Maintained a Department of Energy top secret clearance (“Q”) [Currently Inactive]

Statement of Purpose

Since the beginning of my scientific quest I have had the opportunity to work in some excellent research environments along side incredible professors, students and other professionals.  I believe my exposure to the classroom, students, industry, academia, the board room and other research areas, combined with extensive experience in oral and written communication, project and organization management and more recently, science policy and exposure to diplomacy through global relationships formed around science discovery, have molded me to be a well rounded, meticulous, scientist/engineer and more, a beacon for how science translates to life for every individual.  Presently, I would like the opportunity to broaden my experience by securing a long term position with a government agency, company, or laboratory committed to investigating and improving the world around us.  In addition, I would like to add to my critical thinking and organization management skill set by entering the leadership of such an organization.  Because of my ability to work well with colleagues in a variety of places and under many circumstances, I have become malleable which has aided me in the quest to become a seasoned professional scientist/engineer.  I believe my path to date will prove to be an asset to your organization.  Please take a few moments to review my resume.  It is arranged by skill set to effectively highlight skills that may be relevant to your organization’s needs.  In each section I have outlined my experience in chronological order.  I am excited about the possibilities.  Thank you for your consideration.

Education 

Fisk University M.S. Physics [Astrophysics] (May 2014)

Tennessee State University  B.S. Physics [Mechanical Engineering] (August 2008) 

Relevant Courses & Skills 

Organizational Management Experience

The National Society of Black Physicists, Board of Directors

Board of Directors, Graduate Student Member

Arlington, VA

May 2011 – Present

• Participated in negotiating a relationship with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and the Society of Physics Students (SPS).
• Developed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between NSBP and SPS.
• Developed the NSBP’s policies and procedures. 
• Developed a general form for committees and Board Members to submit official documentation(i.e. reimbursements, meeting notes, program proposals, etc.) 
• Participated in relationship management meetings with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
• Participated in relationship management meetings with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
• Acted as an observer during talks between the South African Minister of Science and the NSBP Senior Leadership Team.
• Participated in negotiations and MOU development between Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and NSBP for the development of a multi-million dollar proposal to the National Science foundation (NSF).

Industry Experience

Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Kansas City Plant operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technology

Student Engineer III, Mechanical Engineering: Purchased Products

Kansas City, MO

May 2006 – August 2006 

• Maintained a Department of Energy top secret clearance (“Q”). [Currently Inactive]
• Led the investigation into the chipping, and in some cases, cracking of capacitors in the weapon system of interest. 
• Developed and conducted training sessions for plant engineers and technicians on the features and usage of a new database created to organize, track, and store history on every part used in all weapon systems. 
• Database development: Created identifying markers to streamline the search between commercial and in-house part numbers. 

Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Kansas City Plant operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technology

Student Engineer I, Mechanical Engineering: Purchased Products

Kansas City, MO

May 2005 – August 2005

• Acquired a Department of Energy Top Secret Clearance (“Q”). [Currently Inactive]

• Studied the element composition of Lightning Arrestor Connectors (LACs), and how it relates to the machining and life of the weapon system of interest.   Visited vendor factories. 

• Examined Planning Run Times for jobs associated with completing the weapon system in an effort to streamline the hours billed process and more efficiently translate from indirect to direct cost. 

• Learned to read drawings and specs for weapon systems and generated requirement maps for company counterparts. 

Program Management Experience 

Tennessee State University College of Engineering

Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Nashville, TN

May 2012 - December 2012 

Engineering Concepts Institute is a summer prep program for admitted freshman designed to begin the engineering experience early.  Students take courses designed to introduce them to the 1st year curriculum.  High academic achievers get the opportunity to compete for scholarships. 

• Developed and taught an interactive curriculum for the engineering statics course, including group projects and examinations.

• Reported student progress orally and in written form to the Dean of the College of Engineering.

Tennessee State University

College of Engineering

Engineering Concepts Institute Coordinator, Instructor 

Nashville, TN

May 2010-August 2010 

Engineering Concepts Institute is a summer program for admitted freshman to begin their engineering experience early.  Students take courses designed to introduce them to the 1st year curriculum.  High academic achievers get the opportunity to compete for scholarships. 

• Developed and taught an interactive curriculum for the engineering statics course, including group projects and examinations.  

• Reported student progress orally and in written form to the Dean of the College of Engineering.

Tennessee State University

College of Engineering

Summer Transportation Institute & Minority Introduction To Engineering, Program Manager 

Nashville, TN                                         

May 2002 – August 2002 

STI & MITE programs, primarily sponsored by the College of Engineering and TDOT, are designed to give high school students from underrepresented groups a comprehensive immersion in the field of engineering.  

• Developed and executed the daily agenda and a curriculum that included mathematics, science, African-American literature and computer usage for 80 high school students. 

• Organized and managed 20 students counselors/instructors. 

• Compiled a written report and presented student progress, program activities, and program outcomes to the Dean of the College of Engineering and Tennessee Departement of Transportation(TDOT) representatives.

Research Experience

Boston University

Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM)

Visiting Scholar: Graduate Research Assistant (directed by Dr. J. W. Hughes) (mentored by: Dr. Harlen Spence)

Boston, MA

May 2008 - January 2010 

As the world becomes more dependent upon electronic systems, the solar environment and how it influences life on Earth becomes increasingly important.  While at BU I had the opportunity to learn new programming languages, how to manipulate computer models that recreate the solar and interplanetary environment under the direction of incredibly supportive and knowledgeable faculty and students.

• Gained proficiency in Fortran and IDL programming languages.

• Used the Enlil-WSA coupled model to recreate the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) configuration, solar photospheric conditions, and solar wind velocity and polarity in an effort to determine whether solar energetic particle (SEP) events near Earth are influenced by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) configuration during the time of a solar flare or coronal mass ejection.  The overarching goal of this work was to aid in improving space weather prediction methods.  

Boston University

Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM)

National Science Foundation (NSF) CISM Space Weather Summer School: Participant 

Boston, MA                                                           

July 2008 - August 2008 

Topics covered and course curriculum included the solar wind, coronal mass ejections, solar flares, etc. and how these phenomena affect the Earth. Participants conducted laboratory experiments, used software to model interplanetary events, conditions on the solar surface and in the corona.

University of Arizona & National Solar Observatory

Solar Telescope

National Science Foundation (NSF) Solar Physics Summer School: Participant

Sun Spot, NM        

June 2007 

http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/SummerSchool07/ 

Topics covered and school curriculum included helioseismology, space weather, and solar magnetohydrodynamics.  Lectures given by prominent solar physicists, including Dr. Eugene Parker father of the Parker Spiral, as well as student attendees.  

Purdue University

Aerospace Engineering Department

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) RISE Program: Research Assistant

West Lafayette, IN                                     

June 2003 – August 2003 

• Conducted research on the effects of fretting fatigue on contact surfaces in helicopter blade rotors.  Specifically, how the fatigue is related to the geometry of the contact surface.  Using a tracing software we traced the surfaces of several different materials and organized them by shape.  These samples then underwent a series of friction duplicating scenarios.  Data associated with the erosion of each sample was collected.

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Space and Plasma Physics Department

National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Research Assistant 

 Minneapolis, MN  

June 2007 – August 2007 

• Participated in the space physics lecture series 

• Collected and analyzed data obtained from the PEACE satellite to observe electron behavior in the solar wind near Earth. 

• Presented results to Univ. of Minnesota physics department via poster and oral presentation. 

Conferences Presentations & Invited Talks 

Embassy of Switzerland’s TED-style conference entitled “Women Inspire Innovation” in collaboration with the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, April 2013: Invited Attendee

The Institute For the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture (ISPRC) Diversity Challenge at Boston University, 2010: Invited Presenter

American Physical Society (APS) Committee on the Status of Women In Physics’ Gazette, Fall 2010: Invited Student Writer, Vol. 29 No. 2 

“Student Mentoring Experiences” 

http://www.aps.org/programs/women/reports/gazette/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=224655 

American Physical Society (APS), March 2010: Invited Panelist 

“Minority Bridge Programs” 

American Physical Society (APS), February 2009: Invited Talk 

“Journey To The Ph.D.: One Student’s Quest for the Perfect Mentor” 

American Astronomical Society (AAS), January 2009: Poster Presentation 

“The influence of photospheric magnetic footpoint location on flare associated energetic particle events.” 

Solar Heliospheric & Interplanetary Environment (SHINE) Meeting, July 2008: Attendee 

Leadership Experience & Professional Memberships 

National Society of Black Physicists (Board of Directors: Grad Student Representative, 2012 - Present)

Society of Minority Engineers & Scientists-Graduates (Vice-President, 2011-2012)

Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics Honor Society (President, 2009)(Member)

American Astronomical Society (Junior Member) 

American Physical Society (Member) 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (Alpha Chi Chapter President, 2004-2005)(Member)

References 

Dr. W. Eugene Collins, Professor of Physics: Fisk University 

1. ecollins(at)fisk.edu

Dr. Charles McGruder, Professor of Physics: Western Kentucky University 

1. charles.mcgruder(at)wku.edu 

Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Dean: College of Engineering: Tennessee State University 

1. skhargrove(at)tnstate.edu 

Dr. Harlen Spence, Director: Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space: University of New Hampshire harlan.spence(at)unh.edu

Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, Asst. Professor of Physics and Space Sciences: Florida Institute of Technology holuseyi(at)fit.edu