Steve Ziemak Email & Phone Number

Given two three-story office buildings with relatively high electricity use patterns, my partner and I developed a plan to approach individual tenants, examine their plug load, and implement and recommend electricity-saving practices. We coordinated our efforts with EWEB, Bonneville Power Administration (regional wholesale electricity producer and provider of the internship grant), and the office building owners and property managers. Public relations skills were critical in working with tenants, as well as an understanding the owner/tenant relationship and the terms of the lease agreements. Energy savings were calculated based on government data for usage patterns and average power demand for standard office equipment. Detailed reports of our findings were provided to the tenants as well as the building manager.

Scheduled and performed duct tests using Minneapolis blower door and duct blaster, tracked them on an Excel spreadsheet and coordinated with the retrofit manager and retrofit administrative assistant. Filled out paperwork for cash rebates and tax credits for energy efficient ducts, furnaces, and water heaters. Troubleshooted several systems through visual examination in crawl spaces and attics. Worked with customers to help them understand duct leakage issues.

Tracked total plant inventory for a 450 acre, 32 greenhouse wholesale nursery known worldwide for its high quality, unusual deciduous woody ornamentals. Coordinated inventory data recording and communication efforts of four field supervisors and four summer counting crew members. Built and maintained a Microsoft Access database to manage inventory and integrated it with existing sales and invoicing software. Prepared a variety of reports for office personnel based on inventory, sales, and customer data.

Managed all aspects of a plant micropropagation lab, including media production, inventory maintenance, and employee supervision. Cultured over 90 varieties of woody ornamentals, sub-culturing on a six week rotation and analyzing each variety to determine culture condition and desired treatment. Coordinated with owner and outdoor crew to produce saleable plants in a timely manner. Maintained sub-culture schedule and records with self-designed Microsoft Access database. Trained and supervised one permanent and one temporary employee in all aspects of sub-culturing methods and sterile technique.

Educated the public about pesticide safety and related issues using objective, science-based information concerning pesticide chemistry, toxicology, regulation, and environmental fate. Provided the medical community with crisis management assistance involving both animal and human pesticide incidents, documenting complete information on pesticide incident calls.

Designed and performed microbiological studies to determine sterilization efficacy of medical devices in the STERIS System 1© medical device sterilization system. Summarized data and presented study results in formal written lab reports. Managed microbiological lab activities, including scheduling and stocking of supplies. Worked directly with global device manufacturers to design studies and interpret results. Created new streamlined Paradox data entry form, improving efficiency of study database. Named “Lab Master” of microbiology lab, exhibiting effective organization and leadership skills.

A.A.S., Energy Management

A very unique program focusing on residential and commercial building energy use and appropriate techniques for analyzing and applying.

B.S., Botany

Activities and Societies: OSU HerbariumFinal GPA = 3.77, graduated magna cum laude. Representative classwork: Plant Systematics; Plant.

B.S., Biology

Final GPA = 3.165, graduated with honor. Representative classwork: Human Anatomy; Genetics; Animal Ecology; Animal Physiology I, II.

Computer Engineering

Final GPA = 2.738. Representative classwork: Calculus I, II, III, IV; Finite Mathematics; Matrix Methods; Differential Equations; Discrete.

Diploma, College-Preparatory Studies