The Engineering Student Experience Podcast

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. 

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. 

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!

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.

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). 

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.

In this episode, Paul revisits with two engineering students, Hooman Kasraei and Robert Freeman, who reflect upon the past couple months of adjusting to life during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. If you want to hear their initial thoughts from a couple months earlier when the university suddenly shifted to remote instruction, check out Episode 11.

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 May 22, 2020 via Zoom.

In this episode, Paul revisits with two Cal Poly Pomona colleagues, Dr. Nolan Tsuchiya (Mechanical Engineering Department) and Dr. Jessica Perez (Electromechanical Engineering Technology Department), who reflect upon the challenges of adjusting to teaching (and life) during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. If you want to hear their initial thoughts from a couple months earlier when the university suddenly shifted to remote instruction, check out Episode 12.

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 May 22, 2020 via Zoom.

In this episode, Paul interviews two freshman engineering students (Jared Changizian and Monica Felix) about their experiences during their first semester in college. They are joined by Dr. Jessica Perez (Electromechanical Engineering Technology Department, Cal Poly Pomona) who frequently teaches a first year engineering experience course. We hope to follow-up with Jared and Monica in the years ahead to see 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.

Soundboard run by Gerardo Maldonado. Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. This episode was recorded on November 20, 2019 at Cal Poly Pomona.

In this episode, Paul interviews Dr. Isaac Schankler (Music Department, Cal Poly Pomona) and Gerardo Maldonado (undergraduate mechanical engineering student, Cal Poly Pomona), who discuss opportunities for engineers in the music industry and how engineering students can merge their love for music with their love for engineering. Shortly after recording this episode, Gerardo received his B.S. in mechanical engineering with a minor in Music. Congrats Gerardo!

Purchase Isaac’s latest album: Because Patterns

Isaac's website: http://isaacschankler.com/ 

Isaac mentioned the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition held at Georgia Tech every year.

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

Soundboard run by Gerardo Maldonado. Episode edited by Paul Nissenson. This episode was recorded on November 19, 2019 at Cal Poly Pomona.