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Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Sustainable Energy

The world is moving ever farther away from fossil-fuels and adapting various kinds of sustainable energy. During this event, students will learn about how engineers harness the power of the earth with Cal State LA faculty and alumni.

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9:00 AM - 10:20 PM

FACULTY SPEAKERS

	Chris Bachman, Ph.D. Dr. Bachman is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Cal State LA. He received his B.S. (2010) and M.S. (2012) from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and his Ph.D. (2017) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT he performed research under the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the MIT Mechanical Engineering Department Fellowship. He has performed research in batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, wind energy, and engineering education. His work has been featured in Nature Materials, Nature Communications, and Chemical Reviews, and has been cited over 700 times in the previous five years. He has taught experimental methods, control systems, and mechanical design at UC Davis; physics and calculus at MIT; fluid mechanics and mechanical vibrations the Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT); and Introduction to Engineering and Technology, Introduction to Mechanical Design, Thermodynamics, and Senior Design at Cal State LA. He also currently advises both the Baja SAE and Formula SAE competition teams, directs the ECST Makerspace, and runs the Sustainable Technology Lab researching inexpensive and safe energy storage.
	David Blekhman, Ph.D. Dr. Blekhman is a Professor at the Department of Technology at Cal State LA. His research specializations are Alternative and Renewable Energy, Fuel Cells, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, Automotive Applications, Fuel Reforming, Combustion, Thermal and Fluid Systems, CFD, Data Acquisition and Instrumentation, Rotating Machinery.
	Alexis Kam Alexis Kam is a recently graduated Mechanical Engineer from Cal State LA. She is pursuing a career in the construction industry, where she strives to promote greener practices and reduce energy/water waste in buildings. Alexis will join ACCO in Pasadena as an HVAC Design Engineer for commercial systems this August. She is also applying to graduate programs to specialize and further her education in urban sustainability design and construction.

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

INDUSTRY SPEAKERS

	Roxanne Keller My name is Roxanne Keller (Acosta). I grew up in Downey, CA, and graduated from Warren High School in 2007. I attended Cal State from 2007 to 2015. I graduated with a degree in civil engineering. During my time at Cal State LA, I was a part of several student organizations throughout the years. I was involved in SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), and SWE (Society of Women Engineers). As a student, I also got the opportunity to be an intern for Southern California Edison, and I got to participate in research for the Office of Naval Research. My parents emigrated from Mexico in the early 80's right after they got married. Neither of my parents graduated from high school nor received very much formal education, but they came here so their children could have better opportunities. Being a first-generation college student came with its fair share of additional challenges, but I am grateful for all of them. They helped build a lot of character! I have been a Wire Installation Engineer at Boeing for the past 5 years. During my time at Boeing, I have gotten the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. As a Wire Installation Engineer, I am responsible for coordinating with different aircraft area owners to ensure seamless routing through all areas of the aircraft. For the past year, I have been working with the COSP (Continued Operational Safety Program) group. In this group, we investigate safety issues that occur on the aircraft. This position entails gathering all details of the incident, conducting research, seeking advice and guidance from subject matter experts, and presenting all findings to a committee.
	Jacquelyn Birdsall Jacquelyn Birdsall is a Senior Engineer in the Fuel Cell Development Department of Toyota Motor North America Research and Development specializing in hydrogen infrastructure, high pressure hydrogen systems, and associated standards and regulations. She also serves as a technical spokesperson for the Toyota Mirai and has been in numerous publications including Car and Driver and the Wall Street Journal. Birdsall has held several roles in the automotive industry prior to joining Toyota in 2012 with over fourteen years of experience in hydrogen, including a thirteen-month assignment at the Toyota Motor Corporation Global Headquarters in Japan. In addition to her activities in hydrogen, Birdsall takes a personal interest in promoting STEM learning and diversity within the industry. She is a board member of Women Influencing and Impacting Toyota and in 2015 was honored by the Manufacturing Institute as an Emerging Leader and by Automotive News as Rising Star. Birdsall received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University (previously General Motors Institute).
	Judy Kruger Judy Kruger is the Sr Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, a non-profit focused on building opportunities for good paying jobs in California. In her role as Sr Director, Judy provides vision, direction, and execution of the LAEDC’s ecosystem and cluster development in LA County and Southern California in advanced transportation and mobility. She is the founder and architect of California SmartMatch, a B2B matchmaking program assisting large companies with their diversity supplier needs. With over 200 matches made, California SmartMatch program is focused on building the Electric Vehicle Mobility companies and their supply base locally. Judy has extensive experience in national and international economic development initiatives. She developed, launched, and successfully implemented sizeable programs in multiple industries. In her past positions as a sales executive, business consultant, and strategic planner, she has worked with U.S. and foreign companies seeking to grow businesses in Europe, Asia, South America, Mexico, Cuba and the U.S. As the Vice President of Sales for Grupo Prodensa, a Mexican firm, Judy implemented the firm’s foreign investment, marketing, and sales strategy. Formerly, Judy served as a Strategic Planner at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. In that role, she led the automotive, aerospace and defense business development focus for the state, coordinating project development and advocacy with local, state, congressional, and governors’ offices. Her responsibilities also included working with companies and prime contractors researching, identifying, and building growth markets, new opportunities and key partnerships. Judy holds a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan Law School and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Grand Valley State University