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Professional Experience
Chemical and Biochemical Engineer, Princeton, NJ, 2006 - present
Focused on the local production and use of biofuels from waste or non food plants and on the application of environmental green technologies.
- Assisted in the operations of a prototype manufacturing process to convert used restaurant oil (yellow grease) into biodiesel.
- Cost-effectively modified existing process pumping equipment to increase productivity.
- Wrote a proposal to modify and monitor university and high school buses to burn pure biodiesel (B100) year round.
- Cowrote a proposal for developing biofuels capacity in India and Tanzania to make energy available to the poor and to provide a foundation for extended job creation with microloans.
Teacher, New York City Department of Education, New York, NY and Franklin Township Public Schools, Somerset, NJ, 2001 – 2006
Taught high school-level chemistry, earth science, research skills, and ecology courses. Adapted approach to multiple learning styles using diverse educational strategies in student-centered, hands-on environment. Certifications: chemistry, biology, and technology.
Senior Chemical Engineer, Lockheed Martin, Edison, NJ, 2000 – 2001
Drove and bolstered technical activities for US EPA’s Environmental Response Team, rendering technical support services to regional EPA personnel as well as state agencies. Captained teams of up to five interdisciplinary project members. Categorized, summarized, and analyzed complex chemical contaminants data. Readily determined sources and extent of contamination; devised remedial approaches to meet target cleanup levels. Wrote comprehensive work plans, health and safety plans, and technical project reports.
- Designed system to capture explosive methane gas migrating to houses adjacent to county’s solid waste landfill by developing alternative plan using an innovative in-situ technology.
- Slashed health risks to residents of adjacent homes after discovering unknown subsurface contamination during a site closure
- Completed investigation of abandoned pesticide formulation and warehousing facility ahead of schedule and under cost estimates.
- Enabled rapid immobilization, excavation, transportation, and off-site disposal of contaminated soil from residential homes.
Assistant Professor, Environmental Technology, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, CA, 1997 – 2000
Instructed courses in Environmental Engineering, Toxicology, Environmental Regulations, and Environmental Technology. Advanced Environmental Technology program, expanding, diversifying, and integrating course offerings. Hired and supervised three adjunct professors.
- Expanded and diversified environmental program into a second major: Occupational Health and Safety; developed new curriculum approved by the State of California.
- Created two articulation agreements to integrate Environmental Technology program with other university’s environmental programs.
- Co-authored successful grant proposal to the State of California for providing environmental support to the small business community.
- Shortened length of environmental courses from 18 to six weeks to better meet the needs of mobile military personnel. Revised curriculum of each existing course.
Environmental Engineer, Kleentek, San Pedro, CA & Nevada City, CA, 1991 – 1995
Successfully identified and met environmental needs of corporate, government, and university clients within strict budget and time constraints. Increased business growth and profitability engaging in sales and marketing efforts. Managed activities of five-member staff.
- Oversaw the management and operations of an engineering contractor in the in-situ removal of organic contaminats in soil to concenmtrate into a liquid fuel for recycling.
- Saved client $4M by recalculating the size/extent of contamination via data evaluation, strategic soil sampling, spreadsheet development, and geostatistical modeling.
- Developed two new environmental courses for university extension program: Innovative Technologies for Site Remediation, and Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention.
- Represented county seat as member of Nevada County Hazardous Waste Task Force.
- Led volatile/semi-volatile chemical removal from soil of former chemical storage terminal.
- Immobilized poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), copper, chromium, and arsenic (CCA) in soil and sludge of former wood preserving facility using two-stage encapsulation technology.
- Tested feasibility of soil washing to remove chromium from soil as well as feasibility of immobilization to stabilize chromium in soil of former hard chromium plating shop.
Operations Manager, NovaTerra, Torrance, CA, 1991
Managed daily operations of 22 employees and additional subcontractors at a site restoration for environmental engineering contractor. Safely handled hazardous materials and wastes.
- Doubled volume of soil cleaned weekly, without cost increase and within air permit limits.
- Cut equipment downtime 20% by improving field engineering and maintenance.
Environmental Engineer, CH2M Hill, Sacramento, CA, 1990 – 1991
Steered broad scope of environmental engineering projects for military clients. Authored technical reports detailing all project aspects from initiation through completion.
- Eliminated mercury from industrial military building’s surfaces/equipment by developing and evaluating corrective alternatives.
- Created easily accessible summary document of soil pollution data for military base.
- Pinpointed source of indoor air pollution at a California state museum.
Chemical Engineer, Roy F. Weston, Inc. / Foster Wheeler Enviresponse, Edison, NJ, 1986 – 1990
Managed projects for US EPA's Environmental Response Team, charged with supporting all EPA regions and other government agencies.
- Resolved environmental problems near Lake Ontario shoreline by combining technical capacities of two federal environmental agencies (US EPA & Environment Canada).
- Teamed with other government agencies to expand technical capabilities.
- Reduced contamination by developing and engineering new technologies.
- Pioneered use of bench- and pilot-scale studies to investigate feasibility of innovative and alternative technologies on site specific wastes
- Improved soil washing process using EDTA to remove lead via bench-scale tests.
- Researched and analyzed use of technological alternatives to land filling wastes.
Development Engineer, Dorr-Oliver (Iopor Division), Stamford, CT, 1984 - 1986
Applied general engineering skills and knowledge to conduct pilot-scale applications testing and provide technical support for existing applications. Sized equipment and commissioned full-scale systems for engineering equipment designer and manufacturer.
- Recycled microbes that converted cheese industry wastewater into methane gas by resolving problems of existing application.
- Eliminated fine particulates from coal gasification pilot plant wastewater.
- Influenced proposal of low-cost, non-warranteed ultrafiltration and microfiltration system to expand product line.
- Cleaned ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes during process cycle by formulating strategy using proprietary mixture of enzymes, builders, and surfactants.
- Successfully used new ultrafiltration system to separate L-phenylalanine from fermentation broth.
- Readily separated asbestos fibers from wastewater to below detectable limits.
Research Engineer, US Department of Energy (Contract), Piscataway, NJ, 1981 - 1984
Contracted to develop process to transform cheese processing waste to fuel alcohol. Collaborated with equipment manufacturers and research university to implement bench- and pilot-scale process.
- Converted cheese-processing wastewater into high-protein food and fuel alcohol using pilot-scale ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and bench-scale immobilized-cell fermentation.
- Successfully fermented high concentrations of lactose, containing highly-concentrated, naturally-occurring, fermentation-inhibiting salts using immobilized cell fermentation technique
Recovery Specialist, Coastal Services, Elisabeth, NJ, 1976 - 1978
Contributed to containment and clean-up of oil and hazardous material spills by piloting workboats and operating/maintaining equipment. Supervised activities of recovery technician crews during clean-up operations.
- Employed high-pressure water hoses to corral and contain oil without physical barriers.
- Modernized Korean War vintage Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) to operate as containment, cleanup, and transportation vessel.
Educational Background
M.S., Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
B.A., Chemistry (Zoology Minor), Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
B.A., Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Professional Development:
- Fermentation Technology
- Project Management
- Site Safety Coordinator
- Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operations Hazardous Materials Transportation (HAZWOPER 40-hour)
- HAZWOPER Refresher
- Regulatory Framework for Toxic/Hazardous Substances
- Site Investigation & Remediation Feasibility Process
- Soils Engineering and Geology
- Supervisor Training
- RCRA Corrective Actions
- Hazardous Waste Incineration