Research Experience:
The Ohio State University – Undergraduate Research Assistant
May 2018 – Present
Description: As an Undergraduate Research Assistant I work on a research project focused on air quality for Ohio State’s department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering. Here I have worked closely with a Graduate Research Associate on many experiments, leading to the optimization of a prototype of an electrostatic precipitator. An electrostatic precipitator is a device aimed to remove dust particles from the air by the use of high voltage and relies heavily on electrostatic force. Metal plates are charged at high voltage and attract the dust particles to them so that the air is clear of the particles. Our specific prototype is designed to collect small particulate matter poultry dust, harmful to human and animal health, from the air of poultry houses. We have also worked on electrostatic spray systems also aimed at collecting poultry dust from the air and works in a similar manner as the electrostatic precipitator, however relies on a water medium to be charged to collect the dust.
Work Experience:
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) – Information Specialist
October 2018 – Present
Description: At CAS I work part time during the school year working on building a database of articles related to the field of Chemistry and Biology. The section I specialize in is biological studies. This job is self-driven as I work under my own pace following restrictions given to me by management. Everyday I work on expanding the ever growing database at CAS and find key enzymes, proteins, and chemicals used in studies and assign roles so that scientists can quickly scan through an entire article to determine if it can be helpful to their studies. It is a job that requires focus and determination, and is crucial in helping team members of CAS to complete their own studies.
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center – Nutrition Aide
August 2017 – October 2018
Description: At The Wexner Medical Center I worked directly with patients to plan out meals that met their dietary restrictions while they stayed at the hospital. I was tasked with knowing the different kind of diets as well as their restrictions to make ordering meals quick and easy for patients. This involved a lot of one on one conversation with patients and family members to ensure they could completely understand their diet and to help improve their overall atmosphere while in care. I would work in the multiple different hospitals at the Wexner Medical Center and interact with different patients daily. Here I found that when we were understaffed, that I was often the one management relied on to take on extra tasks as I excelled at my job here. This was often a job where I was trusted to complete my work with little interaction from management and I had to hold myself accountable for the work I did. I would recommend this job for students interested in a career in Engineering, as you get to see all sorts of different people that your ideas may one day impact.
Volunteer Experience:
Springfield Regional Medical Center (Mercy Health) – Volunteer Biomedical Engineering Intern
July 2017 – December 2017
Description: At Springfield Regional Medical Center I volunteered in the Biomedical Engineering department not only to gain an engineering mindset, but also to help maintain medical equipment so that patients did not run into any problems with the equipment during their stay. While I worked full time in the dietary department at this same hospital, I also would dedicate around 10 to 15 hours of my time a week to help out the Biomedical Engineering department. I would work on completing preventative maintenance and repairs on smaller medical devices such as IV pumps and defibrillators so that the department could focus their time on larger more expensive equipment. When I had time, I was allowed to shadow the Biomedical Engineering Technicians as they repaired larger pieces of equipment such as X-Ray machines and surgical equipment. The pure amount of different problems that could occur on these devices overwhelmed me at first, but as I dedicated more time to solving these problems I began to develop a mindset that I still use to this day to solve problems in my coursework and job. I learned that communication with staff that use this equipment is key, as they use it day to day and are masters at using the equipment. I also learned that by breaking problems down into more simpler parts you can much easily find a solution. To this day I still use these two things I learned to solve problems, communicating with others to gain their knowledge and to break problems down into simple components.
National Honor Society at Northeastern High School (Springfield, OH) – President/Member
President: August 2015 – May 2016
Member: August 2014 – May 2016
Description: As a member and eventually President of Northeastern High School’s chapter of the National Honor Society, I held and participated in multiple volunteering experiences. We held food drives in the school, collecting canned goods and non-perishables to donate to local food banks. This was marketed as a competition in the school with classrooms competing against one another. By doing so, we pushed students to donate even more food. The food benefits many people in the area who are struggling with food security. We also held an annual coin drive for Pennies for Patients. This again was made into a competition to gain more profits for those in need. Pennies for Patients helps patients struggling with Leukemia and Lymphoma to afford their treatment. Not only does the money go towards this, but it also goes towards research to find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Impact:
All of this experience has helped morph me into the person I am today. My research has helped me develop my experimental design skills, as well as my data analysis abilities. My work experience has taught me to be self-reliable and motivated to complete things the way they should be done. My time volunteering with the biomedical engineering department developed my problem solving skills and has stuck with me through my coursework here at OSU. The time I spent as the President of the National Honor Society taught me what it is like to be a leader and to strive to get things done to benefit others whenever you have the ability to do so. Without these experiences in my life, I would be a completely different person.