How should I approach the upcoming school year?

Friday, August 30, 2019

About the Presentation

Engineering is a highly technical field, and students pursuing a career in mechanical engineering are taking a heavy load of classes in design, thermal and fluids systems, and solid body mechanics. Still, employers tell us it takes up to three years to bring a new engineer up to speed.

So what can you do to increase your chances of scoring an amazing internship or job? What are those qualities that employers want beyond the technical areas? What experiences will make you more attractive as a new professional who is ready to take their place among other engineers? And what can you do right now to get there?

Join our panel of industry experts as they discuss the things you can do while going to school that will help you gain the traits, skills, and experience they seek in someone looking to join their companies.

About the Panelists

Addie Waxman, Ph.D. – Global Director of Research and Development, 1,4Group

Addie Waxman is the Global Director of Research and Development at 1,4GROUP, where she has worked for 9 years. She conducts research and experiments on the impact of various storage chemicals upon potatoes. Her work takes her from the potato fields to potato storage facilities to processing plants in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the UK, the EU, Israel, Kenya, and New Zealand. Prior to this position, she was a food scientist at J. R. Simplot Company for 8 years where she worked on developing the MicroMagic line, Simplot’s fruit and vegetable blends, and worked with McDonald’s French fry and hash brown production. Dr. Waxman earned a B.S. in biology, minor in chemistry, and an emphasis in microbiology and a M.S. in food science and dairy science at Virginia Tech.

Cory Luce, P.E., LEED AP – Energy Services Program Lead, DC Engineering Inc.

A native Montanan, Cory graduated from Montana Tech in 1995 and moved to Boise shortly thereafter. He has broad industry experience with positions in construction (Hanford Waste Treatment Plant), research and design (Idaho National Laboratory), and most recently, manufacturing as Director of Engineering at QTI Sensing Solutions. Currently, Cory is a program lead within DC Engineering’s Energy Services Department looking to expand energy services offerings across all of DC Engineering’s multiple disciplines. His focus includes capturing utility incentives for projects of all sizes, performing facility audits, and assisting nationwide clients with fleet-wide roll-outs of energy efficiency improvements.

Calvin Allan – Principal – Product Development at DECKED

Calvin Allan started his engineering career at BSU’s New Product Development Lab. To-date, Calvin has contributed in a variety of fields and industries including robotic toys, outdoor equipment, medical devices, and automotive accessories. He currently resides in Ketchum, Idaho, working as a lead product development engineer for DECKED LLC.

Tom Simenc – Project Engineer at Cascade Energy Inc.

Tom earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State in 2012. Applying his degree in the industry started with three years in refrigeration system design consulting. For the last year, he has been working in industrial energy efficiency helping large electric users optimize systems and processes.

Report abuse