4th Year Chemical Engineering Student at UC Berkeley

Debera Hsiao

Local: **** ***** ******, *** #***, Berkeley, CA 94704

Permanent: 24 Carlton Drive, Parsippany, NJ 07054

(973) 978 – 1339 ***.*****@*****.***

Education

University of California, Berkeley

May 2014

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering GPA: 3.31/4.0

Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

Aug 2013 – Dec 2013

Experience

Organic Chemistry Lab Assistant

Sept 2013 – Dec 2013

Freie Universität Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry – Jun.-Prof. Dr. Christoph Tzschucke

- Experimentally determined the efficiency of a synthesized Ir-complex for catalytic conversion of CO2 into formic acid to conclude that the complex is not economically advantageous compared with existing techniques

Research and Development Intern, Microvi Biotechnologies, Hayward, CA

June 2013 – Aug 2013

- Sampled and analyzed nutrient composition of pilot purification system water to establish the system’s effectiveness

- Evaluated different methods of analyzing butanol production from bacteria fermentation to determine the best method for the company, then designed and conducted an experimental procedure based on identified methods

Research Assistant Intern, Mango Materials, Albany, CA

March 2013 – May 2013

- Verified the most economical and reliable water source for growth of bacteria to produce poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) bioplastic

- Conducted research to determine different methods of ascertaining the nutrient composition of lab grade water and water in the bay area to optimize nutrient composition in water source

Undergraduate Researcher, Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability

Sept 2012 – May 2013

UC Berkeley Department of Mechanical Engineering – Prof. David Dornfeld

- Analyzed resource and energy consumption in common manufacturing processes from literature to determine environmental impact for the creation of reference document for laboratory

- Investigated materials used in Fused Deposition Modeling for 3D printers to help program MATLAB code to estimate energy consumption of fused deposition modeling (FDM) process

Undergraduate Researcher, Forced Ignition and Flame Spread Test (FIST) Research

Aug 2011 – Dec 2012

UC Berkeley Combustion and Fire Processes Lab – Prof. Carlos Fernandez-Pello

- Conducted forced ignition experiments at varying atmospheric conditions and interpreted Labview data to determine flammability boundaries of fire-resistant fabrics for application by NASA

- Learned SolidWorks to design experimental apparatus

- Complied results and presented conclusions for colleagues and at poster competition

Leadership and Activities

American Institute of Chemical Engineers

Aug 2010 – Present

Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) Ingenuity Lab Volunteer

Feb 2013 – May 2013

- Guided customers of all ages through hands-on engineering projects at LHS

Alpha Phi Omega (International Co-Ed Service Fraternity)

Sept 2011 – May 2013

- Coordinated team bonding events for members to promote brotherhood

- Mentored new members through joining process and getting to know other members

Honors and Awards

KAUST International Undergraduate Research Poster Competition

Jan 2012

- Finalist invited to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia to present combustion research

Skills

Language: Fluent English, Mandarin Chinese; Beginner German

Software: Microsoft Office Suite, ASPEN, Maple, COMSOL

Programming: Proficient in Matlab; Familiar with Java, C++

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