Meet the University of Pittsburgh Society of Women Engineer's Officers!
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President
Lisa Volpatti
Year: Senior
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minors: Bioengineering, Chemistry, Polymer Engineering
Activities:: UHC Senior Ambassador, Conference Co-Chair, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Industry Experience: : Internship at Lubrizol Corporation (Wickliffe, OH)
Laboratory Experience: Porous Scaffolds for Applications in Soft Tissue Engineering (Wang Lab at the University of Pittsburgh), Biodegradable Polymers for use as Efficient Gene Vectors (Pun Lab at the University of Washington)
Interests: Horseback riding, running, juggling
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Vice President
Julia Wasas
Year: Junior
Major: Industrial Engineering
Activities: SWE, Habitat for Humanity, Peer Advisor
Industry Experience: Summer internship with PNC Bank
Study Abroad Experience: Global Supply Networks & Manufacturing Culture in Latin America
Interests:Soccer, camping, hiking, kayaking, cooking
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Secretary
Sanday Liu
Year: Senior
Major: BioEngineering
Minor: Chemistry
Activities: UHC Senior Ambassador, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, Pitt Engineering Exponents, UPMC Volunteer, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Eta Sigma
Industry Experience: Summer internships with Siga Technologies, Inc. (2009; Corvallis, OR) and Boston Scientific Corporation (2011, 2012; Maple Grove, MN)
Laboratory Experience: Effects of extracellular matrix on muscle tissue regeneration and immune response to extracellular matrix (Badylak Lab, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine), Hydrogen production optimization in cyanobacteria (Ely Lab, Oregon State University), Development of a portable hemodialysis machine (Jovanovic Lab, Oregon State University)
Interests: Football, basketball, hiking, reading, photography, cooking
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Treasurer
Christina O'Donnell
Year: Junior
Major: Chemical Engineering
Certificate: Nuclear Engineering
Activities: SWE, Phi Sigma Rho, AIChE, ANS, ChemE Car
Lab Experience: The Liu Nanomaterials Lab
Interests: The Pirates, Pitt sports, football, reading, cooking, volleyball
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Historian
Karin Rozendaal
Year: Senior
Major: Industrial Engineering
Activities: SWE, Alpha Pi Mu Industrial Engineering Honors Society, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society
Industry Experience: Co-op program (1st rotation at MEDRAD, Inc. in Pittsburgh, 2 rotations at Walmart Logistics Engineering in Houston, TX and Columbus, OH) and a summer internship with Nestle Operations Management Trainee Internship, PowerBar (Boise, ID).
Study Abroad Experience: FIPSE-CAPES exchange program to Brazil
Interests: Swimming, photography, Taekwando, travelling
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Corporate Relations
Erica Stevens
Year: Sophomore
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Certificate: German
Activities: Phi Sigma Rho, Swim Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Engineering Student Council, German Club
Lab experience: University of Pittsburgh research lab assistant (fabricating/testing Molybdenum films)
Interests: Working, German, swimming, outdoor activities
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Corporate Sponsorship
Sarah Pachesky
Year: Junior
Major: Chemical Engineering
Concentration: Petroleum Engineering
Activities: SWE, Theta Tau, AICHE, Pitt EXCEL
Industry Experience: Current R&D co-op with Appleton
Lab Experience: Dr. Enick's lab
Interests: Playing guitar and camping
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Mentorship
Dhanu Thiyagarajan
Year: Sophomore
Major: Bioengineering
Minor: Chemistry and Mathematics
Activities: SWE, Gluten Free My Campus, Biomedical Engineering Society
Laboratory Experience: UPMC Mechanobiology Lab
Interests: Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dancing), tennis, raquetball, goal is to become an OB/GYN doctor
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Meeting Coordinator
Matthew Gargani
Year: Junior
Major: Mechanical Engineer
Minor: Spanish
Activities: Triangle Fraternity, Catholic Newman Club, Society of Women Engineers, University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band.
Industry experience: Assistant Engineer at 2H Offshore
Interests: Pittsburgh, the Pirates, Debate, Community Service.
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Publicity
Christine Bontempi
Year: Junior
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minors: Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering
Activities: SWE, Engineering Ambassador, Pitt Ballet Club
Industry Experience: Intern at BASF (Wyandotte, MI)
Interests: Ballet, Skiing, Traveling
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Webmaster
Elissa Warmbrand
Year: Junior
Major: Industrial Engineering
Minor: Economics
Activities: SWE, Panthers For Israel, Panther Autism Awareness
Industry Experience: Co-op at Estee Lauder
Interests: Music, sports, travelling, whales
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Outreach
Aimee Pickering
Year: Senior
Major: BioEngineering
Minor: Chemistry
Activities: SWE, American Medical Student's Association, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, UPMC Shadyside Volunteer, General Chemistry Undergraduate TA
Lab Experience: Examining the use of biodegradable Mg-based interference screws in ACL reconstruction at the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC)
Interests: Orthopedic medicine, volunteering, research, reading, scrapbooking.
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Service
Alicia Kolling
Year: Senior
Major: BioEngineering
Minors: Mechanical Engineering, German
Activities: SWE, Peer Advisor, Freshman Conference Co-Chair, National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Industry Experience: Co-op with Johnson & Johnson in Lititz, PA
Laboratory Experience: Human Movement and Balance Lab at the University of Pittsburgh
Study Abroad Experience: Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials, Hannover Medical School (Hannover, Germany)
Interests: Pittsburgh sports, running, spending time with friends and family
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Special Events
JoAnna Male
Year: Senior
Majors: Chemical Engineering & Political Science
Minor: Petroleum Engineering
Activities: Research, Tau Beta Pi, AIChE, SWE, College Republicans
Industry Experience: The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA)
Research Experience: Modeled diffusion of ionic solutions and gases through carbon nanotube arrays (Dr. Johnson, University of Pittsburgh); Modeled diffusion through ion selective membranes (Dr. Johnson, University of Pittsburgh); Simulated protein-excipient interactions in pharmaceuticals (Dr. Camarda, University of Kansas); Simulated protein aggregation and analyzed interactions for development of database (Dr. Camarda, University of Kansas)
Interests: Triathlons, cycling, backpacking, equestrian sports, politics
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Faculty Adviser
Chris Ann Frankovic
Associate Director, Cooperative Education Program
October 2012 will mark my 12th year at the University of Pittsburgh. I started in main Career Services working with Engineering students and then transferred into the Cooperative Education program in the Swanson School of Engineering. I hold a Bachelor of Administration degree from Robert Morris University with a Business Management major and a Masters in Professional Leadership/Training & Development from Carlow University. Almost my entire career has been in student services and I value the relationships I have fostered with students, staff, faculty, and employers along the way! I hope my experience and support will be an asset to Pitt's SWE chapter for this academic year.