Martinez Construction is a local family-owned mechanical contracting business that specializes in supporting food production and processing facilities in the Midwest. We worked in teams to build, install, replace, and fix process equipment and facilities to ensure production schedules. This involved working at all hours of the day and all days of the week to get the job done right and on time. In addition to the mechanical work, I regularly interfaced with plant production and maintenance personnel for project management and proper work procedures.

Trinity Consultants is an international company that specializes in environmental, health, and safety compliance, strategy, and risk management. I joined one of the two offices in the state of Iowa to support and team with consultants in serving manufacturing facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. I regularly collaborated with operators, engineers, remote project managers, and environmental, safety, and corporate personnel to design and execute compliance plans and manage environmental risk for a variety of manufacturing sites. The work often involved recordkeeping, audits, and state and federal agency correspondence.

The Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory at the University of Extremadura in Cáceres, Cáceres, Spain supports academic research as well as providing testing and monitoring services for Spain and Portugal. During a study abroad semester in Spain, I worked several days each week at the lab, processing, testing, and analyzing environmental samples for radioactivity. My contributions contributed to a published research article in the Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, "Performance analysis of different methods to determine 131I [radioactive Iodine] in water samples for environmental monitoring"

TechFreedom is a recently-founded think tank focused on policy and legal questions arising from technological change and development. Through the Charles Koch Internship program, I primarily supported development and public relations strategy as well as assisting the internal legal analysis team.

DuPont Industrial Biosciences is a business unit under DuPont that specializes in industrial biotechnology. While working with the DuPont IB plant in Beloit, I contributed to small capital projects for improved safety, efficiency, and profitability in a full-scale industrial bioscience production environment. The projects included collaboration with engineers, operators, laboratory personnel, and contractors to deliver comprehensive solutions. Specific experiences included piping delivery systems, toxic chemical control plans, and production modeling and optimization.

Iowa State University's College of Engineering developed a peer mentor system to organize and facilitate engineering students mentoring first year engineering students. Along with several other upperclassmen and women, I provided academic, social, career, and institutional support for first-year engineering students in a classroom setting. This role involved cooperation with departmental programming to best serve students as well as collaboration with fellow peer mentors to plan course review sessions and social events.

Researching professors in Iowa State University's Chemical and Biological Engineering Department build research teams comprised of scientists, graduate students, and select undergraduate students. I worked with Dr. Eric Cochran's group, which has a particular emphasis in Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Through the course of an independent study along with full-time work, I collaborated with graduate students and scientists to design, synthesize, and characterize various polymers and polymer systems. Analysis often includes size exclusion chromatography, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and dynamic light scattering.

Appvion specializes in the developent and application of industrial coating solutions, with roots in the paper industry. I collaborated with scientists and engineers to test, troubleshoot, and develop a variety of products. Working in multiple laboratories, I routinely performed quality assurance tests for experimental samples to compare with production specifications. I worked closely with a scientist to develop a new product feature in response to specific client request. For a cost savings initiative of over $500,000, I assisted in experimental design, performed laboratory-scale proof of concept, and monitored pilot scale tests. I also contributed to several production troubleshooting teams and a research campus-wide internal safety audit.

Iowa State University's College of Engineering offers a variety of support to current and prospective students. I worked with academic advisors, program coordinators, and administrative staff to support college of engineering student programing, including study abroad, student recruitment, and enrollment.

Valent BioSciences was built as the first biorational production facility of its kind, with a grand opening during the summer of 2014. I worked with engineers, production supervisors, operators, scientists, and managers to vet production processes and organize production facilities. To ensure proper design and operation, I analyzed piping and instrumentation diagrams to verify correct process flow, test tank functions, and help perform job safety assessments. I also worked alongside a fellow intern to set-up the production testing laboratory, train operating managers in equipment use, and provide inventory organization for efficient supply management. During my time at Valent I was also introduced to and tutored in 5S lean manufacturing.