“People recognize and appreciate respect and professionalism. These are the soft skills that many of my peers—engineers—lack and do not seem to place as much importance on in their job. I realized that you can be the most technically savvy individual but if no one can work with you, that is a career-limiting scenario.”
--Krista L.R. Hardie
Process and product quality specialist, Hamilton Sundstrand
Quote from Workforce Diversity magazine
The goal of The Science and Engineering Professionalism Seminar Series is to help students become industry-ready. In addition to technical expertise, new scientists and engineers need to know how to communicate ideas, work in teams, make ethical decisions and manage people. And in the 21st century, they must be ready to function in an organizational culture that is increasingly global and diverse.
This seminar series offers six consecutive three-hour workshops facilitated by professionals from the science and engineering sectors. Students attending this workshop series will be better prepared to succeed as professionals upon entering the workforce and may find they are inclined to seek leadership and management opportunities while in school and in the workplace.
Click here to download the PDF flier for these seminars
This event co-sponsored
by the Career Center, College of Engineering & Computer Science, the College of Natural Sciences and Math and the Center for Practical and Professional Ethics.
List of Seminars
March 26th, 2010: The Business of Engineering for Engineers and Technical Professionals
Presenters: Kishore Rao, Intel Corp. & Pramod Parihar, Numonyx Corp.
Location: Hinde Auditorium, University Union
more...
April 16th, 2010: Effective Workplace Communication & Business Etiquette
Presenter: Desiree Galenti, et al
Location: Forest Suite, 2nd Floor, University Union
more...
April 23rd, 2010: Practical Leadership: Where are the Leaders?
Presenters: Harlan Coomes, SMUD and Joe Coomes, McDonough Holland & Allen PC
Location: Hinde Auditorium
more...
April 30th, 2010: Exploring the Path to Entrepreneurship for Technologists
Presenter: Ken Crittendon, Entrepreneur
Location: Forest Suite, 2nd Floor, University Union
more...
May 7th, 2010: Making Good Choices: Ethics for Engineering and Science Professions
Presenter: John F. Gisla
Location: Forest Suite, 2nd Floor,University Union
more...
May 14th, 2010: Working in Diverse Teams
Presenter: Brittney Gandy
Location: Forest Suite, 2nd Floor,University Union
more...
What students said about the 2009 seminar series:
“I enjoyed the seminar on ethics. That seminar shed some light onto tough engineering decisions that must be made, and how to make them ethically.”
Dmitry Zamoshnikov
Junior, Mechanical Engineering
“Participating in activities and receiving feedback from the very best in the field gave more knowledge and insight in to the profession.”
--Nadir Hajiyani
Graduate Student, Computer Science
This seminar was focused in teaching us what to expect in the real world. Learning about the business side of science was most valuable because dealing with it is inevitable.
--Miguel Moreno
Junior,Biology
Seminar Descriptions
The Business of Engineering for Engineers
Presenter: Kishore Rao, Intel Corp. and Dr. Pramod Parihar, Numonyx Corp.
Date: March 26
This course will instruct the student to understand the Business aspects of Engineering including but not limited to:
- Gain business acumen by handing conflicting engineering priorities and understanding tradeoffs affecting time-to-market decisions
- How to work within a team to solve product development problems when business requirements change
- Effective Intra Team Communicate under pressure of deadlines and project changes
- Effective report out of Project Status to management to get decisions including Executive Summary and an "Elevator Pitch"
- Summarizing key product points and customer value
- Market research fundamentals, Project financial evaluations, Competitive analysis
About Mr. Kishore Rao
Kishore has over 15 years of experience in the Technology and Computer Industry having worked in the area of Flash memory as applied to PC Computing, Mobile Phones and Embedded Deigns. He is currently with Intel Corporation at their Folsom Campus in the position of a Product Line Manager for High Performance Solid State Drives. In this role he works to incorporate innovative ways of using Flash Memory in Intel Platforms to enhance PC user experience. In addition, at Intel he has held several Technical and Business positions in S/W Engr, Test/Product Engr, and Marketing including organizational ownership of the Intel’s $1.6B, Cellular Marketing Segment for NOR Flash Memory. Prior to this he worked for Caltrans as an Electrical Engineer in their Advanced Highway Maintenance Technology Program, in co-operation with UC Davis, developing and implementing technology to make Highway Maintenance safer for Employees and the Public. He also has vast experience traveling worldwide, working with customers, Press/Analysts and at Industry Events.
Kishore has published papers and his most recent one was “A NAND Flash PC Platform Read Write Cache, presented at the NVSMW, 2007. Kishore Rao has an MSEE from Sac State (California State University Sacramento) and a BSEE from Bangalore University, India. He has been active with the IEEE Sacramento Sections of the Vehicular Technology and Computer Societies and is currently serving on the Industry Advisory Committee for the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Sac State.
About Dr. Pramod Parihar
Pramod Parihar: Has 13 years of industrial experience covering Electrical Power, Clean Energy, Semiconductors, and Information Technology. He currently is Manager Strategic Finance and Planning with Numonyx Inc. where he leads Numonyx strategic competitive intelligence efforts. Numonyx was part of Intel before it was spun off, in April 2008, as an independent company.
Before Intel/Numonyx, Pramod worked as an independent management consultant and was responsible for successfully guiding startup companies in their early days. Earlier he was a project manager for Bechtel, working on projects in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Pramod has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State, and an MBA from UC Davis.
Effective Workplace Communication & Business Etiquette
Presenter: Desiree Galenti, et. al.
Date: April 16
Topics to be addressed
- Communication styles (know yourself and your audience)
- How to communicate with coworkers
- How to effectively communicate with supervisors
- How do you make yourself standout/market yourself?
- How do you talk to a supervisor about promotional opportunities or getting a new assignment?
- How to have the difficult conversations (voicing concerns)
- Email and phone etiquette, including grammar and professionalism (e.g. texting)
About Desiree Galenti
Desiree Galenti is an Employment Representative for Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. Desiree has been with the company since 2004 and has cross sector HR experience working for Space Technology and also past division responsibilities for the Network Communications Division. Desiree has experience in a wide range of areas including the learning and development process area, generalist support functions, human resource information systems and reporting, recruiting and community relations and outreach.
Education: Desiree holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of California, Davis and a Master’s degree in Organizational Behavior from Alliant International University.
Special Skills/Certifications: Communication, analytical skills, customer focus, process improvement
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Practical Leadership: Where are the Leaders?
Presenters: Harlan Coomes, SMUD and Joe Coomes, McDonough Holland & Allen PC
Date: April 23
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Students will participate in opportunities to learn and exercise practical leadership skills from within an organization.
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The teaching format will be a “facilitated discussion” with a mix of lecture, interactive and group activity, and participatory learning reinforcement exercises and knowledge checks.
About Harlan S. Coomes
Supervisor, PARC- Engineering
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
Professional Experience
Harlan Coomes has been in the energy industry for over 25 years. His work encompasses commercial nuclear power station operations, energy efficiency and demand side management program planning and implementation, green energy program planning and operation, and supervision. His experience also includes energy efficiency projects in Ukraine and Russia.
Currently, he is responsible for engineering and technical staffing resources and training in the SMUD Distribution Services business unit. His responsibilities include managing staff; coaching and mentoring; managing the process of hiring, training, and evaluating staff; developing and delivering training; and supervising a workgroup of approximately 66 staff. He recently led the development and delivery of a leadership training series for persons in a non-supervisory lead role.
He has many years experience leading the development and delivery of innovative energy-related programs and services. His current project is the development of “Sacramento Solar Highways”, a joint project with SMUD and the California Department of Transportation focused on placing solar photovoltaic generation systems on the region’s highways.
He is involved locally and regionally with a variety of organizations including the Northwest Public Power Association; California State University, Sacramento; Drexel University; and DeVry University.
Education
B.S. Nuclear Engineering Technology, California State University, Sacramento, 1996.
About Joseph E. Coomes, Jr.
Shareholder/McDonough Holland & Allen PC
Professional Experience
Joe Coomes has more than 40 years experience in the area of redevelopment, land use and planning law, including military base closure and reuse with McDonough, Holland & Allen PC.
He is experienced in representing a number of public agencies and major developers in complex land use matters and in the negotiation of development agreements. He is skilled at leading complex negotiations and representing both public and private clients, helping parties with diverse and competing interests reach resolution to challenging issues.
He has successfully negotiated some of the largest and most difficult urban mixed-use redevelopment projects in California, including San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens, and downtown San Jose's Silicon Valley Financial Center. In 2008 he received the first "Lifetime Achievement Award" given by the California Redevelopment Association.
Joe is a frequent lecturer before state, national and international organizations on the subjects of urban development and land use planning, being invited speak and confer on urban development issues in London, Tokyo and Beijing. He has created and taught a graduate course on redevelopment and planning law at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
His work includes negotiating and structuring public and private financing, including working with the Sacramento Kings NBA team and Arco Arena, and the City of Sacramento. His work with military base closures and reuse includes the successful residential redevelopment of Hamilton Field in Marin County, reuse planning for Treasure Island in San Francisco, and two major redevelopment projects at Fort Ord.
Education
University of California,
Boalt Hall School of Law, L.L.B., 1957
University of California, Berkeley
A.B., Journalism, 1954
Civic Leadership (Partial List)
Past President, Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (1977); Sacramentan of the Year (1990)
Past President, Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (1978-1979)
Chairman, Capitol Area Development Authority (1978-1985)
Chairman, Valley Vision (1997-2000)
Senior Fellow (Class III), American Leadership Forum, Mountain Valley Chapter (Sacramento region)
Exploring the Path to Entrepreneurship for Technologists
Presenter: Ken Crittendon, Entrepreneur
Date: April 30th
Entrepreneurship is on the rise and is widely viewed as a key economic engine. The vast majority of people work for small businesses and with the economy’s downturn more and more students are exploring non-traditional employment paths. Some are founding startups while on campus or shortly after graduating while others are forced to evaluate whether or not a small entrepreneurial business will prosper and meet their career goals.
Founding or joining an entrepreneurial startup is certainly more risky than becoming an employee of a Fortune 500. Technologists often hold the most coveted and influential positions… after all it’s their creations that transform into products and/or services that customers buy. This session is geared towards discovering your entrepreneurial self, providing the tools for evaluating entrepreneurial endeavors and preparing you to take the leap!
About Mr. Ken Crittendon
Ken Crittendon is an established leader in the commercialization of the Internet. In his 15+ years of executive management he has been at the vanguard of wildly successful Internet pioneers including AT&T Yahoo!, eBay and Scient. As the Vice President of Marketing for Commendo Software he led the charge for the company’s Voyager product which won the Best of Show Award from Intel at the Consumer Electronics Show. Prior to his time with Commendo, Ken led the development of eBay’s network strategy while serving as a consultant with Scient. As the Director of Business Infrastructure at AT&T Yahoo!, formerly Pacific Bell, Ken was responsible for funding the first commercial Internet deployments in California. More recently, he advises Silicon Valley startups, serves as a business mentor for Clean Tech Open and volunteers as the COO for VC Taskforce.
Ken is the recipient of an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Cal Poly and a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from CSU, Sacramento. He is a graduate of the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy, Alumnus of the Year Award Recipient and currently serves on its Board of Directors.
Making Good Choices: Ethics for Engineering and Science Professions
Presenter: John P. Gisla
Date: May 7
This sessio
n will introduce students to some of the major ethical issues in the engineering and science professions, provide them with some practical ethical decision making skills, and provide anopportunity to practice these skills with a sequence of cases to resolve.
About Mr. John Gisla
Mr. John Gisla has both a Bachelors degree in civil engineering and a degree in law. He has served as the Agency Attorney for the US Army Corp of Engineers (1975-83) and as Assistant US Attorney, US Attorney's Office, Sacramento (1983-2007). He has been appointed as a Lecturer at UC Davis Dept of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, teaching their course, Professional Responsibilities of Engineers (1975-present).
Working in Diverse Teams
Presenter: Brittney GandyDate: May 14th
This presentation will focus on diversity in the workforce, specifically the Science and Engineering disciplines. The discussion will be on ways to relate to all cultures, experiences of different cultures, cultural competency, and diversity all in relation to the science and engineering fields and the workforce.
In the seminar, the presenter will conduct activities that allow the students to be interactive participants, and reflect on their experiences as well. A panel (CSU Sacramento alums included) will be available to discuss their experiences and experiences which will give a sense of commonality between the presenters and the students present.
About Britney Gandy
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brittney has always been involved in a number of multi-cultural experiences, been exposed to a broad range of cultures, and has gained an appreciation of all cultures and diversities. She participated in a number of community based programs, church activities, and tutored other students in Math, Science, and Spanish. She was a member of the National Honor Society, National Dean’s List, and Spanish National Honor Society, as she received awards for her academic success. Being an honor student, she was often the only minority in her high school classes. After graduating with honors at the top of her class there in Albuquerque, Brittney relocated to Sacramento, CA along with her parents and younger sister. Her father Andre Gandy is a Computer Engineer, and her mother Teresa Gandy is a child psychologist; however Brittney decided to take a different route and combine her love of Mathematics and Medicine and pursue Biological Sciences and Mathematics at CSU, Sacramento to either become a physician, biomedical engineer, or a professor at the Doctorate level.
In the Spring of 2006, Brittney graduated from CSU, Sacramento with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Mathematics. She was the student commencement speaker, and was the 2006 Outstanding Graduate for the Science Educational Equity Program (SEE). As a student in the math & sciences, Brittney was often not only the sole minority student in her classes, but also the only woman in those classes as well. While pursuing her degree, Brittney participated in the Biology & Chemistry Honors Research Program, the McNair Scholars Program, Science Educational Equity, the Compact for Faculty Diversity Program, Multicultural Organization of Science Students, National Society of Black Engineers, and Student National Medical Association. She held several leadership and office positions in each of these organizations. Brittney conducted an independent breast cancer research project for years in the lab of Dr.Mary McCarthy-Hintz and presented those results nationwide, and was published for her Biology research with Dr.Winston Lancaster in the McNair Scholar’s Journal, as she presented those results at National Conferences. Brittney also advised, mentored and tutored for a number of years. She was an Adjunct facilitator for Chemistry 1A, a Faculty/Student Mentor for the Faculty Student Mentor Program, a tutor for Learning Skills & students with Disabilities, and a tutor and mentor for the SEE program. In addition she worked as a student assistant for the National Institute of Health under a research grant. She also participated in the Pre-Med Prep program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and was an Orientation Leader for the summer of 2005. Lastly, Brittney aided many members of the community through church activities, volunteering for hospitals, organizing community outreach activities, tutoring at risk youth, and motivational speaking.
After graduating with honors, and obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, Brittney began working as the Administrative Assistant for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program’s Statewide Office (CSU-LSAMP). When the opportunity for advising and more leadership arose, Brittney applied, was hired, and began working for the Science Educational Equity (SEE) program as the Activities Coordinator/ Advisor. She’s currently been working as the Activities Coordinator for approximately three years, and does student advising, produces data for grant reports, edits grants, plans activities and conferences for students and faculty, participates in faculty conferences, and guest speaks at lots of events. She primarily aids students gain admission to medical, dental, pharmacy, and graduate schools, and serves as a liaison between faculty, staff, and the students of several universities and the SEE program. She loves the interactions with diverse groups and the vast exposure to several opportunities. The possibilities are endless.
