Engineering Assistant

Profile

Chemical Engineer with high-volume manufacturing experience. Managing capital projects related to productivity, quality, safety, and food safety. Developing and implementing data-driven Kaizen continuous improvement projects including Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), DMAIC, and 5S with a LEAN mindset.

Skills

Computer Skills: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Outlook, SAP, MATLAB, Aspen Plus Process Modeling

Technical Skills: Process optimization, time and motion studies, capacity analysis, plant floor productivity improvement, project management, 5S, SMED, DMAIC, GSTD, GMP, SEM, AFM, Light Microscopy, UV Spectroscopy, Clean Room Experience

Work Experience

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company

Product Technology Center (PTC) Engineering Assistant June 2015 - Present

Responsibilities and Accomplishments (in addition to those for Engineering Management Trainee):

Managing greater than $200K in capital projects

Leading problem-solving teams

Conducting capacity studies to plan for future production demands

Driving implementation of process improvement Engineering projects

Engineering Management Trainee – Product Technology Center (PTC) June 2014 – June 2015

Responsibilities and Accomplishments:

Designing process machinery and developing project scopes including ROI analysis

Analyzing trends in process data to develop engineering solutions to production, safety, food safety, and energy concerns

Implementing automation to improve quality and reduce downtime

Managing project implementation and supervising contractors

Executing projects within budget and specified time frame

Participating in continuous improvement efforts to develop proactive solutions

Facilitating shift hand-overs and operational reviews

Training and coaching operators on new procedures and equipment

Leveraging global Nestlé network to share and implement best-in-class technology

Undergraduate Research Assistant September 2012 – May 2014

Vanderbilt University

Projects

Enhancing efficiencies of photoelectrochemical cells by incorporating nanoparticles into design

Designing an inexpensive, reproducible procedure for building large-scale nanostructured patterns

Exploring the increased catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles with “star-like” shapes

Responsibilities:

Designing experiments, Analyzing data through statistics, Problem-solving, Reviewing relevant research articles, Setting and accomplishing short-term and long-term progress targets, Organizing tasks to be completed with lab group members, Oral and written presentations of results and recommendations

Supervisor, Swim Instructor, Lifeguard July 2007 – May 2014

Summit Area YMCA

Responsibilities:

Supervising 5-8 lifeguards, mentoring new staff, coordinating with other departments to organize activities, maintaining health and safety standards, documenting shift information and completing shift hand-overs

Education

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Major GPA: 3.4/4.0 Overall GPA: 3.2/4.0

Bachelor in Chemical Engineering Graduation: May, 2014

Minors: Nanotechnology, Chemistry

Selected Courses: Thermodynamics, Mass Transfer and Rate-Based Separations, Process Controls, Process and Product Design, Unit Operations Laboratories I & II, Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer, Applications of Nanomaterials, Nanomaterials Characterization, French Composition and Grammar

Design Projects

Production of Chemicals from Ethane Derived from Marcellus Shale:

Designed and developed cost estimates for a chemical process for producing high value chemicals from ethane

Minimized utility costs using heat exchange networks

Utilized recycle systems and mass exchange networks to increase yield of products and reduce costs

Drug-Eluting Stent for Peripheral Artery Disease:

Presented concept design for novel, inexpensive, biodegradable stent

1st place senior engineering concept design project out of 45 groups

Biodiesel Production from Microalgae:

Designed process for growing microalgae, extracting oils, and producing biodiesel as an efficient, carbon neutral alternative to petrodiesel

Publications

H. F. Zarick, W. R. Erwin, J. Aufrecht, A. Coppola, B. R. Rogers, C. L. Pint, R. Bardhan*, “Morphological Modulation of Bimetallic Nanostructures for Accelerated Catalysis”, J. Materials Chemistry A, 2014, 2 (19), 7088 – 7098

W. R. Erwin, A. Coppola, H. F. Zarick, P. Arora, K. J. Miller, and R. Bardhan*, “Plasmon Enhanced Water Splitting Mediated by Hybrid Bimetallic Au-Ag Core-Shell Nanostructures”, Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 12626 – 12634

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