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From NAHB Student Chapter President to Speaker at an International Tradeshow

Participating in student competitions can land you a first-place prize. But for Construction Engineering Management senior Chantal Contreras, it landed her in China.

Contreras took over as president of the CSULB chapter of National Association of Home Builders in the spring of 2017, and set to work trying to boost membership and raise funds for events and travel to competitions. “It was really hard to get things started up,” she said.

The chapter managed to send Contreras and five other students to Orlando to attend the International Builders Show, the largest light construction building industry tradeshow in the United States. Continue reading “From NAHB Student Chapter President to Speaker at an International Tradeshow”

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Engineering Distinguished Lecture Panel on the New Face of Engineering in 2030

Will artificial intelligence put people out of jobs? Is the idea of working for one company your entire career obsolete? Will the engineering field include previously underrepresented groups? And how important are so-called soft skills?

These are some of the questions tackled by the industry panel at Thursday’s Engineering Distinguished Lecture, which was timed to coincide with CSULB’s Imagine BEACH 2030 crowdsourcing campaign to examine the future. Continue reading “Engineering Distinguished Lecture Panel on the New Face of Engineering in 2030”

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Biomed Alumni to Speak About Medical Technology Entrepreneurship

leo petrossianCSULB electrical engineering alumni Leo Petrossian will speak to biomedical engineering students on Monday, Sept. 24 about Entrepreneurship in Medical Technology. Petrossian is co-founder and CEO of Neural Analytics Inc., a medical robotics company developing and commercializing technologies to measure and track brain health.

Petrossian ’04 has raised over $42 million in venture financing and led development of two medical devices in five years, both of which have obtained CE mark and FDA clearance. Continue reading “Biomed Alumni to Speak About Medical Technology Entrepreneurship”

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Sticking with STEM Means Limitless Possibilities for Future Careers

Panelists at the Science Extravaganza all had the same message for middle-school students: stick with STEM for a career with limitless opportunities.

Hosted by the CSULB chapter of MAES, the second annual event drew nearly 300 students from Perry Lindsey, Stephens, and Franklin Classical middle schools, as well as volunteers from The Aerospace Corp., Boeing, and other companies and student organizations.

“We need to help schools that serve underrepresented groups, and have limited funding and limited STEM,” said Anthony Ramirez, MAES CSULB Chapter Co-President and a CSULB aerospace engineering major. Continue reading “Sticking with STEM Means Limitless Possibilities for Future Careers”

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G2 Software Systems Interviews for Open Computer Science Positions

San Diego-based G2 Software Systems is often enlisted to fix broken systems or refresh ones that are out of date. The company’s sweet spot is with the defense industry’s large, complex, and sometimes antiquated, systems. G2 was hired to create software that sends alerts throughout all branches of the military, notifies the continent’s defense and aviation organizations to suspicious aircraft, and lets military personnel be trained simultaneously around the globe.

On Wednesday, a group from G2 visited the CSULB College of Engineering to interview graduating computer science seniors for possible jobs or internships. G2’s founder, Georgia Griffiths, is a CSULB alumni and member of the Dean’s Advisory Council.

G2 General Manager Pete Keyes. COE Development Director Nicole Forrest-Boggs, and mathematician Christopher Priebe.
G2 General Manager Pete Keyes. COE Development Director Nicole Forrest-Boggs, and mathematician Christopher Priebe.

“She’s a great supporter of scholarships for the College of Engineering,” said COE Development Director Nicole Forrest-Boggs, whose office organized the event. “We’re very happy to have them here.”

The G2 contingent included general manager Pete Keyes, mathematician Christopher Priebe, and office manager Jessica Rose, a CUSLB alumni.

Priebe, who manages a technology team at G2, said job prospects are bright for computer science majors. “This is a booming industry. It’s a seller’s market. There’s a lot of competition for engineers,” he said. Continue reading “G2 Software Systems Interviews for Open Computer Science Positions”

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How Automation Is Changing the World, and the Workforce

attendees at engineering lecture

At transportation terminals, automation is boosting productivity and creating safer work environments. In the medical device industry, it’s advancing product development and letting employees learn new technologies. And in aerospace, it’s leading to new manufacturing processes and a future age of autonomous aircraft.

At Thursday’s Fall Engineering Distinguished Lecture, representatives from all three industries shared how automation is changing the world—and the workforce.

“This is one of those topics that is very pertinent—automation, robotics, artificial intelligence—all the things we live with today,” said moderator Rolando Saldana, vice president of engineering at Qualcomm. “Going forward, we’re also seeing that industry is moving forward with automation. And these (speakers) are the folks who are putting together the systems.” Continue reading “How Automation Is Changing the World, and the Workforce”

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Southern California Gas Company Teams Show Off Senior Projects

Reducing emissions from gas grills and pasta cookers. Finding a cost-effective method to detect methane leaks in residential walls. Developing a tool that can return compressed pipes to their original shape.

These were some of the technical problems that students tackled as part of the CSULB College of Engineering’s partnership program with the Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

“This is a win-win opportunity,” said Hal Snyder, SoCalGas Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion “Students obtain practical experience, and you’re actually working on things that can help our company.”

The four-year-old CSULB program is led by Rodger R. Schwecke, SoCalGas Senior Vice President of Gas Transmission and Storage. Schwecke, a 1983 B.S. in chemical engineering graduate, said, “It’s great to see these bright engineering students take an idea from concept to physical demonstration, with supporting test data to show results.  Ideas such as addressing the ovality of plastic pipe prior to connections, that can turn into commercially viable applications to help our business.” Continue reading “Southern California Gas Company Teams Show Off Senior Projects”

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EE Remembers Lecturer Boi Tran

At its Department Graduation Monday, the CSULB Electrical Engineering Department commemorated lecturer Boi Tran’s supportive mentoring with an award in his name. Chris Hirunthanakorn (BSEE) received the Boi Tran Award, in memory of the late electrical engineering lecturer, who passed away suddenly late last year.

“It’s my honor that I’ve met and worked with Boi Tran, whose untimely passing has left a hole in our collective soul,” said Professor Anastasios Chassiakos, who described Tran as not only a very talented engineer but a trusted friend and mentor. Tran’s wife, Mindy, was present to accept the award.

Another of the department’s awards is named for the late Gerald Doski, an ever-helpful technician. The Doski Award this year went to Scott Salazar. Continue reading “EE Remembers Lecturer Boi Tran”

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MAE Department Salutes Its Alumni, Volunteers, and Graduates

CSULB Mechanical and Aerospace students on Monday gathered with faculty and advisors for a celebration before their graduation.

“This is a milestone. Your efforts and hard work have paid off,” said MAE Chair Jalal Torabzadeh. “It’s a great day to be proud of your achievements. This is also an opportunity for you to say thank you for all who helped you on your journey.”

Ross Ahlberg, who received MAE’s Distinguished Alumni Award, said CSULB’s mechanical engineering program provides a solid career foundation. Ahlberg, who graduated two decades ago, is now Vice President of Clinical Development at Applied Medical. Continue reading “MAE Department Salutes Its Alumni, Volunteers, and Graduates”

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Chemical Engineering Department Celebrates Grads and Alumni

Chemical Engineering celebrated the accomplishments of graduates and alumni at its Department Graduation Monday.

Those who received Distinguished Alumni Awards are: Jamie Bartolome, Tami Lipscomb,

George McDaniel, and Maureen Price. The Graduate Dean’s List recipient for Chemical Engineering was Raja Sekhar Kalavacherla.

Elena Jacobina DeSanto was recognized as the Outstanding BS ChE Student. The Outstanding MS Thesis Award went to Srinivas Gavini, while DeSanto and Rebecca Noel Wyborski received Outstanding Honor’s Thesis Awards. Sreeja Reddy Gouni and Christie Sutanto were recognized with Outstanding Undergrad/Grad Research Awards. Continue reading “Chemical Engineering Department Celebrates Grads and Alumni”