of the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell. LLUME utilizes patented Light Lace™ technology to accurately analyze user chest movement to deliver actionable insights on fatigue and performance levels. LLUME grew out of research that Ilayda conducted as a senior and she describes her journey as an entrepreneur. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Ilayda shares https://llume.io/ Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

Building and Managing Community Water Systems: Matthew Snyder ‘19, M.Eng, ‘20 May 31, 2023

Show notes

Matthew Snyder, an Assistant Project Manager and Engineer at Freese and Nichols, describes his work related to water purification and resource recovery in Texas. Matthew shares what it’s like to work as an environmental engineer and the challenges of educating the public about waste water treatment and of maintaining community trust. Transcript Link: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Matthew shares: https://www.awwa.org/ Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

Making the Connection between Chemical Engineering and Patient Care: Esther Park ‘06 May 17, 2023

Show notes

Esther Park’s mother told her she should be a pharmacist; Esther says, “Mom was right.” Esther is the Pharmacy Quality, Safety, and Regulatory Compliance Manager at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Esther discusses how engineers can improve healthcare quality by managing urgent drug shortages, streamlining manufacturing processes, and creating vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other medications that don’t yet exist. She also shares how her chemical engineering education contributes to her problem-solving and communication skills as a pharmacist. Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ECCtranscript1 Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director Cornell Broadcast Studios broadcaststudio@cornell.edu Melissa Bazley, Editor

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