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 2017
LaVallee Named National Co-op Student of the Year Kendra LaVallee was chosen as the 2017 Co-op Student of the Year by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Cooperative & Experiential Education Division. She is a chemical engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh and completed her yearlong co-op at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (J&J). She will attend the annual ASEE conference in Jacksonville, Fla., in February to receive this award. She is the fourth University of Pittsburgh student to be named Co-op Student of the Year, tying Georgia Institue of Technology for the most student winners (ceed.asee. org/coop_past_winners.html). LaVallee also was selected as the University’s Swanson School of Engineering Co-op Student of the Year for all of her accomplishments as a technical operations co-op student at J&J. She was nominated by her manager, Steve Won. She exceeded expectations during her co-op and was awarded six Johnson & Johnson Encore Awards: four gold, one silver, and one bronze. “As part of the technical operations team at J&J, I executed projects to improve product quality, streamline processes, and save money,” LaVallee says. “Rather
than performing transactional duties like a typical intern, I was entrusted with strategic responsibility. My management team was interested in my professional development and provided Kendra LaVallee and U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering Gerald D. Holder me with opportunities to learn and grow.” academics to industry, then upon my LaVallee worked on several projects, return to Pitt, understand the industrial including the international launch of a relevance of my studies.” major GI product with estimated annual sales of $40 million and led the She has an outstanding academic record continuous improvement process for an and is very involved at Pitt. She was a alternative analytical procedure for the research assistant for the biomaterials company’s highest-selling product, with laboratory of Dr. Prashant Kumta. There, a yearly projected savings of $375,000. she engineered polymeric materials with She also was the professional developload-bearing biodegradable properties. ment chair of the Intern Co-op AssociaShe worked with a biomaterial like magtion and planned presentations and netnesium, which our body is familiar with, working events for more than 30 co-op instead of something like titanium, which students. Her co-op experience at Johnis foreign to the body. son & Johnson has led her to pursue a She is involved with numerous clubs at Certificate in Supply Chain Management. Pitt, including The Honors Chemical Engi“Pitt’s rigorous chemical engineering program equipped me with the tools necessary to succeed during co-op,” LaVallee says. “Co-oping at J&J has been the best decision of my undergraduate career. I was able to apply my
neering Society, Omega Chi Epsilon, the Service & Fundraising Committee Member of Phi Sigma Rho, and the Women’s Engineering Conference Publicity Chair for the Society of Women Engineers. She will graduate in fall 2017.
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION Co-op Students Recognized at the 2016 Reception and Dinner Graduating seniors were honored at the Recognition Reception and Dinner held on Friday, December 9, 2016, at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. Students who completed all coop rotations received recognition from Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel Holder and Michelle Hoch Dean of Engineering. The upcoming graduates and their families, in addition to faculty and coop employers, attended the event. Maureen Barcic, cooperative education director, highlighted the accomplishments of the program for the 2015–16 academic year. Holder awarded each senior a certificate of completion from the co-op program. Barcic and Holder awarded the 2016 Co-op Employer of the Year Award to Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Ross Klein, manager of stress and thermal analysis and materials engineering, and Brian Schaub, senior manufacturing engineer, accepted the award on the company’s behalf. Student awards also were presented to acknowledge the students’ successes in their work, academics, and communities. The award winners were:
Co-op Student of the Year Kendra LaVallee Chemical Engineering Johnson & Johnson/McNeil Consumer Healthcare
Co-op Student of the Year Finalist Michelle Hoch Industrial Engineering Veterans Engineering Resource Center, Pittsburgh
Co-op Student of the Year Honorable Mentions Henry Phalen, Bioengineering Eric Relich, Chemical Engineering Sarah Russek, Civil Engineering Brittany Byrne, Industrial Engineering Garrett White, Industrial Engineering Christine Greenawalt, Mechanical Engineering Lisa Langhorst, Mechanical Engineering Brendan Stack, Mechanical Engineering The Co-op Program thanks the students, their families, co-op employers, faculty, and staff for attending the dinner event. The program takes pride in its student’s accomplishments and greatly values the support of its employer partners.
Co-op Student of the Year Honorable Mentions
Holder and Henry Phalen
Holder and Eric Relich
Holder and Christine Greenawalt
Holder and Garrett White
Holder and Brittany Byrne
Holder and Sarah Russek
Curtiss-Wright Named 2016 Co-op Employer of the Year Each year, the Cooperative Education Program solicits nominations for Outstanding Co-op Employer of the year from faculty and students. CurtissWright Corporation was named the Swanson School of Engineering’s Outstanding Cooperative Education Employer for 2016. Our history with the company goes back to 1991. Our first co-op student there was Ross Klein, who is one of Curtiss-Wright’s full-time engineers and accepted the award during the Recognition Reception and Dinner on December 9, 2016. Since 1991, more than 280 co-op students have been hired by Curtiss-Wright! Many have gone on to incredible careers with the company.
Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering, presents Ross Klein (middle), manager of stress and thermal analysis and materials engineering, and Brian Schaub (right), senior manufacturing engineer, with the Employer of the Year Award.
Also, in 1998, Westinghouse ElectroMechanical Division (now known as Curtiss-Wright),was our Co-op Employer of the Year. When students are interviewed at Curtiss-Wright, they are seen as individuals who have a chance to make an impact, and so many of them do just that! There is a personal care and concern that draws our students to this company. Not only are they there for the educational purpose, but there are professional opportunities, final presentations required, and even social events for the students. It is no wonder that they flourish. Brian Schaub, also a former co-op student, was in attendance to accept the award as well. We continue to place many students with Curtiss-Wright year after year. We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with the company as it keeps helping our students to succeed.
Ross Klein accepts the Employer of the Year Award for Curtiss-Wright.
2016 Employer of the Year Nominees American Airlines Sam’s Club Siemens Power Generation Giant Eagle Mine Safety Appliances
Rachel Strother and her family
Back row, left to right:Inderbir Sondh, Givan Amaratunga, Brian Lauro, Kyle Berkow, and Casey Rayburg Front row, left to right:Michelle Botyrius, Mara Palmer, Karen Hranek, and Shruti Vempati
Adrian Mikhail Garcia and his family
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION 2016 Co-op Certificate Recipients Bioengineering
Amaratunga, Givan M. Berkow, Kyle A. Hranek, Karen A. Kappil, Thomas G. Lauro, Brian B. Palmer, Mara C. Phalen, Henry Rayburg, Casey E. Reck, Jacob A. Sondh, Inderbir Tompkins-Rhoades, Casey Vempati, Shruti, K. Waters, Samuel H.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Barie, Wade D. Biss, Jake D. Chessa, Julia M. Chmay, Katherine R. Cline, Thomas D. Cvetic, Nicholas M. Dine, Stephen P. Dougall, Keith R. Edmond, Raven I. Emhoff, Graydon A. Garcia, Adrian Mikhail P. Glucksman, Rebecca L. Heid, Nathan M. Hirata, Amedeo T. Holder, Nickolas J. Kelly, Jonathan P. Krauss, Tyler M. Lammers, Derek M. McEneaney, Katelyn C. Mee, Nicole L. Ng, Carol Y. Russek, Sarah C. Safford, Laura M. Sagaydak, Roman V. Shippling, Taylor R. Spencer, Zachary W. Sutcliff, William B. Veurink, Alexander D. Walko, Christopher J. Wesenberg, Alexis P. Williams, Taylor E. Windle, George M. Wozniak, Paul A. Zahorchak, Sara A.
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Abram, Alexandra A. Adams, Dorit M. Amicucci, Stephen J. Amruthur, Rohith C. Ashbaugh, Emily N. Baillargeon, Giselle M.
Carter, Danielle P. Denillo, Dante A. Diederich, Amy M. Dugan, Michael T. Dumas, Elyse D. Dunleavy, Matthew R. Eichelman, Katharine M. Ejzak, Julia B. Finn, Taylor R. Fischer, Suzanne M. Fornaciari, Julie C. George, Alexa N. Haselhoff, Kelli R. Kearney, Robert L. Lowrie, William J. Olson, Emily N. Patriarca, Evan G. Penatzer, Nicholas J. Porceng, Nathan H. Pulleo, Matthew S. Reid, Rachel C. Rubin, Andrew S. Sinemus, Melissa L. Sklener, Kimberly A. Stow, Dylan F. Toncini, Blaec P. Toney, Jasmine A. Trossman, Sarah A. Tuite, Rachel G. Urbaniak, Brian M. Vangorder, Adam J. Weller, Allison D. Williams, Justin E. Yoder, Leland J. Zimmerman, David K.
Computer Engineering
Bednar, Thomas A. Clair, Blaise S. Coronado, Katherine Deely, Jeffrey T. Denu, Nicholas D. Emert, Allen Fang, Jennifer M. Forrest, Alisha H. Gannon, Zachary J. Gupta, Nupur Guttenplan, Jacob M. Hawkins, Harry J. IV Hill, Jorden A. Kazmierczak, Connor J. Kljucaric, Luke E. Knight, Jordan F. Kowdley, Neel S. Manuel, Arri E. McAlpin, Michael J. Jr. McGrath, Daniel J. Melius, Chase A. Nash, Kevin J. O’Neill, Hugh J. Plokhovska, Zhanneta
Porach, Samantha L. Rosenbaum, Alec P. Wang, Wenchao Warner, Jeffrey M. Wells, Gabriel M.
Computer Science Anderson, David J. Baker, Joseph C. Blake, Keith Brusilovsky, Daniel P. Faller, Michael D. Fox, Alexander B. Glyde, Alexander W. Juneja, Ashish S. Lorei, Peter N. Lucas, Andrew T. Noll, Aaron D. Ostrander, Michael R. Putterman, Max L. Seefeld, Louis F. Tamenne, Aaron J. Tong, Gangzheng
Electrical Engineering
Brinkley, Jesse T. Bucklen, Eric T. Cheng, Alexander S. Edwards, Dominic T. Ferris, Daniel G. Gruber, Daniel G. Hartwig, Andrew C. Kane, Raymond H. Littlefield, Deanna M. Melius, Breanne A. Pizarchik, Matthew A. Raszmann, Emma B. Schreder, Kelly N. Spowart, Alexander T. Sugarmann, Brian W. Wakeen, Kyle T.
Industrial Engineering
Abram, Victor A. Allison, Daniel J. Bargiel, Breanna E. Byrne, Brittany L. Cassel, Addison B. Cecchi, Andrew P. Chapla, Jessica A. Dong, Jiayi Dornstauder, Karl J. Easley, Patrick W. Fiala, Theodore M. Focht, Mitchell R. Frazier, Joy A. Friend, Eric M. Friend, Joseph A. Hain, Jose Enrique Ledonio Hoch, Michelle M.
Horne, Darren M. Jain, Anita Johnson, Nicholas A. Kristo, Joshua T. Kuwik, Andrew W. Lasky, Rebecca L. Leone, Joseph A. Leone, Sean P. McKinney, Patrick W. Merrill, Jessica C. Metheny, Kelsey P. O’Leary, David R. Palko, Elizabeth A. Ptaszkiewicz, Mitchell D. Quinlisk, Emily M. Rubino, Laura M. Staats, Sierra R. Strother, Rachel K. Svitek, Eric J. Sykes, Matthew S. Tomaro, Stephanie L. Ubinger, Matthew J. Waters, Kyle R. White, Garrett J.
Mechanical Engineering
Acosta, Karen Y. Bartholomew, Philip J. Bieler, Katherine E. Bondi, Mark G. Borelle, Brett A. Braschayko, Jennifer M. Brown, Cameron J. Dao, Thai T. Debski, Neil A. DeCirce, Michael J. Detweiler, Colin L. Drischler, Jordan M. Dunn, Rachel A. Fannin, Cody M. Field, Lauren E. Fossati, Jake M. Gaston, Hunter G. Gersh, Dannah R. Gonzalez Kanterewicz, Joaquin Greenawalt, Christine H. Hagan, Ryan O. Hemminger, Noah W. Hinnebusch, Shawn J. Hutter, Cara D. Hyland, Brian W. Janiczek, Nathan J. Jean-Louis, Nick Kahanov, Seth L. Kan, Bryan W. Kernick, Zachary A. Kovacsics, Richard A. Landy, Daniel K. Langhorst, Lisa Le Grand, Ryan M.
Marnik, Alex T. McIntire, Nathan W. Oakley, Ryan M. O’Connor, Matthew L. Palcsey, Philip T. Patterson, Zachary J. Paul, Adam M.N. Praniewicz, Maxwell R. Prete, Paul P. Quattrocchi, John W. Resek, Andrew J. Rettig, Garrett M. Rouse, Craig J. Runco, Madeline I. Russell, Mark H. Sarosi, Erin M. Scabilloni, Skyler Scandrol, Michael D. Schultz, Matthew E. Schwarz, Theodore D. Singh, Maninder Skapik, Evan J. Sofranko, Richard D. Sponsler, Andrew P. Stack, Brendan N. Starmack, Tyler A.
Thacker, Robert D. Todd, Alexander W. Torgerson, Quentin J. Trachtman, Aaron D. Vanderlaan, Zachary A. Varley, Sean M. Vavithes, Mark R. Walker, Rowan P. Walther, Michael A. Ward, Robert W. Wetzel, Christopher J. Zatsick, Ty C.
Mechanical Engineering Technology
Michalski, Colin H. Panza, Nicole J. Triol, Stephen W.
Materials Science and Engineering
Lukas, Rachel E. Lysinger, Jordan A. Russo, Taylor E.
Upcoming Event Annual Spring Co-op Job Fair Wednesday, January 25, 2017 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 Tyler Kimmel Program Administrator tjk58@pitt.edu Hannah Geyer Graduate Intern hcg13@pitt.edu The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Department of Communications Services. DCS110234-0117