In this episode, hosts Christa Downey and Traci Nathans-Kelly talk with Florencia Paredes '11, Head of Product at Citrine Informatics. Florencia shares her journey from studying Materials Science at Cornell to leading product development at a cutting-edge software company that uses machine learning to accelerate the development of sustainable materials. The episode offers insights into the evolving field of materials informatics and Florencia's role in shaping its future.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

Florencia can be found on twitter @_floparedes

Editor: Melissa Bazley

Enthusiastic engineering physics alum Tony Chen ‘12 discusses his efforts to connect Cornell alumni, including through global mixers and continuous reunions. Tony shares how the pandemic sparked the creation of bi-weekly Zoom mixers, bringing together thousands of Cornellians worldwide to foster friendships and support each other through various life changes. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining connections, not just during college but throughout life, and offers insights on applying a systems approach to networking. Tony also talks about the value of leveraging the Cornell network to find jobs and career opportunities in addition to friendship and camaraderie.

Tony shares the following:

Cornell Global Mixers- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lc465/

Cornell (thank) U Podcast- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornell-thank-u/id1592844944

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Emilie Camera ‘17, ‘18, a mechanical engineer at Steinway & Sons, shares her journey of blending her passion for music with her expertise in engineering to craft bespoke pianos. From collaborating with designers to navigating manufacturing challenges, Emilie provides insights into the intricate process of creating custom pianos, including limited editions and one-of-a-kind pieces. She reflects on her experiences traveling abroad to Steinway's factories and emphasizes the importance of understanding end-users' perspectives in shaping product design. Through her story, Emilie inspires listeners to explore diverse career paths within engineering and highlights the rewarding intersection of art and engineering in crafting musical instruments. Please note that due to technical difficulties, one of our host’s audio isn’t as high quality as we’d prefer in this episode. Thanks for bearing with us.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

She can be found on social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilie-camera/

A tip she shares is, “Some job shops have a lot of good design for manufacturing (DFM) information/tips on their websites (Protolabs, Xometry, etc).”

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Alissa Diminich, ‘08, ‘09, is a principal engineer at Tennessee-based Inflo Design Group, primarily working on drinking water and wastewater projects. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree, both from Cornell University, in civil and environmental engineering. During her time at Cornell, she was a member of the AguaClara project team. Post-graduation, she has also served on the Board of the nonprofit AguaClara Reach, which aims to advance the design and innovation of community-scale, gravity-powered water treatment technologies. In addition to sharing her career journey, Alissa talks about how becoming a parent has impacted her view of her work as well as how employers can support work-life balance.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

Alissa can be be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissadiminich

She recommends following:

American Water Works Association https://www.awwa.org/

Water Environment Federation https://www.wef.org/

Society of Women Engineers https://swe.org/

AguaClara Reach https://www.aguaclarareach.org/

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Christine Chang ‘04 holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master of science in STEM Education from Boise State University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at University of Colorado Boulder where she investigates human-robot collaboration and communication supported via augmented reality, particularly in high-risk environments. Christine’s career spans working at NASA and Boeing, teaching elementary and high school students, and advocating for diversity in STEM. She shares how all of these experiences have led to her current research and interest in influencing technology policy at the federal level and beyond.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

Christine can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-t-chang/ and

http://www.xtinebot.com.

She recommends the We Robot Conference.

Melissa Bazley, editor

Dayin Chen ‘17 is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting's Sustainability Strategy and Transformation Group. Dayin shares insights from her journey, including her transition from undergraduate studies in Operations Research to completing an MBA at Wharton School of Business, and her return to Deloitte. She discusses her current project focusing on sustainability within a large food company, highlighting the complexities of engaging farmers in regenerative farming practices and navigating the corporate strategy around reducing emissions.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

She can be found on LinkedIn.

Dayin recommends the following books: Getting to Yes; Omnivore’s Dilemma; The Third Plate

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Allie Gaines ‘14 discusses her educational and career journey from graduating with a degree in Information Science Systems and Technology to working as a Product Manager in Healthcare and Business Strategy at XponentL Data. She describes her transition from a technical role in data interoperability at Athenahealth to focusing on healthcare clinical solutions, particularly in cancer registries, which sparked her interest in using healthcare data to make a difference. She pursued a Master's degree in Global Health and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford, followed by a Ph.D. in Public Health and Epidemiology at Imperial College London focusing on nutrition, public health, and climate change impacts on the food system. Allie highlights her work in creating a method to calculate greenhouse gas emissions from packaged foods based on ingredients.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

She recommends:

Marion Nestle’s newsletter- Food Politics: https://www.foodpolitics.com/

The George Institute for Global Health: https://www.georgeinstitute.org/

XponentL Data: https://xponentl.ai/

The Blue Zone on Netflix

Allie can be found on LinkedIn.

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Nathan Williams ‘11 completed an engineering bachelor's degree in earth and atmospheric sciences, earned a PhD studying the Moon and Mars at Arizona State University in 2016, and now works as a Science Systems Engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His work primarily involves Mars exploration, including missions with Mars Rover Perseverance, Mars Ingenuity helicopter, and Mars Sample Return. He discusses the importance of staying nimble and flexible in his role, acting as a bridge between scientists and engineers to ensure effective communication and collaboration. Nathan also shares insights and advice for students interested in pursuing careers in engineering and scientific exploration, emphasizing the value of networking, staying informed, and maintaining a work-life balance. The interview concludes with a discussion about Mars time, the unique work schedule aligned with Martian days during critical mission phases.

Transcript: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

He recommends following NASA and JPL on social media.

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Stwart Peña Feliz recently completed his MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management where he is the 2023 winner of the MIT Climate Energy Prize. He is the co-founder and CEO of MacroCycle, a startup focused on recycling plastic using an innovative and highly efficient process with minimal carbon emissions. He discusses his journey from being a chemical engineering student at Cornell to an entrepreneur with a mission to address plastic waste and climate change. You can connect with Stwart on Linkedin, and as he says, “If you spell my name correctly, I’m the only one who comes up.”

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

He can be found on social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stwart-pena-feliz/

Instagram: Stwart530

A resource he shares is: https://www.plasticsnews.com

Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director

Cornell Broadcast Studios

Melissa Bazley, Editor

Dr. Xiangkun Elvis Cao is a Schmidt Science Fellow at MIT, working at the intersection of technology, business, and policy for carbon dioxide removal. He discusses the need for incentives to support investigators with interdisciplinary academic identities to perform their research and hasten scientific breakthroughs. Elvis also describes his journey from a small village in China to completing his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell. He is passionate about mentoring other early career researchers and empowering individuals from historically under-represented groups in science and engineering.

Transcript Link: https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/engineering-career-conversations

He can be found:

https://www.elviscao.com/

https://www.elviscao.com/publications under 4.4 Op-eds

https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiangkun-elvis-cao/

https://twitter.com/Elvis_Cao

Elvis highly recommends, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.

Bertrand Odom-Reed, Director

Cornell Broadcast Studios

Melissa Bazley, Editor