student and alumni speaking

The gulf between your classroom experience and the practical reality of actually being an engineer can feel massive. Undoubtedly, every student has questions about the workforce. Should you get your PE license? What about grad school? What are the differences between government and civilian work? What do recent grads with they had done in college now that they're done?

During Engineers Week, those questions (and more) will have answers, courtesy of Owl engineers currently in the professional world. 

The college is hosting an Alumni Speed Roundtable event, where alumni will be sorted by topics at each table with three to five minutes in a fast paced "speed" round followed by an open networking session over light refreshments. 

Here's a quick look at some of the alumni scheduled to join—make sure to register today to save your spot, and plan for professional dress, too. 

 
Learning from engineering mistakes & failures
Mark Bruley, BioE '75
 
Mark is an internationally renowned forensic medical technology accident investigator. For more than 40 years at ECRI Institute, he has worked with clinicians on the front lines of healthcare to curb the aftermath of serious medical device related accidents and help prevent future occurrences.
 
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Skills you need to manage a multi-million dollar project
John DeFazio, CE '81
LF Driscoll, Vice President
 
With more than 30 years of construction operations experience, John has mastered all aspects of construction management, from significant preconstruction endeavors to construction operations, and has directed extensive value engineering efforts on numerous premiere projects with principal responsibility for client and design team controls.
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The power of networking
Milton Gomez, CE '03
AERIX INDUSTRIES, Vice President
 
Milton is responsible for overseeing all operations including sales, engineering, and technical support for the entire organization, both nationally and internationally. 
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Where is the Defense industry going?
Kevin Horan, ME '89
Lockheed Martin, Senior Project Engineer
 
Kevin has more than 30 years experience on projects ranging from satellites to sophisticated IT systems for the Department of Defense, Federal government, and large commercial customers in both the domestic and international market space. 
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Internships & getting a job
Bill Joyce, CE '91
Tutor Perini, Project Manager
 
Bill has more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, including 26 years with a major national construction management and general contracting firm.
 
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What I wish I had done in college now that I'm a recent grad.
Mario Mata, BioE '16 
DePuy Synthes, Associate Product Development Engineer
 
Mario works in the Trauma R&D (New Technology/Front End Group). While at Temple, Mario Was the President of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) local chapter. He also worked as an Undergraduate Researcher at the Temple Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering (TIME).
 
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You're an engineer now—what about tomorrow?
Tim Reese, EE '90
Managing Director (Investment Banking), Quoin Capital
 
Mr. Reese served as the State Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2017. He also served as an Advisor the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2014). He began his career at Honeywell, Inc in 1989 to 1993 working as a software, systems, and hardware engineer.
 
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Government work: contractor vs employee
Nailah Salaam, EE '95
Senior Electrical Harness Design Engineer, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies
 
Naliah acts as a liaison between systems engineers and the manufacturing team.  She is responsible for designing, developing, and releasing cable drawings for all projects under the Satellite Servicing Division.
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How can grad school help me advance my career?
David Sawhill, ME '89
CHL Systems, Engineer
 
David is a professional engineer with extensive experience in project management, engineering analysis, and executing projects from conception through to completion.
 
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Should I get my PE license?
Paloma Vila, CE '11
CDM Smith, Environmental Engineer
 
Paloma is involved with the environmental investigation and remediation of federally owned sites, including EPA Superfund.