Michigan State University Work Values

Daily Duties at Michigan State University:

I was a member of MSU’s Bio Material Research Group (BMRG) supervised by Distinguished Professor Dr. Ramani Narayan (1 of only 9 distinguished Distinguished Professors in the Engineering Department in the last 25 years). I was one of approximately 15 chemical engineering graduate students and Post-Doctoral Fellows. Dr. Narayan, unlike with most students who are assigned a research professor based off of a student’s preferences, specifically approached me to do research and write a thesis under his direction. Under his supervision I was assigned as the lead research engineer on a project to develop bio-based water resistant coatings for the U.S. Department of Defense of which I was solely responsible for all aspects of research and development. Communicated with research advisor, project manager, and external clients on progress of projects via phone, skype, or email which included writing detailed weekly reports summarizing experiments, interpreting and analyzing test results, and providing insight on suggested direction and focus for future work. Complete lab work, including synthesis and characterization of products, summarize and report data and findings. Present research at professional and collegiate conferences.

What they like about Michigan State University:

Working in an organization that is technologically advanced, creative, and innovative is critical in your assessment of hiring companies. Less important to you are stability of the organization, the length of time an organization has been in business, and the business' plans for the future. You prefer a fast-moving company that will take risks to achieve its goals and objectives. The length of time the company has been in business is irrelevant. Maintaining status quo is unnecessary. You thrive on change, uncertainty and the upside of potential business risks, especially those associated with innovation. Stability for the long haul is not nearly as important as is working in an atmosphere that is charged with a sense of urgency and constant change.

Tags

HPLC, coatings, bio-based, TGA, MS chemical engineering, BA chemistry, BA biology, scale up, pilot plant, plastics synthesis, polymer engineer, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Arizona, South Carolina, Washington, cure chemistry, waterproof materials

Skills

Analytical Approach to Problems, PLC Programming and Troubleshooting, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Machine Repair And Maintenance, Process Engineering, Equipment Installation, Planning, Product Development, Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Material Balances, Technology Solutions, Sales Support, Software Implementation, Requirements Analysis & Specification, Leadership

These are some of the questions we asked our climbers about their experiences with Michigan State University: