The Engineering Student Experience Podcast

Episode 26 - Engineering in the Food Retailing Industry

In this episode, Paul explores the food retailing industry by interviewing Diego Wood and Michael Gillett, who work for the Hussmann Corporation. Hussmann designs, builds, and maintains display cases in many supermarkets, convenience stores, and other places that sell temperature-controlled food products. Diego is a Specialty Engineering Leader and Michael is a Principal Engineer at Hussmann’s facility in Chino, California (just 10 miles away from Cal Poly Pomoma).

During the interview, Diego and Michael provide an overview of the food retailing industry and discuss the engineering behind display cases and refrigeration systems used in the industry. Additionally, they highlight the importance of communication with customers and in the workplace, share their thoughts on the future of the food retailing industry, and provide advice on how engineering students can succeed in any engineering workplace.

About Hussmann Corporation: 
https://www.hussmann.com/about-us/legacy-innovation

Careers at Hussmann:
https://www.hussmann.com/careers/job-openings 

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on January 10, 2022 via Zoom. 

Episode 25 - Engineering at an Air Quality Agency

In this episode, Paul explores what it's like to be an engineer at an air quality agency by interviewing Dr. Simin Mehrabani, who works at the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). The South Coast AQMD is a government agency responsible for improving the air quality for over 15 million people in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties.

Simin received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California, and currently is a Senior Air Quality Engineer for the South Coast AQMD. In this role she supervises a team of air quality engineers who review engineering evaluation reports and issues permits to industries involved in coating and printing operations.

In the interview, Simin discusses the various divisions within the South Coast AQMD, how the South Coast AQMD works with state and federal agencies to improve air quality, the types of jobs available to engineers at air quality agencies, and how engineering students can gain a foothold in this field.

South Coast AQMD website:
http://www.aqmd.gov/

South Coast AQMD air quality mobile app:
https://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/news-archive/2020/enhanced-mobile-app-dec10-2020.pdf

South Coast AQMD Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP):
http://www.aqmd.gov/home/air-quality/clean-air-plans/air-quality-mgt-plan

West Coast Section of Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA) website:
https://wcsawma.org/

Rule 219 for equipment not requiring a written permit:
http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/rule-book/reg-ii/rule-219.pdf

Rule 1401 on toxic air contaminants:
http://www.aqmd.gov/docs/default-source/rule-book/reg-xiv/rule-1401.pdf

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on December 28, 2021 via Zoom. 

Episode 24 - Engineers at an Electric Utility Agency

In this episode, Paul explores what it's like to be an engineer at an electric utility agency by interviewing Everett Aragon and Moein Lak, both of whom work at the Southern California Edison. SoCal Edison is a large electric utility transmitting and distributing power throughout much of Southern and Eastern California. Everett Aragon is a Senior Engineering Manager in the Technology Integration Group, with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and Electric Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona (Class of 2008), and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from USC. Moein is an Engineering Manager who focuses on distribution, and has a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering.

In the interview, Everett and Moein discuss the structure of SoCal Edison, the different types of engineers who work for the organization, the importance of advanced degrees and getting professional licensure in their field, and the importance of communication both with the public and with their colleagues. We also discuss the long-term challenges and opportunities facing electric utilities around the world, such as modernizing electrical grids that are becoming more and more complex every year.

SoCal Edison internships: https://www.edisoncareers.com/page/show/early_career/

SoCal Edison's Distribution Resources Plan External Portal:  https://ltmdrpep.sce.com/drpep/

Pathway 2045: https://www.edison.com/home/our-perspective/pathway-2045.html

Reimagining the Grid: https://www.edison.com/home/our-perspective/reimagining-the-grid.html

Moein mentioned IEEE a couple times: https://www.ieee.org/

Everett and Moein wanted to mention, “The guests share their experiences and do not represent SCE.”

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on August 25, 2021 via Zoom. 

Episode 23 - What‘s it like to be an engineering transfer student?

In this episode, Paul interviews Andrew Diamond and Jonny Yi, both of whom are aerospace engineering students (and amateur podcasters) at Cal Poly Pomona. Andrew and Jonny transferred to Cal Poly Pomona from a community college back in Fall 2019. In the interview, Andrew and Jonny discuss why they went to community college, how they prepared to transfer to a university and what the transition was like, the differences between their community college and Cal Poly Pomona, and they provide advice for engineering students who are at a community college and hope to one day transfer to a university to finish their degree.

Andrew and Jonny's "Aeroholics Anonymous" podcast can be found on all podcast platforms. Here is the RSS feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/aeroholicsanonymous/  

Andrew mentioned the atrium of building 17 at Cal Poly Pomona with large models of planes and satellites. Here is a picture of the atrium. 

Here is the amazing caricature of Paul and Dwayne (the rock). 

All college students should complete the FAFSA every year: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa 

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on September 1, 2021 via Zencastr. 

Episode 22 - Engineers at a Water Utility Agency

In this episode, Paul explores what it's like to be an engineer at a water utility agency by interviewing Steve Johnson and Gerardo Maldonado, both of whom work at the Desert Water Agency (DWA). The DWA is responsible for importing water and managing groundwater in the Palm Spring and Cathedral City area (desert communities a couple hours east of Los Angeles). Steve is the Assistant Manager with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona (1993) and Gerardo is a Staff Engineer with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona (2019). In the interview, Steve and Gerardo discuss various projects they've worked on, they compare working for a public agency like DWA versus working for a private company, and they provide tips for engineering students who want to enter the field of water management.  

Website for the DWA: https://dwa.org/ 

Internship opportunities at the DWA are occasionally posted here: www.dwa.org/careers    

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on June 11, 2021 via Zoom. 

Episode 21 - Engineering in Large Warehouses

In this episode, Paul explores a critically important (but underappreciated) component of our economy -- large warehouses -- by interviewing Mark Wry, who is a Senior Engineering Manager at Under Armour. Mark has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and M.S. in Systems Engineering, both from Cal Poly Pomona. Mark describes what it's like to be an engineer in a large warehouse, the various types of jobs performed by engineers in these facilities, tips for gaining a foothold in this field, and future trends in warehouses and supply chains.

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on April 9, 2021 via Zoom. 

Episode 20 - Engineers in the Themed Entertainment Industry

In this episode, Paul explores the themed entertainment industry by interviewing Andrew Skowron and Jego Santos Fonseca, both of whom work at Universal Studios Hollywood (Andrew as a Rides Manager and Jego as a Quality Engineer). Andrew and Jego describe what the themed entertainment industry is all about including how various types of engineers participate in the industry, how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the industry, and how to improve your chances of landing a job in the industry.

Here are links to the various organizations mentioned during the episode: 

Jego's YouTube Channel (Tink Tank)

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Creative

Walt Disney Imagineering

Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)

International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)  

Society of Women Engineers (SWE) 

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on January 21, 2021 via Zoom. Sorry about the poor audio quality for Paul -- he had mic issues that didn't become apparent until post-production. He will be upgrading his recording equipment soon!

Episode 19 - Catching up with Monica and Jared (Year 2)

In this episode, Paul catches up with Monica and Jared who are now in their second year of college. Monica and Jared were interviewed as freshmen back in Episode 14. They are joined by Dr. Jessica Perez (Electromechanical Engineering Technology Department, Cal Poly Pomona) who frequently teaches a first year engineering experience course. Monica and Jared share how they’ve changed as engineering students and as people during the past year, how they are dealing with the challenges related to online instruction, and they provide advice for freshman engineering students. We hope to follow-up with Jared and Monica a year from now to continue learning how their opinions and interests evolve over time.

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. Recorded on December 16, 2020 via Zoom.

Episode 18 - What is graduate school?

In this episode, Paul provides an overview of graduate ("grad") school. He covers how to apply to grad school, the differences between obtaining a Master's degree and a Ph.D., who should consider applying to grad school, factors to consider when selecting a university, and finding a faculty advisor.

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

This episode was recorded on November 25, 2020 at Paul's home studio (a.k.a., his bedroom). 

Episode 17 - What is Electrical Engineering?

In this episode, Paul interviews Dr. Phyllis Nelson and Dr. Anas Salah Eddin, both of whom are faculty members in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at Cal Poly Pomona. We discuss the sub-disciplines within electrical engineering, career paths available to electrical engineers, and various tips for electrical engineering students. We also touch upon the differences between electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science. You can read more about a typical electrical engineering program by checking out the Cal Poly Pomona Electrical & Computer Engineering Department's website: https://www.cpp.edu/engineering/ece/

Have comments about this episode? Send your feedback to TESEpodcast@gmail.com and Paul will personally read your email.

Melody Neu ran the soundboard. Paul edited the episode.

Recorded on March 6, 2020 at Cal Poly Pomona.