2019 Award Winners

Julie Shields is a Senior Industrial Engineering major from the University of Pittsburgh. Julie hails from a small town in Pennsylvania and was valedictorian of her 95 member high school class. She is currently earning a 3.90 GPA in Industrial Engineering. In addition to outstanding academics, Julie was Co-Chair of the Swanson School of Engineering’s 2017 Freshman Conference; she worked with “Students Consulting for Non-Profit Organizations”, where she assisted the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill to implement document work flow software; is a member of SWE, Alpha Pi Mu, Tau Beta Pi, and the Institute of Industrial & System Engineers. In addition, she was nominated for and awarded the Howard Bernstein Scholarship, and the John Nofsinger Honor Scholarship. Julie also participated in the Global Supply Program at the University of Montevideo, Uruguay. Julie completed three outstanding co-op rotations with FedEx Supply Chain, where she was the Lead Engineer on a multi-million dollar bid for a complex design and takeover of two distribution buildings, which the company ultimately won. Julie has  accepted a full-time position with FedEx Supply Chain.

Mathew Hunt is a Masters candidate in Mechanical Engineering and also earned his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University. Mathew always found himself gazing towards the stars, dumbfounded by the majesty of the snow speckled void we call space. This interest guided him forward, providing a foundation as to make his stamp in college. Mathew was drawn to the thought-provoking questions of Dr. Jake Leachman, P.I. of the Hydrogen Properties for Energy Research (HYPER) Laboratory. In this lab, focused on cryogenic hydrogen for energy and space application Mathew flourished. He began to foster the skills necessary to conduct cryogenic research which led to his internship with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), where he worked along researchers exploring the effects of cryogenic temperatures on high-entropy alloys. Included in this was research into fatigue-life testing of pipeline steels in a gaseous hydrogen environment, pertinent to the growing need for more sustainable energy solutions. The work conducted at NIST has now led into Mathew’s master’s thesis. He will be working to define and develop new cryogenic standards for full thermal and rotational fatigue lifecycle testing of polymeric materials. Mathew hopes to see this research applied to more sustainable energy models, as well as advancing liquid propellant storage research for future spaceflights.

Lorraine Mountain is Assistant Dean of Cooperative Education for the Northeastern University College of Engineering, overseeing the college’s undergraduate and departmental graduate co-op programs. She has served as a leader in College of Engineering co-op since 2013, facilitating team efforts in curriculum and teaching, job development, and faculty/staff hiring. As Senior Faculty Cooperative Education Coordinator in the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department, Lorraine has enjoyed advising and teaching students and connecting with employers in the field since 2001. Lorraine’s connection to ASEE began in 2004, and she has presented on a range of topics through the years including continuous reflection, ePortfolio’s, model employer partnerships, and job development.

Prior to Northeastern, Lorraine worked in industry at General Electric Aviation in Engineering Design and as a Six Sigma Blackbelt and Instructor, and at Gateway, Inc. as a Program Manager. She earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Tufts and a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University.

Jonathan Gordon is an Engineering Co-op Program Manager from The Lubrizol Corporation. Jonathan graduated from the University of Cincinnati with his Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering in 2013 after completing six unique co-op rotations with The Lubrizol Corporation. After graduating, he joined Lubrizol full-time as a Process Development Engineer. In October 2014, he was appointed to the position of Chemical Engineering Co-op Program Manager, supporting the growth and development of the chemical engineering co-op students and program, which serves as the primary talent pipeline for entry-level chemical engineers. In January of 2018, he took on a new role for Lubrizol as the full-time Engineering Co-op Program Manager, responsible for the entire program of 88 chemical and mechanical engineers. Through his years managing this program, it has doubled in size, both in number of students and opportunities available, allowing for 35 unique student terms in 19 locations across the United States. He has led initiatives toward strong diversity in recruitment and full-time conversion, global expansion of the program opportunities, and enhanced professional development of all students. He continues to drive the success and evolution of the program, working to strengthen key partnerships with universities, faculty, professional organizations, and industry partners.

Recently retired from working at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Center for Career Discovery & Development, Patricia Bazrod has served as General Conference Chair, President, and Assistant Conference Chair for three national professional organizations. Elected PIC V Chair to the Executive Board of the American Society for Engineering Education. President of the Cooperative Education and Internship Association for 2014-2015. Currently serving as Past-President 2015-2016. Served as Vice-President of the Cooperative Education Network for two consecutive terms.