University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Engineering Technology, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION SPRING 2016
Nathan Smialek named Co-op Student of the Year In recognition of his accomplishments during a four-term rotation at Philips Respironics, Nathan Smialek was selected to be the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering Co-op Student of the Year. Mr. Smialek, a native of Girard, Pa., will receive his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering in the spring of 2016. Among his activities, Mr. Smialek is a University Innovation fellow, a member of the U.S. delegation to Vice Premier Liu at Intel U.S.-China International Maker competition ceremony, and served as president of Engineers for Sustainable Medical Development (ESMD) where his design team developed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) microscopy
mount that is used in pediatric procedures. The device, for which they filed a provisional patent application, is a mechanical mounting system that allows a surgeon to utilize an OCT microscope while attempting surgery to restore sight in pediatric patients. The device was used clinically in multiple surgeries. Mr. Smialek stated, “Working alongside industry professionals and actively participating in the development of medical products was the most valuable experience of my undergraduate career. My time at Pitt has been defined by rigorous academics, with the co-op program providing a complementary opportunity to extend my skills acquired as part of my education.”
Congratulations to both Robinson Fans and Zoll Lifecor, recipients of this year’s Co-op Employer of the Year Awards! We have so many great partnerships with various companies and we appreciate you all.
Nathan Smialek accepting his Co-op Student of the Year Award
Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering, and Nathan Smialek
We also welcome the following new employers to our program! Areva AUMA Battelle Booz Allen Hamilton Buckman Laboratories Dana Holding Corporation Fisher Associates
FOX IV Technologies Kurt J. Lesker Company Nucor Corporation Powercast Redzone Robotics Rich Products Corporation Yuba Cargo Bikes
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION Co-op Students Recognized at the 2015 Reception and Dinner Graduating seniors were honored at the Senior Recognition Reception and Dinner held on Friday, December 11, 2015, at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association in Oakland. Students who completed all co-op rotations received recognition from Gerald Holder, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering. Upcoming graduates and their families, in addition to faculty and co-op employers, attended the event. Maureen Barcic, cooperative education director, highlighted the accomplishments of the program for the 2014–2015 academic year, noting the new graduate co-op program and the largest number of student participants ever. Dean Holder awarded each senior with a Certificate of Completion from the co-op program. Ms. Barcic and Dean Holder awarded the 2015 Co-op Employers of the Year to Robinson Fans, Inc. and ZOLL LifeVest. Tom Kuli, chief engineer at Robinson Fans, and Shane Volpe, manager of Embedded Systems Development, graciously accepted the awards on the companies’ behalf. Student awards were also presented to acknowledge the co-ops’ successes in their work, academics, and communities. The award winners were: Co-op Student of the Year Nathan S. Smialek BioEengineer Phillips Respironics
Co-op Graduate Students, Scott Allen and Benedetta Khoury, work at the registration desk at the Recognition Dinner.
Co-op Student of the Year Finalists Stephanie Fee Jin Lee Mechanical Engineer Eaton Corporation
Co-op Finalists
Morgan A. Skapik Metallurgy and Materials Engineer PCC Airfoils Co-op Student of the Year Honorable Mentions James R. Brucker (Industrial Engineer), FedEx Ground Renee M. Corbett (Civil Engineer), Langan Engineering Alexander G. Horn (Chemical Engineer), Air Products John A. Pidgeon (Industrial Engineer), Connors Group Andrew J. Pouleson (Computer Engineer), Rockwell Automation Eric P. Walker (Electrical Engineer), Mine Safety Appliances Sheridan Zivanovich (Computer Science), ANSYS
Gerald D. Holder and Stephanie Fee Jin Lee
Morgan Skapik and Gerald D. Holder
Gerald D. Holder and James Brucker
Renee Corbett and Gerald D. Holder
Alexander Horn and Gerald D. Holder
John Pidgeon and Gerald D. Holder
The Co-op program would like to thank the students, their families, co-op employers, faculty, and staff for attending the dinner event. Cooperative Education takes pride in the students’ accomplishments and greatly values the support of its employer partners.
Gerald D. Holder and Zoe Horvath
Andrew Treloar, Daniel Knopfmacher, James Brucker, Billy Harlam, Bryan Natto, and Benjamin Zimmerman Lisa Stabryla and family
Morgan Skapik and Daniel Chilutti
Robinson Fans, Inc. and ZOLL LifeVest named 2015 Co-op Employers of the Year Each year the Cooperative Education Program solicits nominations for Outstanding Co-op Employer from faculty and students. The criteria are a sustained commitment to the co-op program and its students. We had several nominations this year and of course many outstanding employers in our co-op program, so it is always difficult to select just one. We are very happy to announce, however, that Robinson Fans, Inc. and ZOLL LifeVest have been named the Swanson School of Engineering’s Outstanding Cooperative Education Employers for 2015. Robinson Fans is a manufacturer of high-efficiency fans and industrial blowers, located in Zelienople, Pa. It’s first co-op was hired in 1999. Throughout almost all of the following years, Robinson has employed alternating co-ops and provided those individuals with strong work experiences in a nurturing atmosphere. The students express in their reviews that they are treated like any other engineer and thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie and atmosphere of the company. Robinson Fans’ dedication to our program is unparalleled. We are long overdue in honoring Robinson Fans as our Co-op Employer of the Year.
Tom Kuli, Robinson Fans and Gerald D. Holder
ZOLL LifeVest is manufacturer of an innovative defibrillator that protects patients from cardiac arrest, located in Pittsburgh. ZOLL hired its first co-op in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the program really took off. As ZOLL grew, so did the co-op program. In the first years, the positions were traditionally for computer and electrical engineering students. However, ZOLL has expanded its selection of students to also include those from industrial engineering, bioengineering, and computer science. They have hired over 40 co-ops to date. Our students who coop at Zoll state that much is expected from them; so much so, that it sometimes caused a bit of trepidation. However, with the helpful engineering staff at ZOLL the students have been able to excel and make strong and important contributions.
Gerald D. Holder and Shane Volpe, ZOLL LifeVest
Salem Tube Inc. has entered into a new collaborative effort with the University of Pittsburgh. The program, Salem Tube Academic Research Training (START), provides mutual benefits for all involved. Through START, Salem Tube has worked with the University of Pittsburgh Cooperative Education Department to bring two engineering students on board. The students entering
this program alternate working four months and going to school four months, which typically includes three work rotations. While in their working months, the students are given key technical projects to solve and complete that will improve Salem Tube. Thus, both parties benefit from START by providing students excellent work experience and a boost to technical projects necessary to improve Salem Tube. Sean Raible (former co-op student), quality assurance engineer/manager, Salem Tube; co-ops John Hoover and Sarah Bowers; and Jim Kent (former co-op student), TxPS manager/process improvement engineer, Salem Tube.
Stephen Snow–NASA Co-op Wins Outstanding Co-op Student Award Stephen Snow was nominated for and received a coveted Co-op Certificate Award from National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center. The award reads: “Presented to Stephen Snow in recognition of your dedication to excellence in education and professional development as a member of the NASA JSC Cooperative Education Program.” signed by Ellen Ochoa, director of JSC.
Stephen Snow
Making the Most of the Evening
Garrett Ott and Nicholas Spalick
Jocelyn Dansey and Andrew Lawniczak
Alexandra Paul, Nathan Jones, and their families
To view more pictures from our awards dinner, please visit flickr.com/gp/129359421@N03/RqaH3T.
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION 2015 Co-op Certificate Recipients Bioengineering
Jacob M. Bartee Angela M. Beck Alyson M. Egan Paul N. Enick Jordan T. Ferrero Shannon Gorman Hailee R. Kulich Amy Howell Gregg Logan Karanovich Ian P. McIntyre Matthew P. Pesce Tyler B. Pirkle Meghan R. Scott Nathan S. Smialek Joseph M. Takahashi
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Renee M. Corbett Nicole M. Dejean Brian S. DeRuschi Robert S. Gehris Adrian D. Goldberg Meghan A. Greenawalt Mark E. Greer Joshua J. Hammaker Matthew J. Kambic Thomas G. Katelhon Jiangmin Lin Kevin P. Link Derrick J. Lubomski Jack P. Ozaroff Jordan A. Panek Alexandra R. Paul Alexander R. Prunchak Charles R. Raffensburger Andrew L. Rodgers Renato P. Ruzzini Chad Hugh Smedley Chase A. Smethurst Samantha J. Susich Thomas J. Tresky Christopher E. Urtz John H. Walker
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Ian D. Abrahamsen Tyler R. Alan Rebecca M. Arnold Matthew T. Barrage Kirsten L. Carlson Megan M. Cider Martin Echavarria Alexandra E. Ellis Christian J. Ference Payton N. Forrest Shealyn E. Forshee Alexander G. Horn
Bradley H. Kopp Ouiam Koubaa Joseph L. Kuhn Brett C. Lacey Margaret E. Lucas William C. Maier Ashley S. McCray Dylan T. Nestor Amy L. Neuburger Cara M. Ocampo Jill C. Palski Kathryn A. Vasinko Kevin W. Vose Amanda J. Ward Elliott M. Weiss Anna E. Williams Amanda E. Windbeck Kyle S. Wolfe
Computer Engineering
Leonard S. Aronson Gabrielle A. Clark Shmuel Y. Dlinn Robert J. Dumont David J. Fioravanti Joshua L. Fisher Jake M. Fossati Trevor E. Fry Dominic O. Grigore Harry J. Hawkins IV Kyle G. Hearty Alexander C. Honeygosky Danchen Huang Jeffrey H. Josephs Colin Maxwell Kennedy Luke E. Kljucaric Jordan F. Knight Jacob A. Kring Brandon D. Lockridge Brian P. McDonald Arri E. Manuel Kurt A. Mohler Kanis A. Nealon Zachary Oscar Ovington Zhanneta H. Plokhovska Andrew J. Pouleson Jonathan M. Povirk Matthew P. Schnur Glenn R. Selker Yiming Lo Song Nathan J. Spangler Cody M. Svec Wenchao Wang Tyler D. Wolf
Computer Science Andrew J. Armstrong Zachary Baker Christopher L. Boehm Daniel P. Brusilovsky Ryan W. Craig
Karyn May Drombosky William H. Engler Todd M. Ernst Patrick D. Keane John K. Linden Tiffany A. Martrano Tri Nguyen David T. Slayback Jacob V. Stambaugh Coleman C. Stavish Colin R. Swan Danielle M. Talley Jiayan Zhang Sheridan Zivanovich
Electrical Engineering
Paige M. Bitler Mark David Bressler Derek J. Byers Joseph S. Daubert Patrick J. Devlin Mark A. Fickman Annmarie N. Grant Gregory D. Hannah Jesse M. Hanson Thomas J. Jageman Haroon A. Khalid Abdelssamad Laaouaouda Rafid H. Lateef Hanlu Li Matthew D. Mayrosh Taylor A. Merkosky Michael H. Milli Philip R. Null Joseph J. Petti Nicholas D. Reynolds Bacil M. Shaqqo Matthew J. Sybeldon Robert E. Timmons Eric P. Walker Troy D. Weber Andrew D. Wolfe Ziqun (Karen) Zhou
Engineering Science Lisa M. Stabryla
Engineering Technology
Ethan W. Adams Gilchrist T. Myers Kevin J. Shook
Industrial Engineering
Sydney A. Biggins Zachary R. Birney James R. Brucker Allison P. Bundy Emily A. Burger Jocelyn A. Dansey Alyssa M. Ferdetta
Andrew M. Frank Matthew M. Grachen Zoe K. Horvath Mary Adele Keenan Daniel E. Knopfmacher Harrison A. Lynch Sean M. Mack Sean P. Maguire Bryan J. Natto Ryan T. Orlando Roman Perdziola John A. Pidgeon Michael R. Quake Thomas L. Randall John E. Riddle Nicholas J. Rittenhouse Tyler J. Rybarczyk Colin J. Stephens Dominic T. Stokes Nicolas E. Sunderland Andrew J. Treloar Michael S. Trentadue Brett A. Vuxta Mark Worker Seth A. Young Thomas K. Zacher Benjamin M. Zimmerman
Mechanical Engineering
Karen Y. Acosta Matthew A. Adams Jared T. Andes Loryn A. Bertoti Theodore A. Beyene Mark G. Bondi Jennifer Braschayko Nathan D. Budny Alexander J. Buli Michael A. Calabro Alex D. Cikovic Chad H. Corapi Elizabeth Craig Thomas E. Damarodis Thai Dao Michael J. DeCirce Caren T. Dieglio John M . Doman Jordan M. Drischler Matthew A. Egan Arthur Ford Eichelberger Patrick M. Emmett Calvin Flederbach Kyle J. Fragassi Joseph J. Gielas Jr. Juan M. Gonzales Cameron D. Gray Nathan J. Harlow Matthew James Hilger Ian M. Jones Nathan R. Jones Andrew J. Kearns
Zachary A. Kernick Cameron P. Kraisinger Daniel S. Kueffner Andrew J. Lawniczak Pavlo Lebedyev Stephanie Fee Jin Lee Trevor S. McCauley Samuel Marousek Jonathan M. Merti Zachary L. Mester Amanda C. Murau Steven D. Myers Connor E. Naughton Nicholas R. Neugebauer Garrett S. Ott Cory A. Owens Danielle M. Perdue Yevgeniy Riftin Rachel A. Rohr Matthew Saban Nasir Sharaf
Justin T. Smialek Thomas J. Smyth Zachary A. Stuck Nino J. Tommarello Quentin J. Torgerson Shawn P. Walls Christopher J. Weise Victoria M. Zitzka
Materials Science and Engineering
Victoria E. Campbell Daniel S. Chilutti Lauren E. Field Morgan A. Skapik Nicholas J. Spalick Nicholas J. Thimons
Upcoming Event Annual Fall Co-op Job Fair Tuesday, September 27, 2016 William Pitt Union 10 a.m.–2 p.m. University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program 152D Benedum Hall 412-624-9826 engineering.pitt.edu/coop/ Co-op staff Maureen Barcic Director paub2m@pitt.edu Chris Frankovic Associate Director caf54@pitt.edu LeeAnn Falcon Program Administrator lwf1@pitt.edu Benedetta Khoury Graduate Intern bek58@pitt.edu Scott Allen Graduate Intern sma87@pitt.edu The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Department of Communications Services. DCS105261-0216