Pitt Swanson School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program in partnership with the School of Computing and Information and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Engineering Division
Pitt Produces More ASEE Co-op Award Winners than Any Other University The Cooperative & Experiential Education Division (CEED) of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) recognizes outstanding co-op students with its Co-op Student of the Year award. Pitt students have won the award in three of the last six years and five times overall, which is the most of any university. 2019 Julie Shields, IE, FedEx Supply Chain 2017 Kendra LaVallee, ChemE, Johnson & Johnson 2014 Howard Wang, ChemE, Lubrizol Corporation 2002 Kristy Petrosky, IE, Delco Electronics Corporation 2000 Jelena Tudman, ChemE, E.I. DuPont
Spring 2019
Julie Shields Named National Co-op Student of the Year Recognizing her exceptional performance at FedEx Supply Chain, University of Pittsburgh graduating senior Julie Shields was selected as the 2019 national Co-op Student of the Year by the Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED) of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Shields received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering this December, having completed three four-month rotations with FedEx Supply Chain and joined the company this January. During her third rotation, Shields played a critical role in a competitive bid for a major company. Based on her performance during her first two rotations, she was trusted to represent FedEx during the initial phases of the bid process. Impressed by her success, Fedex selected her as lead engineer on the project and developed plans for a new 1 millionsquare-foot building with automation. This design helped to secure a win for the company. “The victory was a monumental event for FedEx,” said Matthew Voycik, a project engineering manager at FedEx Supply Chain. “Julie had a huge part in this, and I am very proud of how she responded under
adversity. She showed courage throughout the entire design process by bringing ideas to the table to create a winning design for FedEx.” Within FedEx, Shields received two Bravo Zulu awards, the second highest performance award at the company. “Most students have positive experiences during their co-op rotations; however, few students have the opportunity to be the owner of work that affects not only the entire company, but also an external company,” said Shields. “As a co-op, I designed two complex warehouses, presented those designs to executives and senior managers, and was a critical part of winning a large bid for FedEx Supply Chain. As a full-time engineer, I will see my designs constructed and come to life.” Shields received the national Co-op Student of the Year award at the ASEE Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration on January 30, 2019, and attended the CEED Awards Reception to celebrate with the other award winners. While at the Swanson School, Shields participated in the First-year Engineering Conference as co-chair and mentored 10 freshman students during their second semester. She also was involved in Pitt’s Incline Consulting Group, which involves students in providing pro bono consulting work to Pittsburgh organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh on December 9, 2018. “We are extremely proud of Julie. She is an excellent student in and out of the classroom and a wonderful representative of Pitt industrial engineering graduates,” said Karen Bursic, associate professor and undergraduate program director of industrial engineering.
U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering James R. Martin II, PhD, M. ASCE and Julie Shields
Co-op Students Recognized at 2018 Reception and Dinner Graduating seniors were honored at the Recognition Reception and Dinner held on Friday, December 7, 2018 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. Students who completed all of their co-op rotations received recognition from U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering James R. Martin II. The students 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 2017-2018 academic year. Dean Martin presented each senior with a certificate of completion from the co-op program. Ms. Barcic and Dean Martin awarded the 2018 Co-op Employer of the Year award to Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Steve Won and Brittany Chambers (BSE ’13) accepted the award on the company’s behalf. Awards also were presented to acknowledge the academic, work, and community successes of the co-op students.
Left to right: Zachary Yoder, Tyler Clark, Jamie Laughlin, Rina Zhang, Casey McBride, and Ryan Barrow
The Co-op Program would like to thank the students, their families, co-op employers, faculty, and staff for attending the dinner event. The Cooperative Education Program takes pride in the accomplishments of students and greatly values the support of its partners.
Co-op Student of the Year Honorable Mentions
Xavier Strittmatter
Cole Burden
Co-op Student of the Year Julie Shields Industrial Engineering FedEx Supply Chain
Logan Higinbotham Computer Science
View more photos from the dinner at https://bit.ly/2SMxzG7.
Julia Marzocca Mechanical Engineering
Sean O’Brien Mechanical Engineering
Jenna Rudolph Industrial Engineering
Rushil Shah Industrial Engineering
Casey Kinol Chemical Engineering
Co-op Student of the Year Finalist Xavier Strittmatter Chemical Engineering McNeil Consumer Healthcare/Johnson & Johnson Co-op Tenacity Award Cole Burden Civil Engineering American Bridge Co.
Robyn Moyer Electrical Engineering
Jessica Rodgers (ME) did not attend.
Casey McBride Bioengineering
Abigail Wezelis Computer Engineering
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Named 2018 Co-op Employer of the Year
Brandon Bennett and family
Each year, the Cooperative Education Program solicits nominations for Outstanding Co-op Employer from faculty, staff, and students. Johnson & Johnson, including the McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division and its Fort Washington, Lancaster, and Lititz sites, was named the Swanson School of Engineering’s Outstanding Cooperative Education Employer for 2018. Our history with Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. actually goes back to our first coop in 2000, but things really took off when Holly Bolan, a former Pitt co-op and graduate, hired Laura Cheesa (BSE ’07), and then Tanner Lauderbaugh (BSE ’07) in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Since then, 61 Pitt co-ops have been hired among the three McNeil locations. Our students have consistently rated the J&J co-op positions among the best, and some have been fortunate enough to accept full-time positions upon graduating. In addition, J&J has taken the time to nominate candidates for the Co-op Student of the Year award. In 2017, Kendra LaVallee (BSE ’17) won the American Society for Engineering Education’s national Co-op Student of the Year award in part because of the outstanding mentorship she received through her co-op experience. The students are offered opportunities for leadership, camaraderie, travel, recognition, and so much more. We value our partnership so very much, and it began with former co-ops who wanted to pay it forward. Left to right: Dean James R. Martin II, J&J Technical Operations Staff Scientist Steve Won, J&J Technical Operations Scientist Brittany Chambers (BSE ’13), and Co-op Program Director Maureen Barcic recognize Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. as the 2018 Employer of the Year.
Linsey Curry and family
2018 Co-op Certificate Recipients Bioengineering Dzuricky, Anna T. Hartman, Andrea L. Khan, Farah A. Lucas, Caitlin S. Man, Jared A. McBride, Casey A. Pedersen, Jeremy R. Poduska, Katherine S. Roadarmel, Benjamin R. Snowden, Malik J. Vhasure, Soumya S. Vijayvargiya, Amogha M. Vu, Courtney Q.
Nguyen, Jonathan J. Samulevich, John D. Silverman, Alexa M. Skorpinski, Edward J. Smith, Christopher E. Snyder, Adam R. Soltys, Bradley P. Westpy, Andrew R. Yip, Evan W. Zmenkowski, Brett R.
Computer Engineering
Baumann, Eric M. Brust, Craig E. Cepek, Jonathan N. Chemical Engineering Cizauskas, Cory M. Damiani, Matthew W. Bachinsky, Julianna M. Dant, Andrew G. Bell, Denzel A. Dehel, Andrew J. Bergen, Marade C. Dott, John K. Celmo, Celina M. Farrell, Kendra L. Clarke, James W. Friedland, Laura N. Colletti, Jonathan T. Hantz, James E. Dobracki, Delaney T. Hopwood, Michael A. Frederick, Emily J. Kuehl, Orin B. Frye, Logan J. Lyons, Patrick H. Ghobrial, Rebecca M. Mansmann, James A. Keller, Pamela A. Mohnke, Tyler D. Kilkuts, Max A. Opdyke, Matthew J. Kinol, Casey N. Patterson, Jennifer L. Kritkausky, Charles J. Peterson, Samuel D. Kulak, Meredith E. Pucci, Katie E. Leech, Michell I. Ruprecht, Signe I. Manns, Robert J. Sampath, Srilakshmi R. Miller, Zachary A. Taylor, Colton W. Pezzuti, William T. West, Michael J. Rabeneck, Andrew J. Wezelis, Abigail A. Ream, Elena M. Reynolds, Matthew J. Computer Science Strittmatter, Xavier A. Baionno, Anthony N. Taylor, Shane M. Denmon, Zane D. Tomani, Anna E. Fakhraie, Sherwin H. West, Kaitlin J. Febbraro, Antonino D. Williams, Brett A. Gao, Sharon E. Zamora, Kenneth F. Grant, Christopher R. Higinbotham, Logan G. Civil Engineering John, Aidan R. Ackerman, Brian R. Klara, Alex M. Allen-Gifford, Todd C. Luebbert-Hill, Brian W. Burden, Cole E. McGlone, Gerard J. Burke, Cecilia M. Tan, Yongxin O. Byrns, Samuel B. Callum, Mary A. Electrical Engineering Caruso, Anthony D. Aiyegbusi, Olutomiwa O. Clark, McKenzie M. Albanese, Nicholas W. Donati, Joseph O. Alford, Nathan J. Donnelly, Charles A. Bonino, Peter E. James, Jackson B. Bottenfield, Adam S. Karpieniak, Joseph A. Cannizzaro, Michael J. Keilbach, Baily T. Curry, Linsey A. Krushinsky, Mason A. Delozier, Jenna R. Li, Kaixuan A. Doherty, Breanna E. Lively, Elisabeth C. Emma, Daniel R. Margolis, Dylan N. Folk, Matthew R. Marquis, Jessica T. Haver, Nicholas G. Michak, Zachary A.
Janas, Brian R. Mapel, Joanna R. Moyer, Robyn I. Ou, Hank R. Siak, Christopher J. Valinski, Theodore D. Wright, Joshua K.
Cooke, Justin P. Cousins, Brady T. Damiano, Nicholas G. DelCollo, James A. Deutsch, Edward T. Donley, Victoria A. Esquino, Aaron M. Ferrara, Benjamin P. Engineering Science Filey, Vanessa A. Jordan, Mark A. Fleischmann, Kevin M. Kendell, Andrew R. Gang, Kevin S. Gates, Charles W. Environmental Engineering Glasso, Zolten N. Drobitch, Marissa K. Gongaware, David H. Green, Donte R. Industrial Engineering Hanson, Brandon T. Bowley, Jacob W. Harrington, Thomas S. Cannon, Christopher E. Hencel, Regan J. Cavanaugh, Mackenzie M. Hertzler, Sarah A. Chmielewski, Aster V. Hissong, Alexander F. Digman, Elizabeth H. Klein, Daniel J. Dulaney, Daniel G. Kosko, Shawn A. Dycio, Trevor C. Kraisinger, Alex C. Dydiw, Sydney L. Lachell, Stephanie T. Economou, Sophia E. Lagrotteria, Jeffrey R. Euhus, Aeriel E. Laughlin, Jamie L. Flaherty, Caitlyn A. Leon, Daniel B. Hoang, Vi T. Leonard, Sydney R. Hoffman, Thomas G. Linderman, Ethan S. Holmstrand, Lydia M. Marcus, Menachem M. Irwin, Brittany N. Marzocca, Julia L. Jablunovsky, Maximillian P. Mastandrea, Katherine H. Kelly, Nicholas J. McLinden, Terrence P. Kostka, Alyssa R. Menser, Matthew J. Kramer, Thomas H. Miller, James A. Lichty, Alexandra M. Myers, Jordan O. Lincoln, Ryan W. Nduta, Nicole T. Lundahl, Jennifer A. O’Brien, Sean P. Luther, Christopher J. Pezzuti, Nicholas P. Malcolm, Matthew A. Reitars, Adrian M. Mandzy, Julian U. Reitman, Shmuley G. McDonagh, Mairead R. Rizzolo, Paul C. Montedoro, Matthew J. Rodgers, Jessica E. Pontari, Carolyn M. Roth, Steven M. Roman, Bradley A. Ryan-Lorei, Thomas K. Rudolph, Jenna N. Sargent, Noah A. Shah, Rushil U. Schwartz, William A. Shields, Julie L. Senft, Joshua B. Soltysiak, Sean E. Smith, Kaleigh M. Stratman, Eric G. Spangler, Ryan M. Stayer, Arden M. Mechanical Engineering Strayer, Seth T. Ardellitz, Jacob R. Sullivan, Connor O. Balaraman, Arunprasath R. Thaler, Faith E. Barrow, Ryan W. Trentadue, Joseph R. Bartel, Sinjon I. Tuite, Logan M. Bell, Joseph J. Uwazuruonye, Kaosisochi V. Bennett, Brandon M. Valdisera, Mason B. Berry, Dillon M. Walsh, Brian E. Birk, Brianna V. Weaver, Rebecca L. Broderick, Danielle M. Winter, Tori O. Brucker, Joseph W. Yoder, Zachary D. Burton, Riley S. Zilavy, Samuel E. Clark, Tyler R. Collopy, Caroline S.
Dates to Remember
07
Thursday, February 7, 2019 Annual Spring Co-op Job Fair William Pitt Union 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
03
Thursday, October 3, 2019* Annual Fall Co-op Job Fair William Pitt Union 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Co-opEd is published by the Swanson School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program. 152 Benedum Hall 412-624-9826 engineering.pitt.edu/coop
Cooperative Education Program Staff Maureen Barcic, Director paub2m@pitt.edu
Chris Frankovic, Associate Director caf54@pitt.edu Tyler Kimmel, Program Administrator tjk58@pitt.edu John Goebel, Graduate Intern jag289@pitt.edu
The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Office of University Communications. 111617-0119